Report Card: Regular-Season Grades for the 2023 Ravens

The Ravens will be enjoying Wild Card Weekend with a well-deserved rest after finishing the season with a league-best 13-4 mark and the top seed in the AFC. Let’s take a look back at this remarkable regular season, and hand out some grades.

Offense

Overall: A

Todd Monken’s inaugural season in Baltimore was a hit, as his MVP-caliber quarterback and revamped receiving room upped the passing attack, and a gang of running backs and mix-matched offensive line led the league in rushing. The Ravens finished fourth in offensive DVOA, sixth in yards per game, fourth in scoring and eighth in red-zone touchdown percentage. There were some rocky moments at the start of the season, but from Week 7 to Week 17, the Ravens scored 38, 31, 37, 31, 34, 20, 37, 23, 33 and 56 points — 34 points a game. ‘Twas a nice season on this side of the ball, despite missing some key weapons for big stretches.

Quarterback: A+

As the offense improved, so did Lamar Jackson — and you could reverse that order if you’d like. The only two blemishes on his season were fumbles and some deep-ball accuracy, but both improved as the season went on. His comfort in the offense, and his own abilities, was clear as the season progressed, and Jackson mixed in on-schedule precision passing with second-wave creativity that made him the league’s biggest star again this season. Obviously, a lot of Jackson’s story is still to be written on this season, but his regular season was spectacular.

Running Backs: B

The Ravens led the league in rushing, and Jackson was a huge part of that — but this mix-and-match unit did some good stuff. The loss of lead back JK Dobbins in the season-opener obviously changed the plan, but they kept going. Gus Edwards led the backs with 810 yards and 13 touchdowns, becoming nearly automatic in the shadow of the goal line. Justice Hill flashed again and again, but the big revelation here was undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell, who was averaging a ridiculous 8.4 yards per tote before going down with his own injury.

Receivers: B-

This grade might look low on the surface, but it is solidly above average, and that says something around these parts. Rookie Zay Flowers was a revelation, producing 858 yards on 77 catches and sprinkling in some excitement every time he touched the ball. Odell Beckham Jr. fought through some injury struggles, but still produced numerous highlight-reel plays and contributed 565 yards. Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor both flashed, combining for 748 yards and five touchdowns. The injury to Mark Andrews hurt, but Isaiah Likely stepped up in his place, with that pair combining for 955 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s good production from the tight end spot.

Offensive Line: B

PFF rated this unit as the second-best in the league this season. That felt a little rich to me, but you have to be impressed with how this team shuffled in and out players — particularly at tackle — and just kept humming. Tyler Linderbaum looks like an absolute stud at the pivot, and Kevin Zeitler turned in another workman-like terrific campaign. John Simpson probably exceeded my expectations for him, and Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele spelled beat-up tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses in a way that needs to be applauded, even if it wasn’t always pretty. Joe D’Alessandris turned in another fantastic coaching performance.

Defense

Overall: A+

This unit picked up steam at the end of the 2022 season, and really cooked this year. The Ravens finished first in DVOA, and became the first team in history to lead the NFL in points allowed per game, sacks and turnovers. They tackle well, they rush the passer, and they cover, which is a good formula for success. Add in a group of playmakers who make big plays and you have a defense that carried the torch for this franchise’s proud tradition on that side of the ball. A banner year, all around.

Defensive Line: B+

They got gashed at times in the run game, but this rotation shined for huge chunks of the season. Justin Madubuike broke out just in time to break the bank, with 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits. Jadeveon Clowney had one of the best seasons of his star-crossed career, finishing with 9.5 sacks and being genuinely disruptive nearly every week. Odafe Oweh had probably his best season, in spite of some injury struggles, and had five sacks and 12 quarterback hits. Travis Jones looked much improved this year, and had 36 tackles. Michael Pierce stayed healthy, turned in great work and was rewarded with a contract extension. Brent Urban quietly had a great season, with three sacks and 22 tackles, along with a pair of batted passes. Broderick Washington improved as the season went on, and rookie Tavius Robinson, who I include as a lineman, did a nice job setting the edge towards the end of the season.

Linebackers: A

Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen were as advertised — fast, aggressive and vicious. The two were arguably the best linebacking tandem in the league, and combined for an absurd 291 tackles, five sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Rookie Trenton Simpson didn’t get a lot of run with the defense this year, but he looked great in the finale against Pittsburgh. His role could expand greatly next season. Kyle Van Noy was a late addition, but had nine sacks and nine tackles for loss. Del’Shawn Phillips and Malik Harrison had their moments.

Defensive backs: A

Remember when this was the trouble spot for the team heading into the season, particularly in regards to cornerbacks not named Marlon Humphrey? Well, Brandon Stephens showed that he can be a top-level corner, as well. Humphrey was hurt a bit this season, and had a few difficult performances, but he also had some good ones, and will hopefully get healthy in time for a playoff run. Ronald Darby and Arthur Maulet both had some great moments during the season. At safety, a star was born. Kyle Hamilton was tremendous, looking like one of the league’s premier playmakers, and teasing a future of great play for years to come. Geno Stone had seven interceptions in his contract year, and Marcus Williams fought through some serious injuries to contribute.

Special Teams: B

Justin Tucker was 32-for-37 on field goals and 51-for-52 on extra points — maybe not one of his top seasons, but he was still a very good and reliable kicker. It’s crazy that it would be considered a “down year” by his ridiculous standards — he was still great. Jordan Stout was an improved punter in his second season, adding two yards per punt to his gross and dropping 28 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The Ravens had three different returners (Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace and Justice Hill) have a 70-plus yard return, which is, you know, crazy. But the coverage units weren’t as consistent as in years past, though they did seem to improve as the year went on.

Coaching: A

Overcome injuries? Check. Good game plans and adjustments on offense? Check. How about the defense? Check. I also thought they did a good job of juggling analytics and situational football on fourth-down decisions this year, and the team seemed to grow closer together and more confident as the season progressed. Adding Chuck Smith, moving Tee Martin to quarterbacks coach, adding Willie Taggart and Dennard Wilson — all worked out. A masterful job this year, and you have to give a lot of credit to head coach John Harbaugh.

Bonus Category — Front Office: A+

From signing Lamar Jackson to adding Dalvin Cook right before the playoffs, Eric DeCosta seemed to have the magic touch this year. Just look at acquisitions like Clowney, Beckham, Van Noy, Darby, Maulet, Simpson and Keaton Mitchell, or recent draft picks, like Hamilton, Linderbaum, Flowers, Likely, etc. Give them their flowers, and start with DeCosta.