Report Card: Jackson, Henry Continue Dominant Run in Win Over DC

It’s becoming that time of the year when we can really start getting a feel for what these teams are all about this year. And it’s apparent that this Ravens’ offense is an absolute juggernaut when it includes everybody, but can always apparently count on its stars to bring it home.

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry made the plays when they were needed in the Ravens’ win over an up-and-coming Washington squad, but we also saw enough brilliance from Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and, yes, Mark Andrews, to see that this is a unit that will keep defensive coordinators up late all year, if they can remain healthy.

There were also some strong signs from the defense on this day, and that might be just as encouraging.

Let’s look at some grades.

Offense

Overall: A

The Ravens had 484 yards of offense, put up 30 points (and kneeled at the end of another scoring drive to end the game) and had one fluky turnover on an interception off a receiver’s hands. Consider this sequence of possessions, starting in the second quarter:

Touchdown, Touchdown, Field Goal, Touchdown, Field Goal, end of game

That’s wrecking stuff. They ran for 176 yards, threw for 308 yards and were 6-10 on third downs. They also had two touchdown-scoring drives of more than 90 yards. This was another great performance in a string of them.

Quarterback: A

Jackson is playing some of the best football of his career, and that’s saying something for a guy who owns a pair of MVP trophies. He was 20-26 for 323 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 40 yards — including a key 33-yarder in the third quarter. On third and five, from their own 12 in a 3-3 game, Jackson threw a dime to Rashod Bateman for a first down, and then hit him again the next play for 23. All of a sudden, the Ravens are at the 40-yard line and were rolling the rest of the day. I won’t ding him on the pick since it bounced off his receiver (again). Just a great job, filled with clutch plays when the Ravens were trying to preserve a lead.

Running Backs: B+

Justice Hill only had four yards on the day, which is unlike him this season, but he was strong in pass protection again. As for that other guy who often lines up in the backfield with Jackson, well, Derrick Henry is truly a spectacular football player. Once again, he picked up steam as the game progressed, with 94 yards of his 132 coming in the second half. He registered two more touchdowns, and basically ended the game with his runs in the final 3:00 of the game. Patrick Ricard had a big block on Henry’s third-quarter burst, and Hill led the way on Jackson’s scamper.

Receivers: A-

Zay Flowers was absolutely on fire in the first half, with nine catches for 132 yards. He finished with that same total, but I did notice that he had a block in the end zone on Henry’s second touchdown. Bateman had four catches for 71 yards, and his catches came on two separate back-to-back catch sequences. He has really come on the past two games. Mark Andrews had a rough start, but did record 66 yards on three catches, including a 38-yarder. Isaiah Likely was his solid self, and had a big 18-yard grab, and Nelson Agholor just missed on a deep connection with Jackson, but later registered a 25-yard catch.

Offensive Line: B+

It wasn’t perfect. Jackson was sacked twice, and hit four times. Roger Rosengarten was beaten for one of those sacks, but CBS announcer Tony Romo gave more of the fault to Jackson for dropping back too deep. Patrick Mekari had a false start late in the second quarter. But… guys? This unit is getting better. Daniel Faalele shined on three separate plays I noticed — a run by Henry in the first half, a seal block that helped free Jackson for his explosive third-quarter run and a big block on Henry’s second touchdown. Tyler Linderbaum botched a snap on third down that killed a drive, but he always seems to flow to the second level on any explosive run the Ravens record. Ronnie Stanley continued his strong season, and looked good throughout the contest.

Defense

Overall: B

The Commanders’ young quarterback Jayden Daniels is good. If you didn’t know that coming into this one, you saw enough tight-window and anticipation throws to know he is a special rookie. But I thought the Ravens largely made him complete those kind of tough throws, and the defensive line seemed to win that battle more than they lost it. The Commanders were the second-highest scoring team, and second-best rushing offense in the league. The Ravens held them to 23 points and 52 yards on the ground, while registering three sacks, and largely tackled well.

Defensive Line: B+

Travis Jones was a star today. He had four tackles — three of them unassisted — and had a first-quarter sack. He also blew up a pair of runs before they ever had a chance. His career-year continues. Nnamdi Madubuike was right with Jones on that sack, and picked up a half sack later with Michael Pierce. Odafe Oweh had a big hit on Daniels in the fourth quarter, and drew a hold on a play that looked like trouble for Daniels again. Brent Urban batted down a pass in the third quarter, and it just feels like he does that a lot on a per-snap basis, right? Tavius Robinson really does a nice job setting the edge, and he got two hits on Daniels today. They controlled the run game as a unit, and mostly contained Daniels in the pocket.

Linebackers: C+

Roquan Smith isn’t getting the big splash plays to which we’ve become accustomed, and he’s been chasing some receivers across the middle, but he tackled really well today and recorded seven stops. Trenton Simpson was flying around again, and is a pretty-sure tackler, himself, when he stays in the play. Kyle Van Noy didn’t get any sacks, but he stuffed Daniels on a run at the Ravens’ 1-yard-line in the fourth quarter, and also pressured an incompletion in the red zone. Yannick Ngakoue had a sack, and he looks fast out there. This could be a great rotational signing.

Defensive Backs: B-

There were a few big holes in zone again, and it gets frustrating watching defensive backs in tight coverage not making plays on the ball, but I thought they were largely “Sticky” out there. Nate Wiggins shows that he’s a rookie a few times a game, picking up a late pass-interference call and getting beat across the field by Zach Ertz on the last play of the third quarter. But he also flashed several times: A short pass play he blew up in the first quarter; a third-down incompletion with him in coverage in the third quarter, a good play forcing Daniels out of bounds for no gain in the fourth quarter and a PBU on 3rd and goal in the fourth. Kyle Hamilton laid the wood a few times, and had a flag taken back on a particularly big shot in the fourth quarter. He was really good again today, as his play has picked back up the past few weeks. Marcus Williams looked to get beaten on a touchdown pass late in the second quarter. Marlon Humphrey got beat on a 28-yard pass in the third quarter, but also blow up a short pass for a loss in the second quarter and forced an incompletion later that corner with tight coverage. Brandon Stephens gets beat in tight coverage more than anyone I’ve seen in a long time. He’s always the guy in the highlight throw, it seems, but he did have a great breakup on a deep pass to Terry McLaurin in the second quarter.

Special Teams: B+

Justin tucker appears to have gotten his groove back, and he drilled three field goals and three extra points with no drama. Jordan Stout only punted once, but it was a 50-yarder. They allowed a 32-yard kickoff return, but no big complaints. Maybe the unit’s best game of the year.

Coaching: A

Todd Monken is on a serious roll right now as a play-caller, and while it certainly helps to have Jackson and Henry on your play-sheet, he is using them both in ways to maximize their talents. Maybe Dean Pees made a good impact on the defense, or maybe sure tackling and not letting balls get over your head is what did it today. Either way, they played solid football, largely contained Daniels’ legs and made the league’s top third-down offense go 4-12 on third downs. That’s winning football — especially with this offense.