Report Card: Ravens Let Opportunities, Season, Slip Away

The Ravens had opportunities to win a sloppy game when they weren’t at their best, but when those chances presented themselves, they fell apart each and every time.

Let’s look at some grades.

Offense

Overall: D

There were a few splash plays throughout the game to keep things interesting, but this was a disjointed effort that saw key playmakers cough away the ball in the Chiefs’ end zone in the fourth quarter, destroying any chance for the Ravens to steal a win. They went just 3-for-11 on third downs, had three turnovers and allowed four sacks. Awful performance, from a lack of answers to what the Chiefs were doing, and on execution.

Quarterback: C-

Lamar Jackson had some electric plays, including that 30-yard escape-and-throw touchdown to Zay Flowers in the first quarter, and a cool play where he caught his own pass. He later hit Flowers on a big pass downfield, and showed a feathery touch on a crosser to Nelson Agholor for 39 yards. There were a few nice runs, too. But the interception was an awful decision to throw into triple coverage when it just wasn’t worth the risk, he missed a few deep shots down the sidelines and his short touch, which was so good all year, was inconsistent this game. He also seemed to leave some potential running yards on the table, instead of taking off like he did against Houston.

Running Backs: B

They weren’t given enough opportunities, but they looked good when they had the chance. Gus Edwards had 20 yards on three carries, and another 16-yard reception. He also did a great job blocking for Jackson on that touchdown throw to Flowers. Justice Hill only had three yards on three carries, and added 34 yards on four catches. He whiffed in pass protection a few times, though.

How did they only get six carries between them?

Receivers: C-

Flowers had a mixed game — producing 115 yards and a touchdown on five catches, but he also had a bad taunting penalty and that awful fumble heading into the end zone. Odell Beckham had three big catches late, and Agholor had that great catch-and-run. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely had 31 yards on four catches combined — probably not what many of us were expecting.

Offensive Line: D

It’s hard to judge this unit, to be honest. There weren’t a lot of carries to tell how they were doing up front, and the pressure and sacks appeared to result from coverage for the most part. Ronnie Stanley did appear to get beat on a sack, but that, again, was a second-level sack as the Ravens had formed a second pocket at that point. John Simpson had a great seal on Jackson’s 21-yard run on fourth down in the first quarter, but had a holding call late. Morgan Moses had a big block on Edwards’ 15-yard run, but also got beat badly for a sack.

Defense

Overall: A-

Things started out rough, as the Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, but this is how the Chiefs’ drives went after that: Downs, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, end of game. The only blemish was an inability to generate a turnover that could have flipped the game. The Chiefs had 98 yards of offense in the second half (by my very-unofficial count), and only averaged 4.4 yards per play. They held Isiah Pacheco to 2.8 yards per carry.

Defensive Line: B+

Justin Madubuike was one of the best players on the field, registering six tackles and a half a sack, forcing another sack into the hands of Jadeveon Clowney. Travis Jones played a great game, but he had a bad flag for a hit on Patrick Mahomes, and Brent Urban was terrific all game against the run. Odafe Oweh was only credited with one tackle, but he was good throughout. Michael Pierce was also very active, sharing a sack and getting another hit on Mahomes.

Linebackers: A

Roquan Smith had 16 tackles and was hitting people all game — including one unfortunate hit on an offensive lineman that drew a late flag (he wanted the offside to make it first-and-10…but not the personal foul). Patrick Queen was also a menace, with eight tackles, and Kyle Van Noy also had a big splash tackle for loss, to go along with his own penalty. This unit was great against both the run and pass.

Defensive Backs: B

Kyle Hamilton was remarkable, even while having his hands full with Travis Kelce much of the game. Kelce got him early for a big catch, but Hamilton had periods of sheer brilliance and domination. With 3:49 left in the second quarter, and the Chiefs threatening to pull away, Hamilton was in deep coverage on first down for an incompletion to Rashee Rice. He tackled Rice for no gain on the next snap, and then blitzed and forced Mahomes to throw away the ball on third down. A three-and-out, by one young star. Marcus Williams had a pass break-up on third down in the third quarter, and Ronald Darby made a great tackle in the open field in the third quarter. Arthur Maulet made some nice physical tackles, but got beat on third-and-nine at the 2:00 warning to basically wrap the game.

Special Teams: A

They didn’t give up any long returns, and Devin Duvernay had a very nice 21-yard punt return to set the Ravens up late with a short field. Justin Tucker drilled a 43-yarder late to bring the Ravens within a touchdown. Jordan stout was great, averaging 50.2 yards on five punts, putting three inside the 20 and flipping the field with a 66-yarder.

Coaching: C-

The team was not at its best in the biggest game of the year, and some of that responsibility falls on the coaches. They looked unprepared for what the Chiefs were doing on defense, and the defense started out looking a little overwhelmed before calming down and turning in a great performance. I liked going for it on 4th and 1 at their own 34 in the first quarter, and really loved it with hindsight after Jackson’s 21-yard run. The team had their chances to win this one, and the coaches have to get some credit for putting them in those positions, but it was a flat start, and that hurt all game against a legendary coach and quarterback on the other sideline.

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