Report Card: Ravens Top Chargers, 20-10

It wasn’t always pretty. Wait, was it ever really pretty? Regardless, the Ravens moved to 9-3 on the season with a road win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and, in the spirit of the holidays, there are still some things that are a little tough to digest.

Let’s look at some grades.

Offense

Overall: C-

No turnovers. So, that’s good. Keaton Mitchell and Zay Flowers displayed their speed. Again, that’s good. But the Ravens faced a pretty lousy Chargers defense, that was also down one Bosa for the night, and showed all the mind-blowing inconsistency they have displayed at different points of the season. The last drive was clutch, and cemented the win. But this was a frustrating showing by the offense.

Quarterback: C

Lamar Jackson started hot, completing 11-of-15 and throwing a nice touchdown pass to Flowers. But he then went just four for his next 14, holding the ball too long and short-arming a couple easy tosses he normally hits. His legs helped the team, and he was crisp on a series of slants to start the game. He didn’t turn the ball over, and he made some plays when they were needed, but it wasn’t his best game of the year.

Running Backs: B

Mitchell produced 89 yards of offense, and looked every bit as quick as we’ve come to expect of him. Justice Hill rushed for 31 yards, and the tandem appeared to give the Chargers’ defense some problems with their speed. Gus Edwards found less room, but ran physically, and forced a first down when he was hit behind the line on 4th and inches and bullied his way forward. Patrick Ricard did a nice job sealing off space for the backs working off tackle.

Receivers: C

It looked very promising at the start, as Odell Beckham Jr. was ripping off slants and Rashod Bateman made a huge catch off a high throw to pick up a 3rd and 9 on the Ravens’ first touchdown drive. Flowers had two touchdowns, including a game-sealing 37-yard scamper on 3rd and 3 when he Ravens were trying to salt away a three-point lead. Nelson Agholar had a 21-yard catch (should have been 22 yards) on 3rd and 22, but dropped a pass on 3rd and 15. Isaiah Likely, similar to the Ravens offense as a whole, started out well, but disappeared into that smoggy Los Angeles air.

Offensive Line: D+

It wasn’t all bad, honestly. They were able to get some gaps for running lanes — particularly in the second half, which has kind of been their thing this year. But while Jackson seemed to hold the ball too long at times, the line also gave up immediate pressure all too often. John Simpson struggled getting push inside (even being replaced by Ben Cleveland for a series), and both Morgan Moses and Ronnie Stanley truffled with Khalil Mack. Stanley had a tough one, also getting flagged twice. Tyler Linderbaum got beat on third down to force an incompletion and kill the Ravens’ opening drive, but he also took part in some big runs.

Defense

Overall: A

They held a terrific Chargers’ offense to one touchdown, 10 points, 279 yards and four turnovers. This was a really-good-to-great showing, considering the opponent, the venue and, frankly, the need to be dominant in the face of the offense looking like a train with no tracks for big parts of the game.

Defensive Line: A

Jadeveon Clowney had one of the biggest plays of the season, sacking Herbert, forcing a fumble and recovering it to kill off a 19-play drive by the Chargers without surrendering a point. Broderick Washington had one of his better games of the year, and was rewarded for it with a late sack. Justin Madubuike and Travis Jones combined for an early sack. Brent Urban and Michael Pierce both flashed, and Odafe Oweh came on with good pressure late in the game.

Linebackers: B

Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen combined for 15 tackles, and both showcased their speed and processing to make plays. The two combined to absolutely destroy a screen pass for a loss of four in the fourth quarter, and Queen ran down Justin Herbert after a long run by the quarterback. Kyle Van Noy made a really athletic play to tip a pass.

Defensive Backs: B+

Keenan Allen had 14 catches on 16 targets, but only averaged 7.6 yards per catch, as Brandon Stephens and company did a great job limiting any damage by the star receiver. Gerald Everett had a huge catch early, and it looked like a busted zone as he was wide open. Kyle Hamilton was one of the best players on the field, yet again. He just seems to do everything well out there, and his ability to shed blocks and make tackles is truly impressive. The Ravens have a young star in Hamilton. Arthur Maulet had a huge play late, blitzing on fourth down to force an intentional grounding and basically finish off the Chargers. Marcus Williams got bulldozed into the end zone on Everett’s touchdown, but he also had a great breakup on a second-quarter pass downfield, when he was in coverage with Hamilton.

Special Teams: D

Justin Tucker missed a big field goal that would have put the Ravens up six late, but we probably shouldn’t cut him over that, right? The coverage team gave up a 23-yard punt return late that gave the Chargers some juice, and Devin Duvernay produced three yards on his only return of the day. That was three yards better than the 0 yards he generated on his one carry of the game.

Coaching: C

There were two ball spots I felt the Ravens should have challenged, and would have probably won them both. I did understand their challenge on the double pass, even if they lost it. Smart move to give it a shot for both a forward pass and the spot of the end of the play. I liked the strategy to come out with quick passes early, and getting Likely involved, but then it just kind of stopped. Were they out-adjusted, or did the players not execute? I liked the defense making Herbert earn everything all game, and forcing them to go on long, long drives to move the ball. The blitz call that Maulet forced the incompletion on was gutsy.

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