Ravens Report Card Vs. Lions
The Ravens beat the Lions 19-17 in a thrilling Week 3 matchup.
Here's their Report Card.
Offense
Quarterback — Lamar Jackson would have been much better if not for so many dropped passes. Jackson was also under pressure for much of the game and was sacked four times. The offense needs to do a better job supporting their franchise quarterback. Jackson completed 16 of 31 pass attempts for 287 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 58 yards and had a touchdown called back because of a holding penalty on tight end Mark Andrews. Jackson had another costly interception that led to the Lions' late field goal. Still, Jackson made the big plays when the Ravens needed them most. Grade: A
Running Backs — The Lions were determined to shut down the Ravens high-powered running attack. Latavius Murray, Ty’Son Williams and Devonta Freeman combined for 58 yards on 15 carries. Jackson had 58 yards rushing by himself. The Ravens still finished with 116 yards. Baltimore only had 22 carries. Grade: B-
Wide Receivers —Marquise Brown dropped three passes that could have led to big plays, including two potential touchdowns in the second quarter. He appeared to be taking his eyes off the ball. After the third drop, Brown was consoled by coach John Harbaugh. Mark Andrews caught five passes for 109 yards. Sammy Watkins had the clutch 36-yard reception that set up the winning field goal. Devin Duvernay caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. Grade: C+
Offensive Line — The Lions were able to get pressure on Jackson, who was sacked four times. Alejandro Villanueva and Pat Mekari were under duress most of the game. Bozeman was solid at center. Overall, it was an uneven performance. Grade: C
Defense
Defensive Line — Nose tackle Brandon Williams and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This hampered this unit. Derek Wolfe also missed his third straight game because of a hip injury. The Lions ran 93 yards on 17 carries. Overall, this group did a fine job despite missing key players. Grade: C
Linebackers — Rookie outside linebacker Odafe Oweh played 50 snaps and had four tackles. However, the rest of this unit — inside linebackers Malik Harrison and Patrick Queen and outside linebackers Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee — struggled to make tackles. Bowser dropped a pick-six in the first quarter. They also struggled in pass coverage. Justin Houston and Jaylon Ferguson did not play because of COVID issues. Grade: D
Secondary — Cornerback Jimmy Smith was back in the lineup and played well despite a pass interference penalty. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey had an uneven performance. Safety Chuck Clark was the best player, finishing with a team-high 12 tackles and a sack. Tavon Young also had a sack. DeShon Elliott suffered a quad injury and had to leave the game. Jared Goff threw for 217 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. This group needs to be more consistent. Grade: C
Special Teams — Justin Tucker made the longest field goal in NFL history from 66 yards that won the game. He also converted three other attempts. Midway through the second quarter, the Lions would have gotten the ball at Ravens' 23-yard line after Duvernay fumbled. But a Detroit player ran out of bounds on punt coverage. So, 5-yard penalty and Lions punt again. On the next punt, Duvernay returned the ball 29 yards to set up Ravens first touchdown. Grade: A
Coaching — John Harbaugh and his players found a way to win despite dealing with much adversity for most of the week. Greg Roman called a decent game and the score would not have been this close if it wasn't for the dropped passes. Don Martindale has to work on tackling this week. But a win is a win. Grade: B
