Ravens Week 7 Report Card Vs. Bengals
BALTIMORE — The Ravens were completely outclassed in a 41-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.
Here's Baltimore's Report Card.
Offense
Quarterback — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson faced a fierce pass rush throughout the game and was sacked five times. He does need to get rid of the ball quicker. Jackson completed 15 of 31 pass attempts for 257 yards with a touchdown. The Ravens took their first lead, 17-13, on the opening drive of the third quarter when Jackson hit Marquise Brown in stride for a 39-yard touchdown. Jackson rushed 12 times for 88 yards. Jackson needs more support in the running game and with his wide receivers. Grade: C+
Running Backs — The Ravens could not get much going on the ground against the Bengals' front seven. Baltimore managed 115 yards rushing, but Jackson accounted for 88 of those yards. Devonta Freeman had just 14 yards on four carries and Le'Veon Bell was held to 5 yards. Ty'Son Williams had 10 yards on two carries but the Ravens are still hesitant to use him. Latavius Murray missed the game with an ankle injury. Baltimore overhauled running attack remains a work in progress. Grade: F
Receivers — This unit was out of sync early but played better as the game went on. Brown had five receptions for 80 yards and the touchdown. Rookie Rashod Bateman had another effective game with three catches for 80 yards. Mark Andrews was targeted seven times and had three receptions for 48 yards. Grade: C
Offensive Line — This unit struggled with the Bengals' pass rush. Ravens' right tackle Patrick Mekari left the game with an ankle injury midway through the second quarter and did not return. Tyre Phillips replaced Mekari. Baltimore continued to be plagued by injuries. The bye came at a perfect time to get some of these players healthy. Mekari's status is uncertain. Grade: D+
Defense
Defensive Line — This group was effective early but faltered down the stretch. The Bengals then put the game away with a 21-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon that boosted the lead to 34-17. Cincinnati running back Samaje Perine also had a 46-yard touchdown scamper on the next drive. Both times, the Ravens missed several tackles. Overall, the Bengals ran for 111 yards on 24 carries. Calais Campbell managed a half-sack with linebacker Tyus Bowser. Grade: D+
Linebackers — The Ravens did not get much production from this group. Linebackers Josh Bynes (and Patrick Queen had trouble tackling. Outside linebacker Justin Houston was able to get into the backfield but could not bring quarterback Joe Burrow down. Pernell McPhee, Malik Harrison and Odafe Oweh made no impact. Grade D
Secondary — Burrow torched the Ravens' secondary, completing 23 of 48 passes for 416 yards with three touchdowns and an interception (113.5 rating). The Ravens had no answer for Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who had 8 catches for 201 yards with a long touchdown when cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Chuck Clark whiffed on a tackle. Bengals wide receiver C.J. Uzomah also had two touchdown receptions from 55 and 32 yards. The Bengals targeted Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett, who rose to the challenge. Averett finished with three passes defenses and a team-high seven tackles. However, Humphrey struggled mightily in coverage and might have played his worst game. Grade: F
Special Teams — Devin Duvernay averaged 18.5 yards on two punt returns and 22.5 yards on two kickoff returns. Sam Koch averaged 44 yards on six punts. Justin Tucker made his only field-goal attempt of 45 yards. Overall, solid effort. Grade: A
Coaching — The Ravens were embarrassed at home. They didn't make the proper adjustments and poor tackling helped lead to the lopsided loss. It was an all-around poor performance. Grade: D
