Report Card: Ravens Bounce Broncos in Bounce-Back Bonanza

If the vibes were a total downer last week, this week’s are totally groovy.

Sorry about that. I was trying to be clever. Reading that again… I do apologize.

Anyway, let’s get to some grades.

Offense Overall: A+

One of the early-season narratives that was steadily taking hold was just how dominant the Broncos’ defense has been this year, and you could certainly see where they cause problems. Still, the Ravens were just too explosive, too varied and too physical to contain for any lengths of time. After the Ravens went three-and-out for minus six yards on their first possession, their next seven drives went as such:

Touchdown, Field Goal, Touchdown, Touchdown, Touchdown, Touchdown, Field Goal.

Ball game.

Quarterback: A+

Once again, Lamar Jackson was terrific. He had yet another game with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, going 16-19 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. After missing a pair of practices this week it wasn’t a surprise that Jackson avoided taking on his usual rushing load, but he did pick up a big 11-yard run on third-and-10. The key word today was “touch.” He showed deft tough on several passes today, feathering in pass after pass between levels of the defense. The teardrop he placed on a wheel route to Justice Hill for 24 yards was as pretty a pass as you will see, and a throw that probably won’t get much discussion was a velvety-smooth throw to Mark Andrews in the third quarter for 16. He has taken his passing game to a new level — and it is not showing any sign of slowing.

Running Backs: A

Derrick Henry had a pair of touchdowns and 106 yards on 23 tough carries. This was probably Henry’s most physical effort of the season, as he had to muscle and will his way to a lot of scrappy yards. He also had a big 27-yard catch that displayed his athleticism. Justice Hill had 15 yards on three carries, and added another 43 yards through the air. His role will likely reduce with the expected return of Keaton Mitchell soon, but the Ravens would be wise to keep him included to some extent. He is explosive and rock-solid dependable. Pat Ricard hauled in a touchdown catch (we don’t take the easy ones for granted after last week), and figured heavily on Henry’s second touchdown run.

Receivers: B+

Zay Flowers had the lion’s share of the work in this one, and delivered with 127 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. His first one saw him work through the end zone to spring open for a moving Jackson, and his second was absolutely brilliant, seeing Flowers juke and accelerate his way to a touchdown. Rashod Bateman did have a drop on what could have been a big play, but he also had a nice block on Flowers’ long touchdown and hauled in three balls. Nelson Agholor had a big 29-yarder in the first quarter when he worked his way open, and drew a hold on Patrick Surtain. Charlie Kolar had a good block on Henry’s second touchdown.

Offensive Line: B

It wasn’t always perfect, as Patrick Mekari had a pair of penalties, and the Ravens gave up a sack early when Roger Rosengarten got pushed back in the pocket, and Daniel Faalale appeared a step late in providing him help. But there was also a lot of good against a very good Denver front. Mekari had a pair of good blocks on Henry’s first touchdown run, and Faalele came back and sent a guy packing on a Henry third-quarter run. Tyler Linderbaum had a terrific block on Henry’s 20-yard run and always seems to be downfield on big plays. They were tested today, and it looked mostly good on first watch.

Defense Overall: B-

There was so much I didn’t like in the first half that it might have clouded my overall view on this performance. To be fair, they gave up zero points and only 90 yards in the second half. And, even in a sometimes-leaky first half, they did step up on fourth downs (Denver was 1-for-5 under such circumstances) and the red zone (the Broncos were 1-of-4). So, situationally, they did well. But there were more busted coverages, and an errant throw by Bo Nix saved them from a deep touchdown on fourth down in the first half. Let’s take it as progress, and go from there.

Defensive Line: B+

Tavius Robinson was exceptional, and he continues to look like a guy you want on your team for many years. He had two sacks, a pass defensed, a tackle for loss, four quarterback hits and three tackles. Plus, he consistently sets his edge and turns runs into the middle. Nnamdi Madubuike didn’t do much in the box score, with one solo tackle, but he did force Nix into a negligible scramble in the first quarter, pushed the center into Nix’s lap to force him out of the pocket in the third and blew up another run and forced it outside for a loss. Broderick Washington batted down a pass late in the first half. Josh Tupou had a good run stop on first and goal in the fourth quarter.

Linebackers: B

Trenton Simpson had a good game, racking up seven solo tackles amongst his nine total, breaking up a pass, getting two tackles for loss and registering a sack on third-and-goal in the fourth quarter. He also took away a quick designed pass on third and goal in the second quarter and forced an incompletion. Roquan Smith only had three tackles, but one was a big stop on 4th and inches in the first quarter. Kyle Van Noy flashed a few times early, forcing an incompletion with coverage and hurrying another.

Defensive Backs: C+

They gave up too many easy ones to Courtland Sutton, as wide-open spaces continue to be a problem sometimes. But there was also some stuff to like. Kyle Hamilton, again, was one of those things, with 10 tackles, a few screens blown up and runs stopped for short gains and a batted pass that almost looked like the one he picked off for a walk-in touchdown against Cleveland last year. Marcus Williams had a huge run stop on the first snap of the game, but did get beat by Nix on that touchdown catch in the second quarter. Ar’Darius Washington had a nice game, with four tackles, a pick and two passes defensed. Marlon Humphrey got flagged for a weak call in the fourth quarter, but then got a legitimate one later on that same drive. Still, he seemed sticky in coverage, outside of a pass for 19 in the second quarter. Arthur Maulet was back to being around the ball a lot, but got saved on Nix’s overthrow on fourth down. Brandon Stephens, once again, gave up a catch in tight coverage, but also made a nice play on a late third-quarter incompletion.

Special Teams: B-

They gave up 29 yards a return on four kickoffs, and a 16-yard punt return, but other than that, they were pretty good. Justin Tucker was playing it pretty close to the right post today, bonking in one kick and barely slipping in a pair of other kicks. Jordan Stout was great, averaging 49 yards on two official punts, with one being downed on the 2 by Tylan Wallace. He had a 73-yarder wiped out by a penalty in the fourth quarter. Sanoussi Kane had a good tackle on a first-quarter kickoff, and Chris Collier had an explosive 30-yard return in the second quarter.

Coaching: A

I liked a lot this game. The challenge on the fourth-down run was smart, and I thought that before they won it. The defense was good in rotating looks and personnel in the backfield, and Hamilton was deployed well, from hunting screens to rushing the line to dropping deep. Offensively, Todd Monken was rolling, and he kept battering with Henry in the first half even when facing numbers. I was also a fan of giving Hill some opportunities, and even a few shots at scoring a touchdown, with Keaton Mitchell’s return seemingly coming sooner than later. Hill should not be completely forgotten when Mitchell returns — he’s earned some snaps, and I figure his pass-blocking will keep him on the field in those reps.

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