Quarterback: B+ Before leaving the game with a back injury late in the second quarter, Lamar Jackson appeared on his way to a strong outing. Jackson had completed 7-of-10 passes for 101 yards and made multiple off-script throws after buying time in the pocket. He connected with Zay Flowers for several long gains through the […]
Quarterback: B+
Before leaving the game with a back injury late in the second quarter, Lamar Jackson appeared on his way to a strong outing. Jackson had completed 7-of-10 passes for 101 yards and made multiple off-script throws after buying time in the pocket. He connected with Zay Flowers for several long gains through the air and one of his three incompletions was a dropped pass. In Jackson’s relief, Tyler Huntley did a respectable job in the second half, leading consecutive touchdown drives at one point. Huntley completed all but one of his 10 pass attempts but only threw for 65 yards, with two yards on the ground.
Running Back: B+
Derrick Henry’s lost fumble late in the first quarter was an early negative turning point, as it killed the Ravens’ momentum. They ultimately rebounded enough to take a double-digit lead later in the game. Henry had already rushed for a touchdown and 51 yards before fumbling and rumbled for more production after the blemish. He finished with 128 rushing yards in total on 18 carries with two touchdowns. Henry was strangely on the sidelines for the final two drives of the game despite dominating in the third quarter. It was quiet night from the rest of the running back room. Keaton Mitchell gained only 13 yards on nine carries while Rasheen Ali had two catches for two yards.
Wide Receiver: B
Flowers did just about everything right all game until his final touch of the night, where he lost a fumble with just under two minutes remaining. The Ravens may not have driven down the field and scored a go-ahead touchdown anyways, but Flowers’ fumble sealed the fate of a loss. In total, Flowers finished with seven catches for 84 yards and added an 18-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. He made big catches and moved the sticks but the fumble, which has been his achilles heal, is a costly blemish. Deandre Hopkins had a strong performance with four receptions for 41 yards with multiple third-down contested catches to extend drives. Rashod Bateman was once again blanked on both his targets and Devontez Walker was not targeted.
Tight End: C
Mark Andrews was a minimal factor in the passing game again with just two catches for 21 yards. He almost had a costly turnover as well with a head-scratching lateral pass attempt before halftime. It was ruled an illegal forward throw, which prevented a fumble that would have given the Patriots the ball in scoring range. Charlie Kolar had a nice 18-yard grab and Isaiah Likely was surprisingly not a factor with no targets. The tight ends collectively made a positive impact in run blocking and helped create some lanes for Henry.
Offensive Line: B+
Aside from some frustrating false start penalties on the same drive, the Ravens’ offensive line appeared to have one of their better games in recent weeks. Jackson was not sacked in the first half and Huntley was sacked only once across several drives. The Patriots managed five quarterback hits, but Baltimore’s pass protection was pretty solid. In run blocking, they drove open lanes for Henry all night and also helped create space for Flowers to find the end zone on his 18-yard end-around touchdown. As a team, the Ravens finished with 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Defensive Line: C+
The Ravens’ defensive line was stout against the run for nearly the entire game, before Rhamondre Stevenson broke them down with a pair of long rushes late in the fourth quarter. Stevenson’s 21-yard touchdown and 11-yard first down pickup were back-breakers. Drake Maye and Treyveon Henderson were otherwise contained on the ground. In terms of pass rush, the Ravens’ defensive front did very little to get pressure through the interior on Maye. Travis Jones had one quarterback hit, but there was a lack of noticeable push up front.
Edge Rusher: C+
Speaking of a lack of pass rush, that issue extends outside to the edge rushers as well. The final numbers of four sacks and 10 quarterback hits look good on paper, but too often Maye had clean pockets and plenty of time to throw for multiple plays in a row. Dre’Mont Jones had another solid showing with a timely sack and two quarterback hits, and Kyle Van Noy broke up a pass attempt that would have been a touchdown catch. The Ravens’ edge rushers deserve some credit for playing solid run defense for much of the game, but they badly needed more juice and disruption.
Linebacker: C+
Roquan Smith recorded a team-high 10 tackles and, along with Trenton Simpson, made some plays against the run. Smith’s lack of splash plays, however, is disappointing when considering his prominent role. Simpson had a sack and two tackles-for-loss in a starting role with Teddye Buchanan (knee) out for the rest of the year. The former third-round pick had a nice open-field tackle against Henderson. The Patriots were able to complete some longer throws over the middle of the field above the heads of the linebackers. Their tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper combined for eight catches and 69 yards with a touchdown.
Cornerback: C+
Marlon Humphrey’s night started off well after he corralled an interception on the Patriots’ opening drive of the game. From there on out, his performance went downhill. Humphrey was beat for a long touchdown in single coverage of Kyle Williams, which gave the Patriots much-needed life in the fourth quarter. He also ceded several catches to Stefon Diggs as the primary defender and should have been called for defensive pass interference on a long pass attempt to Keyshon Boutte late. Nate Wiggins had two pass breakups and nearly came up with a huge interception late in the game. He timed a break on a slant route perfectly but could not pull down the ball, which would have given the Ravens the ball back with the lead and a few minutes remaining. The Ravens surely would have liked to have had the services of Chidobe Awuzie, who was inactive with a foot injury.
Safety: B-
Alohi Gilman had an up-and-down night, as he was victimized by some missed open-field tackles but also finished with eight total and a pass breakup as well. Kyle Hamilton had a strong tackle-for-loss to prevent a long Henderson run and a pass breakup of his own, too. Ar’Darius Washington was party to one of the defensive plays of the game, where he forced a fumble on Maye just before halftime. That prevented the Patriots from getting a field goal or touchdown and taking a lead into the break. Washington finished with two quarterback hits, a sack, and a tackle-for-loss. He was beaten by Diggs in coverage on a key fourth-and-short pass late in the game. Malaki Starks had three solo tackles on the night.
Special Teams: C+
The play of the game on special teams was the Ravens dismantling a fake punt attempt by the Patriots late in the third quarter, which was defended nicely by Devontez Walker. It wasn’t a great night for the unit aside from that moment. Tyler Loop was well short on a 56-yard attempt in the second quarter while making his other try and all three extra points. Jordan Stout’s two punts went for 40 and 45 yards, respectively.
Category: General Sports
