Report Card: Ravens Ride Hot Start to Playoff Win Over Steelers

The Ravens put to rest any concerns over playoff jitters by playing one of their best first halves of the season, jumping out to a 21-0 lead over the rival Steelers, and holding on for a 28-14 in their Wild Card round opener.

Let’s take a look at some grades.

Offense Overall: A

The Ravens had 464 yards of offense, including 299 on the ground, and were particularly on fire in that first half — generating 308 of those yards and going 7-8 on third downs in that decisive half of play. When they had an opportunity to turn to the pass game in the 2:00 drill, they were impressive, and scored that third touchdown of the half with a pass to Justice Hill with :02 left. There was an ugly three-and-out right after the Steelers closed to 28-14, but they responded the next possession by draining more than 6:00 off the clock, even if they didn’t score points. Again, they received the ball with 6:06 left in the game and they killed it off. They were pretty dominant all game.

Quarterback: A

Lamar Jackson quieted at least some of his critics (some people are just never satisfied) going 13-15 for 144 yards and two touchdown passes in the first half, with another 64 on the ground for good measure. His touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman on third-and-13 was a dime, and he pulled out a classic scramble-and-throw to Hill on that touchdown to close the half. He was decisive running the ball, was smart in his decision-making with his throws and he was absolutely in control on a night when he did not have his top target, and against the team that has traditionally given him the most problems.

Running backs: A

Derrick Henry was… well, Derrick Henry. He was powerful, fast and fiercely violent in his runs, especially that power-blast to the mug of Minkah Fitzpatrick. He had 186 yards on 26 carries, two touchdowns and showed why this Ravens’ offense is different. Justice Hill went backwards on both his first run and reception, but he did wiggle loose to find an opening on that touchdown catch and is welcomed back to this offense most definitely. Patrick Ricard was an unsung hero, and there will be many a Steeler seeking help in an ice tub due to 42’s contributions.

Receivers: B

This wasn’t a high-volume game for this group by both design and game-flow, but they weren’t out there hurting the team with drops and they made some big plays. Rashod Bateman ran a great route on his touchdown catch, and Isaiah Likely made the most of his three receptions (including a Henry-esque stiff-arm). Mark Andrews had a big catch-and-run in that 2:00 drill, and Tylan Wallace made a great Tylan-Wallace-like play on that catch-and-run to concert a 2nd-and-20 in the third quarter. Steven Sims picked up 15 on and end-around and Anthony Miller filled some of the void in the short passing game from Flowers’ absence with three catches. Nelson Agholor had a huge play in that 2:00 drill.

Offensive Line: A

They led the way for those 299 yards on the ground, and battled hard all night against one of the best defensive fronts in the game (#1 DL, per PFF). This was a challenge. The line passed it. Ronnie Stanley had a couple false starts, and Roger Rosengarten had one, but they both fought all night on the edges against a tough pairing. Stanley had a big block on Henry’s 33-yarder in the first quarter, and Tyler Linderbaum and Patrick Mekari combined on a double team to set up a 13-yarder by Henry. Linderbaum partnered with Daniel Faalele to spring Henry on his 44-yard touchdown. They gave up some quick pressure, but that was a tough foe. They had one of their best performances of the season.

Defense Overall: B

They were positively dominant in the first half — allowing only 59 yards of offense, and holding Pittsburgh to 1-5 on third downs. They also pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter, when the team really needed them to pitch a shutout. But those two third-quarter possessions of Pittsburgh that resulted in touchdowns awakened a lot of memories of first-half-of-the-season defensive disasters. All-in-all, a good game. But those two possessions were hard to watch.

Defensive Line: A

It seemed that the line-of-scrimmage push-of-war was won by Baltimore on nearly every snap. The line clogged up the majority of run holes and applied some pressure most of the game. Nnamdi Madubuike had two sacks and batted down a pass late in the third quarter. Michael Pierce continued his end-of-season heroics with a sack on a flea-flicker, and Odafe Oweh had a sack in the fourth quarter. Kyle Van Noy chased down Russell Wilson on a third-down scramble on the opening possession to kill that drive and set the tone.

Linebackers: B

The Steelers were basically made one-dimensional, so there weren’t a lot of runs to stop, but Roquan Smith was active, with five tackles and some destructive hits that will inevitably be included in future montages of destructive hits in this rivalry. Malik Harrison and Chris Board each made standout one-on-one tackles I noted.

Defensive Backs: B-

There was a lot to like from this group, including Ar’Darius Washington continuing his big season, with giant hits, a huge stuff of Pat Freiermuth on an early  3rd down, and a big pass break-up on another fourth down. Marlon Humphrey helped Pierce get his sack by forcing Wilson into the big man, and forced another incompletion with a rush in the second quarter. Brandon Stephens was beat by Van Jefferson for a third-quarter touchdown that might have included a miscommunication with Kyle Hamilton. Nate Wiggins and Washington were beaten on George Pickens’ long touchdown pass. Other than those two big drives, the group largely played well. But those deep sideline passes are a concern with better quarterbacks on the horizon.

Special Teams: B-

Steven Sims muffed a first-quarter punt that pinned the Ravens deep, and Jordan Stout booted a touchback when the Steelers didn’t have a returner deep. At all. Not one. But he later dropped a beauty that was downed on the 2 in the third quarter. Justin Tucker looked good on his extra points. I think he’s “fixed.”

Coaching: A

They didn’t forget to run the ball this time around. How beautiful was that 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended in a touchdown taking 7:56 off the clock and featured 13 runs? Beautiful. I’ll answer for you. It was beautiful. And also violent. Which made it strangely more beautiful. Know what else I liked? They got the ball at their own 10, with 1:53 left in the first half, with two time outs and a 14-0 lead. They ran twice for 8 yards. Conservative? Sure. But they then hit Bateman on a safe slant and then a big pass to Agholor for 25 that got them into scoring position without really putting themselves at risk. They ended up getting the touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0. It was just smart all around. That summed up how they approached this game and managed it throughout. It was a good job by the guys with the clipboards and headphones.

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