12 October 2023
Here’s how the Ravens (3-2) graded out at each position after a 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) in Sunday’s Week 5 game at Acrisure Stadium:
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson completed 22 of 38 passes for 236 yards and rushed six times for 45 yards. He played well through three quarters, but his receivers didn’t help him by dropping four passes, all of them for possible touchdowns. But in crunchtime, Jackson had a pass picked off in the end zone with 4:10 remaining after the Ravens recovered a fumbled punt return deep in Pittsburgh territory and then got stripped on an attempted pass nearly three minutes later. Jackson has to learn how to win games late in the fourth quarter to become a top QB in this league. Until then, he is good, just not good enough. Grade: C+
Receivers
Who didn’t drop a pass in this game? Rashod Bateman dropped a possible touchdown pass, and so did Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor. Even tight end Mark Andrews let one in the end zone slip through his hands. The Ravens had 22 catches for 236 yards, including receptions of 16, 29 and 30 yards, but they didn’t bail out Jackson and the offense. The team spent a lot of money in the offseason to add Agholor, Flowers and even Odell Beckham Jr., but the investment didn’t pan out Sunday. Beckham can’t stay on the field consistently without getting injured. Grade: D
Running backs
The running backs finished with 80 yards rushing on 19 carries, but they never seemed to get a rhythm. Gus Edwards had 48 yards on 12 carries and Justice Hill finished with 32 yards rushing on seven carries, including a nice 14-yard touchdown run around left end in the first quarter, but his fumble on a screen pass in the second quarter, which was recovered by the Steelers, ended a drive at the Pittsburgh 48. With the Ravens ahead 10-0, that fumble was a big momentum killer. Grade: C
Offensive line
The Ravens held up well against Pittsburgh for nearly three quarters, especially in the second quarter, when the Steelers sent a lot of delayed blitzes. The Ravens did a nice job of helping right tackle Patrick Mekari block outside linebacker T.J. Watt, especially chip-blocking with fullback Patrick Ricard in the first half. But pass-blocking is not a strength of this team, and it showed in the fourth quarter when the Ravens had to fight from behind. The Ravens can run-block as well as most teams in the NFL, especially if they are pounding the football, but pass-blocking is an area in which they struggle. The Steelers finished with four sacks, two of those in the fourth quarter. Grade: C-
Defensive line
Pittsburgh had a one-dimensional offense, and the Steelers struggled even in that area, rushing for just 87 yards on 30 carries. The Ravens’ front played reasonably well for most of the game, especially tackle Michael Pierce and end Justin Madubuike. Pierce finished with two tackles and Madubuike had five, including a half a sack. But in the fourth quarter, the Ravens allowed a nine-play, 49-yard scoring drive that ended with a 25-yard field goal by Chris Boswell and then the eight-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in the game-winning touchdown with 1:17 remaining. Grade: C+
Linebackers
Middle linebacker Roquan Smith had 11 tackles and knocked down a pass. He was excellent in pass coverage over the middle and sat down on several Pittsburgh routes. Patrick Queen finished with seven tackles, but he missed a couple out in the open field in the flats, something he hadn’t done all season. Outside linebacker Malik Harrison was strong against the run and finished with two tackles, and Jadeveon Clowney had pressure several times, even though he was credited with only one tackle. But a couple of times the Ravens got hooked and gave up yardage off the edge. Like the defensive line, this group couldn’t come up with a big play in the fourth quarter. Grade: B-
Secondary
As usual, the Ravens played off receivers and came up aggressively to make tackles, but this was the type of game in which they needed to challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens kept allowing Pittsburgh to convert on third down in the fourth quarter. The Steelers zoned in on cornerback Brandon Stephens, a smart move by Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey gave up the game-winning touchdown as receiver George Pickens blew by him for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the game. That shouldn’t happen to the team’s top cornerback under most circumstances, especially against a team like Pittsburgh, which lacks explosive receivers. Safety Kyle Hamilton finished with three tackles, including two for losses, and fellow safety Marcus Williams also had five, but he shied away from several tackles over the middle. Pickett completed 18 of 32 passes for 224 yards and finished with a passer rating of 88.5 despite playing with a bruised knee. Grade: C
Special teams
The Ravens caused and recovered a fumble on a punt return in the fourth quarter to set up a possible game-winning touchdown, but they blew that one, too. They allowed a punt to be blocked into the back of the end zone for a safety in the fourth quarter, which should never happen; a team can get beat on the outside but never should be up the A gap. That’s a major no-no. Jordan Stout punted three times inside the 20-yard line, but some of those were just short kicks, not the ones he usually booms. The Ravens’ special teams allowed one kickoff return of 24 yards and another of 19. The special teams haven’t been special this season. Grade: D
Coaching
I could understand coach John Harbaugh trying to draw the Steelers offside late in the second quarter to get closer and possibly attempt to score a touchdown, but there were only 19 seconds left in the half. They should have attempted a field goal and gone into the half with a lead of 13-3, not 10-3. The Ravens try to be too cute. This team wasn’t ready to play, and this game looked a lot like its loss to the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago. The offensive and defensive units played well enough to win, but the playmakers didn’t make plays. Harbaugh shouldn’t use the term “operational” anymore. The Ravens have no clue what that means. Grade: D
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