15 October 2023
Here’s how the Ravens (4-2) graded out at each position after a 24-16 win over the Tennessee Titans (2-4) in Sunday’s Week 6 game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London:
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson started hot and had a strong first half. He cooled off in the third quarter but made the plays the Ravens needed to seal the win late in the fourth. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 223 yards and one touchdown and rushed 13 times for 62 yards. The Ravens were successful with their small ball passing game, including some throws that turned into big gains. Jackson did have one interception, which was way over the head of wide receiver Rashod Bateman and led to a Tennessee touchdown in the third quarter, but he didn’t fumble, which has been a problem most of the season. Jackson’s statistics aren’t always impressive, but he is still the team’s top offensive threat. Grade: B
Running backs
Justice Hill and Gus Edwards weren’t spectacular, but solid. Hill showed the ability to run inside and outside and provided some bounce off the edge. Both players came up with critical receptions on third down. Hill had 35 yards on eight carries and Edwards had 41 yards on 16 attempts. The Ravens don’t have a breakaway runner, but at least both Hill and Edwards are more than serviceable. They at least keep defenses honest because the Ravens have a legitimate running game, not just fill-in players. Grade: C
Offensive line
This group started out strong as the Ravens piled up 242 yards of total offense in the first half, but it did a lot of sleepwalking in the second. The Ravens couldn’t get much movement at the line of scrimmage against Titans linemen Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Kyle Peko and the offense struggled inside the red zone. Jackson saves this group every week with his ability to improvise and make plays, but the Ravens haven’t found a rhythm on offense yet. Regardless, the Ravens allowed only one sack. Grade: C+
Receivers
The Ravens averaged 10.6 yards per catch and some of their longest receptions were the product of short throws, such as the 32-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. and the 21-yard gain by Nelson Agholor. The Ravens waited too long to get tight end Mark Andrews involved, but he finished with four catches for 69 yards. Besides Andrews and rookie receiver Zay Flowers (six catches for 50 yards), the rest of this group seems out of sync. If an opposing defense can play man-to-man coverage and get into Jackson’s face quickly, the Ravens will struggle throwing the ball. Grade: C
Defensive line
The Titans deserve credit because they stayed with running back Derrick Henry. He had 97 yards on 12 carries, but 63 of those came on a third-quarter run that set up a field goal. Overall, the Ravens dominated at the line of scrimmage, in particular nose tackle Michael Pierce and end Justin Madubuike. Madubuike finished with five tackles, including two sacks, and had four quarterback hits. He was a nuisance to quarterback Ryan Tannehill all game. Pierce had only one tackle but the Titans had just 139 rushing yards and the Ravens forced Henry to stay off tackle on most of his runs. Madubuike has been the Ravens’ top lineman this season. Grade: B
Linebackers
Roquan Smith is the team’s top defensive player and he finished with nine tackles. As usual, he was all over the field and never gave up on a play. But weakside linebacker Patrick Queen (nine tackles) is playing just as well and continues to make some spectacular open field tackles. Outside linebacker Malik Harrison (three tackles) has been playing well, especially holding the edge against the run, and fellow outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney had two sacks in the fourth quarter when Tennessee was forced to pass. He also finished with four quarterback hits. Grade: B+
Secondary
Safety Geno Stone had the play of the game when he intercepted a pass from Tannehill intended for tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo with 4:27 left in the third quarter. That stopped a Titans drive in Ravens territory, and the Ravens turned it into another field goal by Justin Tucker to go up 21-13 with 12:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. Besides DeAndre Hopkins, the Titans weren’t going to scare the Ravens with any of their other receivers, so the Ravens were content to play off the ball and not allow big plays. Unfortunately, the Ravens were hit with several pass interference or holding penalties, especially late in the game. It remains to be seen how this group will play against a top-notch quarterback because they haven’t faced a healthy one all season. Grade: C
Special teams
Tucker converted on six field goal attempts of 41, 28, 23, 29, 20 and 36 yards. Devin Duvernay also returned a punt 70 yards to set up a field goal and he averaged 30.3 yards on three punt returns. The punt team also recovered a fumble to set up another field goal on the last play of the first half. Duvernay finally looked decisive in returning punts and kickoffs instead of debating whether he should call a fair catch or not. With this erratic offense, the Ravens need another weapon. Duvernay also returned two kickoffs for an average of 20.5 yards. Jordan Stout averaged 48.7 yards on two punts, including a long of 56. Grade: A
Coaching
Head coach John Harbaugh, after years of being too aggressive, finally got the message to take the points and let the best kicker in NFL history win games for him instead of relying on an unpredictable offense. This wasn’t a pretty game, and the Ravens’ offense became complacent again in the second half, but the team needed a win, especially after losing to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh earlier this season. The Ravens still need a lot of work in all areas. The Titans were the perfect solution for a team in search of itself and its offense. Grade: C+
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