The Maryland Sports Blog

Defensive line: The Ravens defensive line has played much better with Terrell Suggs back.  They held outstanding rookie running back Trent Richardson to 105 yards on the ground, not great but solid.  They still need to improve on their pass rush, only one sack and very few pressures.  Grade C+

Linebackers: Dannell Ellerbe had a great game in place of Ray Lewis, he led the team in tackles with nine.  They tackled better in this game and played coverage pretty well.  Grade B

Secondary: This unit played much better, Cary Williams has improved greatly over the weeks and picked off his fourth pass of the season.  Ed Reed also picked off a pass at the end of the game.  Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden finished off the game with a 44.4 quarterback rating.  Jimmy Smith still needs to clean up his play.  Grade B

Defensive line: The defensive line was much improved with Terrell Suggs returning.  They did not let Arian Foster break 100 yards which is an improvement from the last two games.  The defensive line still needed to pressure the quarterback more.  Grade C

Linebackers: This unit needs to get better at tackling.  Two many ball carriers are getting to the secondary.  Dannell Ellerbe had a good game replacing Ray Lewis, he led the team in tackles with 12.  Grade C

Secondary: This is the biggest unit of concern.  The individual players have not been terrible but the communication has really hurt the team.  Receivers have been way too wide open and Jimmy Smith needs to clean up his coverage.  Smith was beat a couple of times and did not have safety help.  Grade D

Coaching: The coaching is what really concerns me about this group.  Sure players are injured but the talent is there for the Ravens defense, they can clean things up.  Grade F

Quarterback: Joe Flacco played better than his final numbers indicate. Flacco’s interception in the end zone was a pin point pass to Boldin that the Cleveland Browns defense simply played well. Flacco also had a rushing touchdown that does not go towards his final quarterback rating of 83.2. Grade B+

Running backs: Ray Rice was kept in control the entire game. Rice only averaged 2.7 yards a carry but still showed up in the passing game. Bernard Pierce had his best game yet for the Ravens with 48-yards rushing on only six carries. Grade C+

Receivers: Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin both had terrific games. Tandon Doss and Jacoby Jones also had catches. The tight ends were a none factor for the Ravens as they were shut out. Grade B+

Offensive line: The offensive line struggled when it came to opening holes for Ray Rice. They also let Flacco take a few too many hits. Four sacks allowed is not good. Grade C

Quarterback- Joe Flacco started off slow, but so did the whole offense.  Flacco finished the game with great numbers and led the Ravens on two big comebacks against the New England Patriots.  Flacco final quarterback rating was 117.7, that included three touchdowns and one interception.  The interception Flacco threw was on a throw he tried to force to Dennis Pitta.  Grade B+

Running backs- Ray Rice did not break many big runs but he had a very effective game running for a touchdown and breaking 100 yards on the ground.  Bernard Pierce was also effective as a backup to Rice, in limited carries Pierce averaged 4.3 yards on the ground.  Grade B

Receivers- Torrey Smith stole the show in a performance of a lifetime.  Smith had two big touchdowns for the Ravens and 127-yards receiving.  Jacoby Jones also had a big game for the Ravens with three catches for 86 yards, he also drew a big pass interference call.  Pitta continues to serve as one of Flacco’s safety blankets.  Grade B+

Offensive line- The offensive line played well and did not allow a sack.  The line did have some penalties including a few holding calls.  Micheal Oher played sensational on the blind side.  Grade B+

Overall- After a slow start the offense helped the Ravens with a big comeback against the Patriots.  Smith was the story of the game but it should not be forgotten that Flacco outplayed Tom Brady.  Grade B+

Defensive line- The defensive line did a good job pressuring Mike Vick and containing the run game.  The defensive line was missing Paul Kruger but still had two sacks of Vick, one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league.  The line also held a good job containing LeSean McCoy, holding him to an average of 3.2 yards per carry.  Grade B

Linebackers- Brent Celek had a field day against this group.  Celek had eight receptions for 157 yards and was wide open on many of those plays.  The secondary should take some of the blame.  They still played the run well.  Grade C

Secondary- Despite having two interceptions this unit struggled.  There was a lot of miscommunication that left Eagles receivers wide open.  There was not a player within 20 yards of Jeremy Maclin on his touchdown reception.  They had their good plays but the miscues were too much. Grade C-

Overall- They caused four turnovers but allowed a lot of big plays.  For most of the game they played well but on some drives they make Vick have his way.  A losing Bernard Pollard early in the game hurt.  Grade C