Ravens Report Card Week Five: The Offense
The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10 Sunday. For the full recap, check out Jarrett Pfeifer’s article Ravens Drop the Ball Against Steelers. Here are the grades I’m giving each major category of the offense:
Quarterback: B-
Fans post game wanted to blame Lamar Jackson for the loss Sunday afternoon. But despite a fumble, interception and four sacks, Jackson put his receivers in position to either score or keep drives going. He still managed to throw for 200+ yards despite his receivers letting him down in a huge way. Jackson also helped a rushing attack that gained 125 yards on Pittsburgh’s defense. Jackson gets a B- just for the simple fact that turnovers would have been avoided if the game was in hand before halftime. Also, he continues to show his ability to put his wide receivers in position the entire game to make plays by having great ball placement and consistent accuracy.
Running backs: B
Justice Hill has become a factor in this offense since the Dobbins injury with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and tote the rock. Hill did score the only touchdown for the Ravens which gave them an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, and he averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Gus Edwards also held his own while only getting 12 carries for 48 yards averaging over 4.0 yards per carry. With more carries, Baltimore easily could have eclipsed 250 yards on the ground and won this game in the trenches. The running backs would have a much higher grade if given more opportunities.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: D
Just one phrase: CATCH THE BALL!! Baltimore’s receiving corps really was the focal point of what could’ve easily been a BLOWOUT win for the Ravens. There were ten dropped passes, three of which were sure touchdowns. This is a game the Ravens receivers are going want to forget about quickly. Many dropped catches seemed due to simple lack of concentration. Regroup and catch the ball!
Offensive Line: C
The offensive line was very average on Sunday, and it seemed as though they only played one half of football. They were great in the first half holding their own vs a Steelers front 7 that always show up for Mike Tomlin no matter the circumstances with keeping TJ Watt out of the backfield. But, then halftime came and momentum shifted towards Pittsburgh. The offensive line started to give up sacks to TJ Watt and a Pittsburgh defense that played hard for sixty minutes. Ronnie Stanley was a shell of himself. Tyler Linderbaum admitted that he messed up on the fourth down call right before the half that resulted in a zero point drive, stating that he didn’t snap the ball because he wanted an offside call. It’s evident that Simpson is sill learning and he had major whiff yesterday which led to a sack while the Ravens were driving in Pittsburgh territory.
