[Baltimore Sun] Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 35-10 win over Bills | COMMENTARY
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Here’s how the Ravens (2-2) graded out at every position after beating the Buffalo Bills, 35-10, in Week 4 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Quarterback
Except for a fumble on a rush late in the second quarter, Lamar Jackson played a near-perfect game. He showed nice touch on some throws over the middle and caused the Bills problems with runs off the edge. Jackson even forced issues by just threatening to run on run-pass options off the perimeter. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 156 yards and rushed six times for 54 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Grade: A
Running backs
Derrick Henry opened the game with an 87-yard touchdown run off right tackle, the longest in Ravens history. If there were any concerns about his speed, they were erased because none of the Bills’ secondary players could catch him. Henry had 199 yards on 24 carries and had a 5-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
Backup Justice Hill was just as successful with 18 yards on four carries and was a major weapon out of the backfield with six catches for 78 yards. On several swing passes, he eluded or simply outran the Bills’ linebackers. Fullback Patrick Ricard was a force as a lead blocker. He might be the best in the NFL. Grade: A
Receivers
Henry opened up the passing game with his strong running in the first half, and the Ravens took advantage with some nice touch passes over the middle to tight end Isaiah Likely, as well as to split end Nelson Agholor. Receiver Zay Flowers was a threat and decoy but had only one catch for 10 yards. Hill was a top playmaker out of the backfield and repeatedly burned Buffalo’s linebackers. The blocking from receivers off the edge was pretty good. Grade: B+
Offensive line
The Ravens had to make a few adjustments before the game, starting rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle and moving Patrick Mekari to left guard in place of injured starter Andrew Vorhees, who was out with an ankle injury. Except for the opening minutes of the third quarter, the Ravens dominated. Rosengarten more than held his own and had a good block on Henry’s 87-yard touchdown run to open the game. Both guards, Mekari and right guard Daniel Faalele, did a good job with angle blocking or blocking down, and center Tyler Linderbaum made some nice blocks into the second and even the third levels. The Ravens finished with 271 rushing yards. Enough said. Grade: A
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Defensive line
The Ravens contained running back James Cook, who was the focal point of Buffalo’s offense and finished with only 39 rushing yards on nine carries. Baltimore simply dominated up front despite playing without injured nose guard Michael Pierce. End Travis Jones (four tackles) and tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (one tackle, one quarterback pressure) were forces as both run stoppers and pass rushers, and they pounded quarterback Josh Allen. Buffalo’s quarterback reached the edge on a lot of bootlegs, but the Ravens were always in strong pursuit. Pass rush had to be an area of emphasis going into the game. Grade: A
Linebackers
Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy has replaced Jadeveon Clowney as the team’s top pass rusher on the outside. He made the game miserable for Allen and was relentless with his pressure. The 33-year-old finished with two tackles — both sacks — and three pressures on Allen.
Fellow outside linebacker Odafe Oweh also had a strong game for the Ravens and forced the Bills quarterback to move in the pocket several times. He had one sack and two pressures. Middle linebacker Roquan Smith finished with six tackles but still isn’t playing as well as a year ago. In fact, Smith seemed a little too deep at times, which allowed Buffalo offensive linemen to get up on him and into his body. Grade: B
Secondary
For the most part, the Ravens shut down Buffalo’s short passing game. The Bills made some plays, but they weren’t able to get into any sort of offensive rhythm. Even when Allen got out of the pocket, cornerbacks Brandon Stephens, Marlon Humphrey and rookie Nate Wiggins stayed glued to receivers. Strong safety Kyle Hamilton was a force early and played a complete game. He had struggled in the fourth quarter the previous two games but led the Ravens in tackles with seven. Wiggins, though, has to learn how to catch. He dropped two interceptions Sunday night. Grade: B+
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Special teams
Well, at least there will be no complaints about Justin Tucker missing a field goal because he didn’t attempt any Sunday night. Jordan Stout had four punts with a long of 54 and dropped three inside the 20-yard line. Deonte Harty averaged 11.3 yards on three punt returns, which is a plus for a team that has struggled in that area the previous couple of weeks. The new kickoff rule hasn’t had much effect on games. There were nine kickoffs Sunday night; none of them were returned. The Ravens held Buffalo punt returner Brandon Codrington to 6 yards on three punt returns. Grade: B+
Coaching
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken kept Buffalo off balance most of the night. He used a lot of misdirection plays to keep the Bills’ hard-charging defense off base. The screens and passes in the flats were well-designed, as were the passes in the middle of the field. Defensively, the Ravens had to show that they could hold a lead in the fourth quarter and they proved they could. It was by far the defense’s most complete effort of the season. Coach John Harbaugh, though, did call a timeout right after an injury timeout, which resulted in a penalty and a Buffalo first down. Those types of decisions can hurt a team in the future. Grade: A-
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