The Ravens defense overcame an awful first half by their offense to keep the team in the game. However, a huge error by Joe Flacco before halftime and some missed opportunities ultimately caused the injury-riddled unit to crack, and the floodgates really opened in the second half. It's hard to remember the last time the Ravens struggled this much, especially at home. The defense, missing four of its top five tacklers, having Terrell Suggs playing with one arm and being without Lardarius Webb, gets a pass. The offense and the coaching staff does not get a pass, and it's going to be a long week in Baltimore for John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco.
Quarterbacks: In his first game with a new offensive coordinator, it was the same old Flacco. He fumbled on a key first down on a quarterback sneak and later threw a devastating interception on the goaline that was returned 98 yards for a touchdown. Instead of going into halftime down a touchdown or field goal and getting the ball to start the second half, the Ravens fell behind 17-0. Grade: F
Running backs: Bernard Pierce was easily the most effective of the two running backs in the first half, but there weren't very many holes being opened up by the offensive line. There also wasn't much involvement of the backs in the passing game, which remains a mystery. Pierce was eventually sidelined with a concussion. Grade: D
Wide receivers: The Ravens wide receivers were very quiet the entire first half, but it wasn't really their fault. Flacco had no time to throw and when he did, was often inaccurate on his passes. Torrey Smith suffered a head injury early in the second half and did not return. Dennis Pitta became more involved in the offense this week and even found the end zone. Grade: D
Offensive line: Marshal Yanda's absence put a spotlight on a unit that has underperformed much of the year. Jah Reid spends more time on the ground than on his feet, Bobbie Williams is always looking for someone to block but never actually making contact with anyone and Matt Birk continues to decline. Grade: F
Defensive line: Give this group a lot of credit for generating a pass rush and forcing Manning to move around in the pocket. Pernell McPhee looked the best he has all season long and Paul Kruger continues to improve. Terrell Suggs deserves a shout-out for literally playing with one arm and braving the biceps tear. This group eventually wore down in the second half, especially against the run. Grade: C
Linebackers: Without the team's top three players at the position, the Ravens held their own. Albert McClellan played very well, as did Brandon Ayanbadejo. Like the defensive line, this group wore down as the game progressed. Grade: C
Secondary: Cary Williams and Chris Johnson both played pretty well in the first half. They held Demaryious Thomas in check, especially when it came to the big play down the field. Then came the second half, which is when Williams totally gave up on a play he easily could have made and let Eric Decker haul in a long touchdown pass. Decker tormented Williams much of the day, especially in the second half. It could have been even worse if Manning's arm strength was still there. Grade: D
Special teams: Jacoby Jones tried to break a big run at every opportunity and had success on kickoff returns. Justin Tucker continued his great rookie season by giving the Ravens their first points of the day. McClellan forced a special teams fumble that could have helped the Ravens crawl back into the game, but they failed to recover the ball before it bounced out of bounds. Grade: C
Coaching: Joe Flacco never should have made the throw on the goaline before halftime, but why didn't the Ravens run the ball there with three timeouts? Throwing to the near-side of the field in a bunch formation up against the goaline leaves very little room for error. The Ravens also missed a chance to challenge what appeared to be a fumble by Peyton Manning in Broncos territory in the first half. John Harbaugh later challenged a play that was clearly ruled correct, costing the Ravens a critical timeout in the second half. His coaching decisions over the past three games have really hurt the team. There were also some dumb penalties that showed a lack of discipline and concentration. Grade: F
Comments