Ravens vs. Broncos report card

Quarterbacks: Joe Flacco turned in the best performance of his career, throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns. He missed Torrey Smith on a couple of deep balls, but was virtually flawless. The game-tying throw to Jacoby Jones is as clutch as it gets. Grade: A

Running backs: Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce made the most of the small holes they could find. Pierce eventually hobbled off the field with a knee injury and did not return. Most importantly, Rice did not put the ball on the ground after fumbling twice last week. Grade: B-

Wide receivers: After disappearing the last few weeks, Smith re-emerged in a big way. Champ Bailey will be seeing Smith catching touchdowns and sprinting past him in his sleep. Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta came up with a number of big catches, and none was bigger than Jones' grab to tie the game. Grade: A-

Offensive line: It's become pretty clear that the Ravens should have gone to the current offensive line setup at the start of the season. Bryant McKinnie and Michael Oher were fantastic keeping the pressure of off Flacco, which was the difference in the game. Grade: A-

Defensive line: The Ravens did a great job against the run, especially once Knowshon Moreno left the game with an injury. They made a few big stops on 2nd and third and short to force punts. After struggling to get pressure on Manning early in the game, they got to him late and forced the key interception. Grade: B-

Linebackers: Ray Lewis finished with a game-high 17 tackles. While many of them weren't near the line of scrimmage, he did make a number of big stops. Dannell Ellerbe was also a force against the run and pass despite appearing to injure himself late in the contest. Grade: B

Secondary: After a slows start, this unit seemed to grow confidence as the game progressed. Corey Graham had two huge interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown while the other set up the game-winning field goal. Chykie Brown had the deflection that resulted in the interception run back for a touchdown, and while Ed Reed was quiet, he kept the Broncos from making big plays down the field. Grade: B

Special teams: A unit that has been the strength of the team all season long nearly cost them dearly. The Ravens gave up a punt and a kickoff return for a touchdown, which is simply unacceptable. Justin Tucker did drill a 47-yard game-winning field goal. Grade: D-

Coaching: After such an emotional week, John Harbaugh got his team up and ready for a very difficult game. He managed timeouts and challenges fairly well, and appears to have drastically matured over the past few seasons. Jim Caldwell and Dean Pees both called good games and deserve a lot of credit. Grade: A

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, Baltimore Sports Examiner

Steve DeClue has always had a passion for Baltimore-area sports. He covered the Baltimore Ravens for Baltimoresun.com and Scout.com. If you are looking for your fix on sports around the Beltway, Steve's your man. You may contact Steve with your comments and questions.

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