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Ravens vs. Vikings report card
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Quarterbacks: Sunday was Joe Flacco's best day as an NFL quarterback without a doubt. Forget the statistics, which are impressive (almost 400 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions), but look at the way he brought the team back despite all of the pressure he faced. He was getting hit after nearly every play, but kept coming back for more. He is a tough guy, both physically and mentally, and a championship-caliber player. Grade: A+
Running backs: It was a tough start for Ray Rice, who was acquainted early and often with Pat and Kevin Williams. However, the Ravens got the passing game going in the second half and it opened up running lanes. Rice took advantage and had a big touchdown run to temporarily give the Ravens the lead. Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain saw only a couple of touches and were non-factors. Grade: B+
Wide receivers: Derrick Mason dropped a long pass early in the game that at worse could have been a long completion. Yes, it was a tough catch, but I expect him to make those. He definitely catches that if he lays out for it. Demetrius Williams came in for an injured Kelly Washington and made a fantastic block on Mason's touchdown catch and run and also had a nice grab of his own. Mark Clayton made a tremendous touchdown catch that got the comeback started. Grade: B
Offensive line: Not a good day for this unit. They were manhandled with run and pass blocking. They almost got Flacco killed back there. Michael Oher did a good job on Jared Allen, at least about as well as you could have hoped. Ben Grubbs had a disappointing day and Marshal Yanda continues to struggle on the right side. If not for a better job late in the game, this group would have received a failing grade. Grade: D-
Defensive line: Another group that did not have such a good day. Terrell Suggs was pretty much MIA yet again, and I'm not sure I ever heard Trevor Pryce's name. Even the interior lineman struggled against that strong Minnesota offensive line. The Ravens couldn't stop the run for the second straight week and as usual did not apply any pressure on Brett Favre. It's time for the Ravens to put Kelly Gregg on the bench more and give Justin Bannan, Dwan Edwards and Brandon McKinney more playing time. Grade: F
Linebackers: Ray Lewis played a whale of a game. He is single-handedly carrying this defense. Jarret Johnson also played well again. If he gets a hold of you, the play is over. He doesn't miss tackles. Tavares Gooden has talent but needs to play more disciplined on defense. He overpursued too many times, leaving big cutback lanes for Adrian Peterson. It burned the Ravens a few times. Grade: C
Secondary: What is going on back there? While Fabian Washington hasn't been a shutdown corner this year, you could at least feel comfortable that he would make most of the plays coming his way. Not yesterday. Washington looked lost, and his replacement, Frank Walker, was even worse. Dawan Landry had another poor game and is killing the Ravens in the secondary. He is hesistant and lacks good football instincts and is constantly caught out of position. Ed Reed is a non-factor because he spends all of his time running all over the field trying to cover up for all of the mistakes in the secondary. Grade: F
Special teams: It's great to see the Ravens finally give Lardarius Webb the kickoff return duties. It really paid off against the Vikings, and now it's time to put him in on defense and punt returns. Chris Carr is so slow and thin that he is very easy to bring down. He might as well just fair catch every punt because he never picks up any yards. Of course, the story of the game was Steve Hauschka's missed field goal. You have to make that kick in a dome. Grade: D
Coaches: John Harbaugh didn't seem to have his team ready to play from the opening kickoff, which is mind-boggling. Cam Cameron is way too slow in adjusting his gameplan. It was clear after the first series that the Ravens should throw the ball to open up the running game. They finally did that in the second half and ran up and down the field on the Vikings defense. The Ravens should have utilized more screens and draws early in the game to slow down Minnesota's pass rush. As for Greg Mattison, I've seen enough. The defense couldn't be any more bland. He is making it way too easy for the opposing offense. Grade: D
