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The Baltimore Sun
Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 26-23 loss to Raiders | COMMENTARY
By Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun,
1 days ago
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, right, beats Ravens’ Trenton Simpson, left, for a catch in the fourth quarter. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 26-23 at M&T Bank Stadium. Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/TNS
Lamar Jackson finished with a passer rating of 81.4 as he completed 21 of 34 passes for 247 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but he missed several long throws and the Ravens could have picked up more yards after the catch if he were more accurate hitting wide-open receivers. Jackson did enough to keep the Ravens in the game, especially with his legs when the protection broke down as he rushed for 45 yards. But on the Ravens’ final three possessions in the fourth quarter, the offense managed to pick up only one first down and Jackson looked lost at times. There was no Lamar Jackson magic on Sunday. Grade: C-
Running backs
The Ravens had no answers for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby in the first half, but they started to double-team and chip Crosby in the second half, which slowed down his penetration. Derrick Henry revved up the running game in the second half, especially running left. The key is allowing Henry to get to the line of scrimmage with his shoulder pads squared. He played well in his role as a closer, finishing with 84 yards on 18 carries. Backup Justice Hill had four attempts for 22 yards but wasn’t much of a passing threat out of the backfield. The problem, though, is that if Henry doesn’t get a big chunk of yards on first down, the Ravens are in trouble. Grade: C+
Guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele struggled in pass protection, but that’s nothing new. Both improved from the season opener in Kansas City, but those two will be a problem all season. Right tackle Patrick Mekari struggled against Crosby, which was expected, but what took the Ravens so long to get him some help? Rookie Roger Rosengarten played better against Crosby, and the Ravens provided him more help after the first quarter. Both center Tyler Linderbaum and left tackle Ronnie Stanley played well, and the Ravens might become more of a left-handed team with Henry running behind Stanley. But in crunch time, Ravens had no answer for Crosby, who either won his one-on-one battles on the outside or looped around to beat Faalele on the inside. Grade: D
Receivers
Like a week ago, it took the Ravens a while to get all of their pass catchers involved in the offense. Once that happened in the second half, Baltimore started to pull away, but the Ravens couldn’t handle the pressure from the Raiders’ pass rush. Receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Isiah Likely each had big second-half catches and the Ravens got tight end Mark Andrews involved early as he finished with four catches for 51 yards. Second-year receiver Zay Flowers was a difference-maker with seven catches for 91 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Grade: C
Defensive line
This group was dominant in the first half, holding the Raiders to 4 rushing yards and 43 total yards, but Las Vegas finished with 260 total yards. The Ravens needed the offense to chew up some clock, but they lost the time of possession battle 30:43 to 29:17. The Ravens recorded five sacks and got pressure from linemen Nnamdi Madubuike, Brent Urban and Travis Jones, who finished with three tackles each, but the Raiders took advantage of good field position on their final three scoring drives. Las Vegas went to the play-action passing game and the Ravens had no answer. Grade: B
Linebackers
The Ravens finally got some pressure on the edge from outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy (two sacks, three pressures) and Odafe Oweh (2 1/2 sacks, three pressures). They also got inside pressure from Madubuike and even Jones, but in the end they looked like the Raiders of a week ago. With no offense, Las Vegas’ defense wore down against the Chargers, and that’s what happened to the Ravens on Sunday. Roquan Smith led the team with 11 tackles and Oweh had five, but the Raiders’ play-action passing game slowed the Ravens’ pass rush, particularly in the second half. Grade: B+
Secondary
The Ravens shut down the Raiders’ small ball passing game in the first half, but they couldn’t counter the Raiders’ play-action passing game in the second. Las Vegas often went to its two top receivers, rookie tight end Brock Bowers (nine catches for 98 yards) and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams (nine catches for 110 yards), with most of the damage coming in the second half. The Ravens looked tired, particularly cornerbacks Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey. Starting safety Kyle Hamilton missed several tackles and appears to be struggling with a shoulder injury. Regardless, when the Ravens needed to come up big in crunch time, they didn’t deliver. There is something still missing on the back end of the defense as far as scheme or communication. Grade: C
At the beginning of last season, the Ravens couldn’t make proper decisions on when to return kickoff and punts, and they have the same problem this year. Justin Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide left. The biggest mistake might have come near the end of the game when Jordan Stout shanked a 24-yard punt, which allowed the Raiders to start their game-winning drive at the Baltimore 43-yard line with 2:21 remaining. For years, special teams have helped carry the Ravens, but those units need to improve from here on out. Grade: C
Coaching
The Ravens started off strong, but M&T Bank Stadium lacked energy. There were a lot of empty seats and a lot of Raiders fans behind the Las Vegas bench. Coach John Harbaugh failed on two challenges, and the Ravens didn’t make any serious adjustments on offense or defense in the second half. Despite the NFL being a pass-happy league, the game is still won on the offensive and defensive lines. If there are weaknesses, the coaches have to make adjustments, and the Ravens haven’t made any in the first two games. Losing to the Raiders in the home opener is almost unforgivable. Grade: D
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