Team Grades: Ravens Second Half Surge Sends Them To Postseason
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens had a good chance to make the playoffs. They would have to hope the Chiefs took care of business against the Chargers – which they did. And they would need to handle the Cleveland Browns at home as well. The Ravens were able to accomplish this feat as they defeated Cleveland 20-10 to earn the 6th and final playoff spot. They’ll play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Offense Grade: C+
The Ravens offense struggled to get things going early on as has been the case for most of the season. Gary Kubiak’s gameplan was ineffective and the offense was lethargic. The Ravens receivers were making plays, but were taking out of the game due to the lack of a running game. The Browns front 7 made stopping Justin Forsett a point of emphasis. The Browns came in with the worst run defense in the NFL. It was clear the Ravens wanted to exploit that weakness, but the stinginess of their front totally disrupted the flow of the offense.
The Ravens made adjustments in the second half, but were unable to get things going until the 4th quarter. It was then that this unit exploded. Forsett ran for huge chunks of yards finishing with 119 yards on the ground. The offense really received its spark from Torrey Smith, who caught two huge passes with one leading to a score that helped put the Browns away. They’ll need to start off a lot faster next week, however, if they want to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Defense Grade: B-
The Ravens competition hasn’t exactly been spectacular the last few weeks, but the defense really deserves praise with the way they’ve played. The secondary in particular, has done a far better job of keeping up with opposing wide receivers. Lardarius Webb has played through a nagging back injury he suffered during the offseason. But it’s clear that he’s getting healthy by his play on the field. He’ll be an important part of this defense in the postseason.
The Ravens front 7 played decent football but had a difficult time containing Towson native Terrance West, who was 6 yards shy of breaking the 100 mark on the ground. Baltimore realized that Cleveland had a rookie QB and would likely rely heavily on the ground. They didn’t do a good job of taking that luxury away from Connor Shaw.
Quarterback Grade: B
As mentioned early, Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense started slow yet again. Some of it had to do with the play-calling, and some had to do with Joe Flacco. But the slow start didn’t keep him from having one of the better games he’s had this season. He exploded in the 4th quarter with huge passes down the field as long as plays being made with his legs. Flacco needs protection and a solid run game to really get things going. When he has those things, he’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL.
Special Teams Grade: B+
Jacoby Jones decided to run the ball after calling for a fair catch. Other than that, this unit played as well as you can without reaching the end zone.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.