Team Grades: Ravens Skid Continues As They Fall To Chiefs
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens (4-10) started the game as if they were ready to compete. In the end, they couldn't keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) on their quest to a postseason berth. As is usually the case with games such as this one, there is plenty of blame to go around.
Offense: C-
Take one look at Jimmy Clausen and it's evident why the Panthers selected him in the second round. He has a skill set that offensive coordinators covet a great deal; but if you take a second look, you'll see why he's had a hard time finding success in this league. Clausen was solid on Sunday against the Chiefs, but made a few key mistakes that cost the Ravens in the end. This includes a thrown interception that was returned for a touchdown by Marcus Peters late in the fourth quarter. Kamar Aiken is playing like a man possessed and has made the most of his opportunities. He finished with eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens running game was shut down by Kansas City. Which isn't much of a surprise considering the Chiefs boast one of the best defenses in the NFL. Buck Allen was held to just 18 yards, but that is partially due to his benching in the first half. Allen fumbled a football that was returned for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Terrance West would replace him and finish with 35 yards on seven carries.
Defense: C+
The Ravens defense was solid, but not spectacular. It was evident that Baltimore was going to play conservative football on the back end of the defense. Because of this, Alex Smith was able to take what the defense gave him and play mistake free football. He finished with 21 completions out of 25 attempts for 171 yards and a touchdown. The rush defense played solid football. Charcandrick West did score a touchdown on a 38 yard run, but they did a decent job of keeping the run game in check other than that.
Special Teams: B
The Ravens ran a fake punt deep in their own territory and Sam Koch's was ultimately just short of the first down. Otherwise, Special Teams had a pretty quiet day. Justin Tucker hit some extra points and a few touchbacks and sat for the rest of the game.
Coaching: C
The aforementioned failed fake punt on fourth down will stick out in this game. Sure the Ravens were staring 4-10 in the face, but to go for it on 4th-and-9 deep within your territory is too risky. Of course, had Baltimore converted the play we'd be calling the coaching staff geniuses. So is life in the NFL.
With two games left against division opponents, Baltimore could be set up to play the role of spoiler. Up next are the red hot Pittsburgh Steelers in M&T Bank Stadium.
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.