As losses pile up, Ravens’ grades crash down
It isn’t quite midseason for the Ravens, but with their bye coming after seven games, this is a good time to assess the team.
The Ravens (3-4) began the season 3-0 but lost the next four games. Grades have rapidly dropped in recent weeks for some position groups, and no unit has earned an “A.”
Here’s how each position grades out so far. Quarterback: Joe Flacco is having his worst season ever, which was unexpected because he had the best training camp and preseason of his career. He has always been sloppy with his mechanics, but he has hit a new low this season, repeatedly failing to drive his back foot into the ground when throwing. A lot of his passes are sailing off the mark because he is bailing out from fear of getting hit. Flacco has completed 189 of 308 passes for 1,837 yards and five touch-
downs. He also has six interceptions. Grade: D Running backs: Terrance West has performed well since replacing Justin Forsett as the starter earlier in the season, but the Ravens don’t give him a chance to gain much traction. A good running back should touch the ball at least 12 times in the first half to be really effective. West has a total of 96 carries for 424 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens have also tried Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon sparingly, but the problem is that all three are the same type of runner. The Ravens don’t have a breakaway threat or a change-of-pace ball carrier in the group. But with this offensive line, it might not make a difference. Grade: C Offensive line: This group has had its share of injuries among the starters, including guards Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis, and tackle Ronnie Stanley. But even when everyone was healthy, the Ravens couldn’t run the ball. The Ravens have only 599 rushing yards on 159 carries. This group can’t get movement at the line of scrimmage, and it hasn’t kept Flacco from getting pounded. If Yanda and Stanley come back healthy after the bye, the Ravens should start John Urschel at center and bench Jeremy Zuttah. Teams have had success with pressure, stunts and blitzes against the Ravens. Grade: D Receivers: The Ravens miss Steve Smith Sr., who has been out two games with an ankle injury. He’s 37, but he opens the field for the rest of the receivers and he gets a lot of yards after the catch. Mike Wallace has performed well in Smith’s absence with 35 receptions for 490 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Dennis Pitta has also been solid, but the passing game has no consistency. Second-year receiver Breshad Perriman has had good moments, but still is stiff and runs his routes at the same speed going in and out of breaks. Kamar Aiken gives the Ravens an occasional lift, but they haven’t found a role for him. Grade: C Defensive line: This group has played extremely well. No opposing team has been able to run in between the tackles consistently because nose tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce have been dominant. Both ends have made plays and contain the run well, and the Ravens have been getting pressure on the quarterback from the front line. These guys have made good contributions. Timmy Jernigan has 22 tackles, followed by 20 for Williams, 16 for Pierce and 14 for Lawrence Guy. That’s a balanced effort. Grade: B+ Linebackers: The Ravens have missed C.J. Mosley, who has been out the past couple of games with a hamstring injury, but this group has played well enough to win. Few knew for sure whether Zachary Orr or Albert McClellan could handle starting roles, but Orr leads the team in tackles with 63 and McClellan has 30. It looks as if the Ravens will get Terrell Suggs (biceps) back for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, and he should be able to help the Ravens’ run defense by being able to hold the edge. Grade: B Secondary: The Ravens perform well against average to below-average teams but struggle when they’ve had to face good quarterbacks such as Derek Carr, Eli Manning or even Kirk Cousins. Cornerback Jimmy Smith has been solid but not spectacular. Shareece Wright started the season strong but has struggled when the competition improved. Cornerback Tavon Young is going to be good in this league but is making rookie mistakes. Safety Eric Weddle has helped the Ravens with alignment and is one of the better tacklers on the team. But he and fellow safety Lardarius Webb have little speed. Once receivers get a step on them, they can’t come close to catching up. Lack of speed has been a glaring weakness on the back end of this defense. Grade: C Special teams: Justin Tucker continues to be the team’s Most Valuable Player. He hasn’t missed a field-goal attempt this season and has converted on four from over 50 yards. Sam Koch has averaged 48.1 yards on 37 punts, landing 12 inside the 20-yard line. Returner Devin Hester Sr. hasn’t given the Ravens much, especially on punt returns, where he is averaging only 6.2 yards. The Ravens have also been hurt by penalties. Grade: C+ Coaching: John Harbaugh’s overaggressive decision-making has hurt the Ravens in several games. Considering the injuries, he has juggled players well to get maximum effort. The offensive staff hasn’t been impressive. Aren’t coaches supposed to correct flaws like Flacco’s sloppy mechanics? The offense has no rhythm. The defense has played well enough, but it still needs to make plays at the end of games against better teams. Grade: C-