MIKE PRESTON’S REPORT CARD

Here’s how the Ravens (1-0) graded out at each position after a 24-9 win over the New York Jets (0-1) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium:

Quarterback

Lamar Jackson showed a lot of rust in the first half after not playing a single down in the preseason. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and unwilling to make plays with his legs as he missed receivers, but he was more successful in the last two quarters, perhaps because he became more involved as a runner. Jackson completed 17 of 30 passes for 213 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, but he needs to improve his mechanics, especially his follow-through. Grade: B

Running backs

Kenyan Drake was a surprise starter at running back, but without J.K. Dobbins, who is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last preseason, the Ravens lack an explosive, big-play runner. Regardless, Drake, Mike Davis and Justice Hill were steady and methodical. By midway through the third quarter the Ravens had started to wear the Jets down and take control of the game. Grade: C

Offensive line

There were a lot of questions about this group coming into the season, and the win over the Jets didn’t answer many of them. Rookie center Tyler Linderbaum had a solid first game, especially snapping in the shotgun formation, but he didn’t get much movement at the point of attack. The same can be said about tackles Ja’Wuan James — who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the second quarter — Morgan Moses and Patrick Mekari. The running game is the bread and butter of this offense, which means the Ravens have to start knocking defenders off the ball. Grade: C

Receivers

After short-arming a slant in the first half, Rashod Bateman rebounded well and had a 55-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter. This group, much maligned in the preseason, accepted the challenge Sunday as Devin Duvernay had touchdown catches of 17 and 25 yards. Tight end Mark Andrews also got going in the second half, finishing with five catches for 52 yards. Andrews, though, needs to learn how to go down instead of always trying to fight through tackles. Because of his style of play, his knees have become open targets. Grade: A

Defensive line

The Jets had a couple of decent runs throughout the game, but the Ravens dominated up front. Third-year lineman

Justin Madubuike had his best game as a pro and was unstoppable versus the run and the pass. Nose tackle Michael Pierce also had a strong performance and surprisingly made some tackles downfield, an unusual sight for a 355-pound lineman. Veteran Calais Campbell played the run well and got pressure on quarterback Joe Flacco up the middle. Grade: A

Linebackers

Outside linebacker Justin Houston finished with one sack and two pressures as the Jets couldn’t figure out a way to block him. Outside linebacker Steven Means also had a strong pass rush on the outside, as did Odafe Oweh at times, but Oweh has to do a better job holding the edge. Weak-side linebacker Patrick Queen was a liability in pass coverage last season, but he had no problems shadowing the Jets’ receivers. Veteran middle linebacker Josh

Bynes either missed a lot of tackles or was out of position in a poor first-half performance. Grade: B+

Secondary

The Ravens came out slow and the tackling was not crisp, but it got better as the game went on. They mixed and matched a lot of coverages, which confused New York quite a bit. Baltimore seems to have found a good center field-type safety in Marcus Williams, who led the team in tackles with 12 and also intercepted a pass. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey is better playing inside than outside because he is physical and one of the better tacklers on the team. Humphrey had seven tackles. Rookie safety Kyle Hamilton, however, needs to improve his tackling. Grade: B

Special teams

Rookie punter Jordan Stout had a good debut, averaging 48.5 yards on six punts. Justin Tucker converted on one 24-yard field-goal attempt. The Ravens took New York’s special teams out of the game, and while they didn’t have any big returns they didn’t commit any turnovers, which are more common in the first game. The Jets did have one kickoff return for 25 yards. Grade: B

Coaching

The Ravens get good marks because almost everything they said they wanted to accomplish during the offseason worked out in the first game. Some key starters weren’t ready, but they weren’t needed, giving them a good chance to rest and play next week against Miami. The Ravens got through all of the first-quarter excitement playing on the road and got better as the game went on. Most importantly, they won.

Coach John Harbaugh’s biggest mistake was allowing Jackson to throw late in the game, which resulted in a meaningless interception that inadvertently led to cornerback Kyle Fuller’s knee injury. Harbaugh should have just run the ball. The Ravens actually had a successful screen pass for 15 yards, which is probably their best result on that play in the last five or six years. Grade: B+