Baltimore Beatdown
Quarterback: C+
Lamar Jackson had another uneven performance in this game, although he was undoubtedly better than the past few weeks. On the surface, his 54% completion mark, costly interception, and 71.0 passer rating with 219 passing yards leave much to be desired. Jackson and the offense could once again get very little going in the first half and it took them too long to begin scoring consistently. However, Jackson did begin to heat up a bit as the game progressed, and he showed a level of confidence and decisiveness as a runner not seen since Week 1. He ran for 43 yards with a touchdown on seven attempts. Jackson was not helped at all but poor pass protection at times, dropped passes, and a questionably overturned touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely late in the fourth quarter that would have put the Ravens ahead. Jackson was still subpar by his standards, and the Ravens needed him to be better, but he put them in position to win the game late.
Running Back: B+
Derrick Henry’s usage was once again head-scratching early in the game, as the Ravens went away from him for multiple drives in the first half. They began to feed him over the final two quarters, though, and the Steelers’ defense started to wear down more as a result. Henry’s 25 carries for 94 yards weren’t overly efficient, but his yardage was much needed and hard-earned. Meanwhile, Keaton Mitchell ripped off a long 55-yard run in the second half that nearly went for a touchdown. Mitchell finished with six carries for 76 yards before exiting the game early with a knee injury. Rasheen Ali played a decent amount of snaps again but only received three touches and gained 13 yards.
Wide Receiver: C+
After his worst performance of the season last week with just two catches for six yards and a fumble, Zay Flowers bounced back in a big way. Flowers caught a season-high eight receptions on 11 targets and gained 124 receiving yards. He had two long catches of 30+ yards and could have had more but narrowly stepped out bounds on a sideline catch attempt. Flowers is still seeking his first touchdown since the regular season opener, but as per usual he was the only wide receiver who made a significant impact of note. Rashod Bateman caught two passes for 23 yards but had a crucial drop on third down in the red zone, and Deandre Hopkins was only targeted once all game.
Tight End: C-
Hours after signing a three-year contract extension, Mark Andrews caught only one pass for nine yards despite seeing five targets. His catch didn’t come until the very end of the game, which is true also for Charlie Kolar. Kolar’s 19-yard reception on the final drive helped move the ball closer into scoring position but to no avail. The biggest story at tight end was once again Likely, but similar to last week for the wrong reasons. The aforementioned overturned touchdown...
