Baltimore Beatdown
Quarterback: B-
Lamar Jackson only needed to throw 12 passes for the Ravens to cruise to a shutout victory. Despite limited opportunity, Jackson completed eight throws for 150 yards, two touchdowns and finished with a passer rating of 114.6 — the latter two being his highest marks since October 30. Jackson did have another interception after Zay Flowers dropped a pass that then fell into the arms of a defender. While that wasn’t his fault, he also had one errant overthrow to Mark Andrews that should have been picked off but was dropped. He also took four sacks, some of which were the result of him being indecisive in his run-versus-pass decision making. Sans the turnover, though, Jackson was sharper throwing the football in this game than he has been in recent weeks, and he picked up two first downs via scramble with 26 rushing yards. He’s looked much more athletically spry the past two games, which is a positive sign for the Ravens’ offensive hopes.
Running Back: A-
The Ravens rumbled for a total of 189 rushing yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry, taking advantage of a plus matchup against the Bengals’ run defense. Derrick Henry led the way with 100 yards on only 11 carries, with a long 29-yard rush. It was Henry’s fifth 100+ yard outing of the season and his most efficient performance in terms of yards per carry since Week 1. Keaton Mitchell, meanwhile, rushed for an efficient 66 yards on eight carries — a week after totaling 76 yards on just six attempts in Week 14. Mitchell ran hard and decisively in this game, giving the Ravens some juice behind Henry. If he can continue building momentum over the final stretch of the year, it could pay dividends for Baltimore’s offense. Rasheen Ali had two catches and a long 30-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass for his first career score.
Wide Receiver: C+
It was a rollercoaster performance from Flowers with both highs and lows. Flowers caught a long 28-yard touchdown pass and made another impressive acrobatic grab earlier in the game. At the same time, he also had two costly drops — one that resulted in the aforementioned interception and the other was a would-be touchdown in the end zone. He still led the team in receiving with 68 yards and three catches, and he scored for the first time since Week 1. Deandre Hopkins saw one target and made the most of it, reeling in a 32-yard reception that was the longest of the day for the team. With no Rashod Bateman (ankle) in the lineup, no other wide receiver stepped into a larger offensive role.
Tight End: C
It was another quiet day at the office for the Ravens’ tight end group in this matchup. Mark Andrews was the only tight end to receive a target, and he caught two passes for 18 yards. Andrews continues to take a clear backseat to Flowers in the pecking order of Jackson’s...
