Baltimore Beatdown
Quarterback: A–
Lamar Jackson began the game sharp with a long 38-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass on the opening drive. From there on, his passing production stagnated for most of the next two quarters and the offense scored only three points. Jackson had a couple throws deflected at the line of scrimmage, one of which was bounced into T.J. Watt’s arms for an interception. In the fourth quarter, Jackson put on his superman cape and came alive when the Ravens needed him most. He evaded sacks, played decisively, and made three crucial throws: the 50-yard and 64-yard touchdown passes to Zay Flowers, and the 26-yard fourth-down completion to Isaiah Likely. The latter set up what would have been a game-winning field goal. Jackson finished with a passer rating of 121.5 and 238 passing yards, while completing 11-of-18 throws in total.
Running Back: B
Derrick Henry was not able to replicate last week’s otherworldly performance but was still effective. He rushed for 126 yards on 20 carries, good for 6.3 yards per carry. Most of that production came in the first half, though, and a chunk of it came on the first play of the game — which was a 41-yard breakaway run. Henry was bottled up for much of the second half and the Ravens got into pass-first mode late in the game. Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali did no damage on the ground but each had unfortunate miscues in the passing game. Mitchell dropped a wheel route pass and Ali was overpowered by Nick Herbig on a pass protection set, which resulted in Jackson taking a sack on third down.
Wide Receiver: B+
As mentioned previously, Flowers had two big-play, clutch touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter. Both were busted coverages by the Steelers and Flowers took advantage by finding open space. He had only two catches prior to that but finished with 138 yards and a pair of scores, marking his first multiple-touchdown game of the season. Devontez Walker was the recipient of Jackson’s 38-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive and had another catch for eight yards later on. Deandre Hopkins finished with no catches on two targets and had an unfortunate miscommunication with Jackson late in the game. Hopkins was uncovered on the sideline while Jackson scrambled away from pressure, but he stood still instead of running up-field and Jackson threw the ball away.
Tight End: C+
Mark Andrews had a quiet night with only two receptions for 14 yards on three targets. It marked his seventh game of the year with less than 20 receiving yards and ninth game with two catches or fewer. Likely also caught just two passes, but 26-yard snag on the final drive of the game was incredibly impressive and clutch. He had to high point the ball in traffic and secured it after hitting the ground. That could have been a storybook moment for Likely had it in fact set up the game-winning field goal. Regardless, it was a crucial fourth-down...
