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Falcons vs. Ravens: Full Game Grades for Baltimore

Jason MarcumOct 19, 2014

The Baltimore Ravens played host to the Atlanta Falcons for a Week 7 clash of two teams looking to rebound from poor 2013 seasons. Neither team made the playoffs last season after winning their respective divisions in 2012. 

That year, Baltimore won the Super Bowl, while Atlanta made it to the NFC Championship Game. However, both teams combined to go 12-20 last year.

The 4-2 Ravens looked like the better team coming into this game, and that held true early on. Baltimore forced the Atlanta offense into a three-and-out to start the game. 

The Ravens offense then marched down the field and scored on their first drive after Joe Flacco hit Owen Daniels for the score. 

Both teams would then trade punts until late in the second quarter, when Bernard Pierce scored a one-yard touchdown to put the Ravens ahead, 14-0. 

Baltimore got another score right before halftime after the Falcons missed a field goal when Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a big gain. That allowed Justin Tucker to kick a 38-yard field goal to put the Ravens ahead 17-0. 

Both offenses would trade punts for much of the second half as Baltimore's defense continued to suffocate the Atlanta offense. They even sacked Matt Ryan in the end zone for a safety late in the game to give Baltimore a 22-7 lead.

On the ensuing offensive drive with just under two minutes left in the game, Flacco fired a deep shot to Smith that he hauled in for the 39-yard score. That gave Baltimore a 29-7 lead, which would be the final score. 

Here are my grades for each Ravens unit following the game.

Quarterback

1 of 10

Joe Flacco got off to a hot start in Week 6 against the Buccaneers, and he did so again against the Falcons. 

The Ravens offense marched down the field and scored on its first possession after Flacco hit tight end Owen Daniels for the score.

While Flacco started the game well, he struggled for most of the remainder of the game. He even threw a bad interception in the second quarter to give Atlanta good field position. 

The Ravens defense would bail him out, though, as they did for much of the day. Flacco threw another interception in the red zone in the third quarter with Baltimore up 20-0.

A score there would have effectively ended the game, but the interception kept the Falcons alive and they eventually cut the score to 20-7. 

Flacco did throw a touchdown on 4th-and-9 with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter and Baltimore leading 22-7. 

Grade: B-

Running Back

2 of 10

The Ravens running backs were licking their chops at the thought of facing Atlanta's defense. The Falcons ranked 30th in run defense coming into this game. 

Justin Forsett got the bulk of the touches, gaining 95 yards on 23 carries. Bernard Pierce got most of the backup snaps, carrying the ball eight times for 21 yards and one score. 

Rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro gained just four yards for three carries.

This wasn't the best of games for Baltimore's backs, but they did just enough to help carry Baltimore to the win. 

Grade: B+

Wide Receiver and Tight End

3 of 10

Baltimore got good production from their tight ends this game, particularly from veteran Owen Daniels. On Baltimore's first offensive possession, Daniels caught a five-yard TD from Joe Flacco to give Baltimore a lead they would never surrender. 

He finished the game with six catches for 58 yards. He also netted three first downs for the Ravens offense. 

Rookie tight end Crockett Gillmore also caught a pass for 13 yards. He had just two catches entering the game.

At receiver, Torrey Smith came up big again. He caught three passes for 81 yards and a score. Steve Smith chipped in three catches for 67 yards. 

Grade: B+

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Offensive Line

4 of 10

The Falcons front seven has struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks and stop the run. Atlanta entered the game ranked 30th in both pass and run defense. 

However, the team more than held its own against the Ravens and their banged-up offensive line. With Baltimore down two starting linemen in Kelechi Osemele and Eugene Monroe, the Atlanta defense was able to contain Baltimore's offense for much of the game. 

The Ravens offensive line allowed one sack and four QB hits. They didn't open many big holes for running backs to get through, either.

Baltimore finished the game with 123 yards on 36 carries, an average of just 3.4 yards per rush.

That said, the line did well enough considering they played without two starters. 

Grade: B

Defensive Line

5 of 10

The Ravens defense was the MVP of this game, and much of their dominance was because of the defensive line's play. 

Nose tackle Brandon Williams was a force in the middle, and he helped clog the interior of the line. That helped limit Atlanta to just 68 yards rushing. 

The defensive line in general did great at maintaining gaps and allowing the linebackers to make the tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage on many occasions. 

Grade: A

Linebacker

6 of 10

The Ravens linebackers were the most dominant unit of either team on this day. 

Elvis Dumervil was a terror off the edge, notching two sacks and a team-high three QB hits. He also added three tackles for loss. 

Terrell Suggs and Pernell McPhee combined to chip in three more sacks and four more QB hits. Suggs' sack came in the fourth quarter and in the end zone. That gave Baltimore the safety and two points to put them up 22-7.

Inside linebacker Daryl Smith registered a game-high eight solo tackles to go with 13 total tackles and a pass deflection. 

In all, Ravens linebackers combined for five sacks and eight QB hits. Their relentless pressure on Matt Ryan helped limit the Falcons offense to just seven points. 

Grade: A+

Secondary

7 of 10

The Ravens secondary was extremely thin when the season began, but it's now become one of their deepest units. With Lardarius Webb now healthy and Will Hill now eligible to play, the secondary is both deep and talented. 

The Falcons learned this the hard way, as Baltimore's secondary gave Falcons receivers little breathing room to operate. 

Atlanta wasn't able to get into the end zone until late in the fourth quarter with Baltimore already leading 20-0. Matt Ryan attempted 44 passes but netted just 228 yards and one score.

Ravens cornerbacks shut down Atlanta's top receiver in Julio Jones, who caught just five passes for 56 yards. Smith also chipped in two pass deflections. 

This was the best game of the year by Baltimore's secondary. 

Grade: A-

Special Teams

8 of 10

The Ravens special teams unit was not as special as it's been for most of this year. Punt returner Jacoby Jones muffed a punt in the second quarter right before the end of the first half.

Thankfully, Baltimore's defense got a three-and-out and forced the Falcons to attempt a 57-yard field goal, which he missed. 

Three plays later, Justin Tucker hit a 38-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 17-0 lead at halftime. Tucker added another field goal in the third quarter to give Baltimore a 20-0 lead. 

Sam Koch punted the ball four times for an average of just 39.9 yards per punt. However, he did down two punts inside the 20-yard line. 

Grade: B+

Coaching

9 of 10

The Ravens were well prepared for this game, as the offense scored a touchdown on its first possession after the defense had forced a three-and-out. 

Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak called a good, balanced game. He called 25 pass plays and 36 run plays. Once Baltimore got the lead, the Ravens only needed to keep the lock moving while the defense shut down Atlanta's offense. 

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees called a masterful game on defense. His unit held Atlanta to just 254 total yards, and a good portion of that came in the fourth quarter with Baltimore up 20-0. 

The Ravens certainly could have won this game by a bigger margin, and it looked like they went on cruise control once they took a 17-0 lead in the third quarter. 

Still, this was a good game overall for the coaches.

Grade: B+

Cumulative Grades

10 of 10

Positional Unit

Overall Grade

QB

 B-

RB

 B+

WR/TE

 B+

OL

 B

DL

 A

LB

 A+

Secondary

 A-

ST

 B+

Coaching

 B+

Cumulative Grade

 B+

This was an all-around good performance by the Ravens. The offense didn't always live up to its potential in this game, but it did just enough with their defense playing lights out. 

With the win, Baltimore improved to 5-2 and took control of first place in the AFC North after the Bengals lost to the Colts

The Ravens and Bengals will face off in Week 8, and the winner will be alone in first place in the division. 

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