Baltimore Ravens: Breaking Down the Win Over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rather than writing a standard post-game report, today we will break down the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) impressive 17-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) by every major position on the field.
Baltimore’s contest against Tampa Bay was one of several games with a 4:15 p.m. kickoff, and a few minutes into the contest, the Ravens would learn they had to come out victorious, in order to retain first place in the AFC North—thanks to a Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) overtime win in Buffalo.
Most experts predicted a Ravens victory and agreed Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium would be the first real test of the season for the traveling Buccaneers, who had yet to beat a team with a winning record in 2010.
For the most part, analysts were correct with their predictions. Tampa Bay kept the Ravens within reach for the majority of the game, and there were few fireworks on either side of the football.
However, the Ravens made big plays when it counted most, and that’s the reason why they came away with the important late-season win.
Now let’s take a look at how Baltimore fared against the Buccaneers at each position.
Quarterback
1 of 10
We all know that Baltimore has transformed into one heck of a home team this season. The Ravens are 5-0 at home in 2010 and won their eighth straight game at M&T Bank Stadium after defeating the Buccaneers today.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco has historically struggled against teams operating out of the cover-two defense, so it was no surprise that most experts predicted a rough outing for Flacco.
Another aspect that played into these predictions was the fact that Tampa Bay entered the game ranked sixth against the pass, giving up an average of 200 yards to opposing quarterbacks.
In the end, none of these predictions meant anything, as Flacco continued to produce solid numbers in the face of adversity.
Flacco was always in control and ended the day with 289 yards and two touchdowns. Buccaneers standout CB Aquib Talib managed to snag one interception, beating WR Derrick Mason to the ball.
This interception was the first Flacco threw at home this season, completing 128 straight passes without one in the process.
Flacco would go on to guarantee himself a spot in ESPN’s weekly highlight reel when he hit a wide-open Todd Heap in stride for a 65-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Shortly after that, Flacco would find Mason on a 10-yard post pattern in the end zone.
Overall, Baltimore’s star quarterback looked sharp and always in control against a very good Buccaneers pass defense.
Quarterback Grade: A-
Offensive Line
2 of 10
Flacco found himself under pressure for the majority of the first half, and was sacked four times during that period.
Ravens LT Michael Oher left the game with a sprained right knee, and LT Oniel Cousins filled the role very well, somewhat stopping the surge that was coming from the left side of the line.
Baltimore’s banged-up offensive line yielded Flacco an average of 3.5 seconds to get rid of the football, and during the second half of the contest, the running game finally got into gear, converting several key third downs.
Still, four sacks allowed are unacceptable, and the inconsistency of the offensive line continues to show.
Offensive Line Grade: C+
Running Backs
3 of 10
Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has been highly criticized for his lack of establishing the run, all but veering away from Baltimore’s true identity this season.
Inconsistency in play calling once again kept the Buccaneers within striking distance for most of the game. Tampa Bay came into the game ranked 29th against the run, but the Ravens struggled mightily to do any damage on the ground.
Injuries to several players on the offensive line could partly be to blame for RB Ray Rice’s inability to have the big game we’ve all been waiting for.
Nevertheless, Rice still manages to rack up plenty of all-purpose yards, and always figures into Baltimore’s passing attack.
Sunday was no exception, as Rice managed 132 total yards from scrimmage, converting third downs and keeping the ball in Baltimore’s possession.
The majority of Rice’s 85 rushing yards came in the fourth quarter, which helped to ice the game for the Ravens.
RB Willis McGahee wasn’t much of a factor in Baltimore’s win over Tampa Bay, to say the least. McGahee carried the ball three times for nine yards. Most of the explosiveness we saw from the Ravens second-string back last year has completely disappeared.
McGahee’s decrease in touches has to do with Baltimore settling on one running back to carry most of the load. That running back would be Rice, who is due for a big game soon.
Since Rice is Baltimore’s featured back, he will count for the majority of the Ravens' grade in this area.
Running Backs Grade: B
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Wide Receivers
4 of 10
For the second straight game, WR Derrick Mason came up big on nearly every passing down, effectively finding holes in the Buccaneers' stout secondary.
Part of the reason why Mason has been targeted more in the passing game had to do with a heated argument that took place on the Ravens sideline between Mason and Flacco during Baltimore’s win over Carolina last week.
Flacco downplayed the incident, saying, “It was like two brothers arguing over something, but nothing big.”
There’s nothing wrong about two players expressing their emotions about the game, and it’s refreshing to see Flacco taking more control over his receivers.
Mason led the team with 87 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, Baltimore leads the league in fewest dropped passes at the wide receiver position.
There were no drops in Baltimore’s win over Tampa Bay.
With that said, WR Anquan Boldin has been a disappointment the past several weeks. Flacco continues to look for Mason first, but Boldin is overdue for a big game.
Along with WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s contribution against Tampa Bay, the Ravens receiving corps earns a high mark for playing mistake-free football.
Wide Receivers Grade: A
Tight Ends
5 of 10
Ravens TE Todd Heap has battled nagging injuries for most of his career. However, Heap is healthier than ever, and he continues to be one of Flacco’s favorite weapons on offense.
Heap’s 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown was the highlight of the game, but it was Heap’s blocking ability that kept Flacco on his feet when FB Le’Ron McClain went down with a sprained ankle.
With Heap taking over blocking duties for the injured McClain, Baltimore’s running game gained momentum, and ultimately put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay.
Tight Ends Grade: A+
Defensive Line
6 of 10
Even though the Ravens failed to record a sack in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, they were able to keep QB Josh Freeman under pressure most of the game.
Freeman wasn’t able to establish much of a rhythm, and didn’t have enough time to locate his primary target, WR Mike Williams.
The relentless pressure Baltimore’s defensive line applied to Freeman, allowed the Ravens secondary to hold all Buccaneers receivers in check.
The fact that TE Kellen Winslow led all Buccaneers receivers in total yards and scoring, is a testament to the pressure Baltimore’s defensive line kept on Freeman all game long.
Even more noteworthy, rookie RB LeGarrette Blount didn’t carve up the Baltimore defense as some experts expected. The defensive line cut off every possible running lane, and Blount was limited to 55 yards on 13 carries.
The 55 yards was Blount’s second worst outing since Week 7.
Defensive Line Grade: A
Linebackers
7 of 10
Once again, LB Ray Lewis led the pack with 7.5 tackles on the day. Even though sacks were a tough commodity to come by, the Ravens linebacking corps remained resilient against the run.
Missed tackles were a problem throughout most of the game. Lucky for the Ravens, missed tackles didn’t cost them on the scoreboard.
In addition to the Ravens linebackers, there was another group of players on Baltimore’s defense that had problems finishing off tackles.
Linebackers Grade: C+
Defensive Backs and Safeties
8 of 10
As we already mentioned, one problem that was evident on the field Sunday were missed tackles. Even though the lack of discipline didn’t cost the Ravens in the end, this is a problem that needs to be addressed if Baltimore wants to make a run at the Super Bowl.
Ravens safety Dawan Landry left the game with a concussion and was replaced by safety Tom Zbikowski. Tampa Bay was able to move the ball on several occasions due to missed tackles in the secondary.
However, Baltimore’s secondary was excellent in pass coverage, and didn’t allow a play over 30 yards.
Safety Ed Reed and Co. didn’t force any interceptions on Sunday, but the group as a whole held Freeman to a meager 162 yards through the air.
Tampa Bay’s offense couldn’t match the Ravens' intensity on defense, which ended up being the major difference in this game.
Baltimore’s secondary was up for the task, and it showed.
Defensive Backs and Safeties Grade: A-
Special Teams
9 of 10
Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff has been a pleasant surprise in 2010 on kickoffs. Any time you have a kicker who’s able to boot the football deep into the opponent’s end zone, you stand a great chance at winning the all-important field position battle.
Cundiff continued to do just that against the Buccaneers on Sunday, which helped Baltimore gain better field position in the first half.
However, when it comes to the Ravens, for every positive, there’s an equal negative.
Every fan understands the need for the Ravens to improve on kick returns. Rookie WR David Reed returned two kicks on Sunday for a 25-yard average. Reed’s longest return went for 30 yards.
Reed is highly regarded in Baltimore as a future star player on special teams. Unfortunately, against the Buccaneers, we didn’t see anything special.
Baltimore’s lack of a go-to guy on kick returns really drags their overall grade down in this category.
Special Teams Grade: B
Overall Team Performance
10 of 10
The Baltimore Ravens won a hard-fought battle against a very physical Buccaneers team. In the end, the 17-10 score was not indicative of how much the Ravens dominated the game.
If it wasn’t for a blown holding call on WR Anquan Boldin, which erased a 76-yard touchdown run by Rice, the margin of victory would have been larger.
The quality of officiating in this game was atrocious, and hurt both teams, but the Ravens were able to overcome the adversity and get the much-needed win.
This was a quality win for a hot Baltimore football team, and their momentum will likely carry over into next week when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Baltimore.
Overall Team Performance Grade: B+
Todd McGregor is a Baltimore Ravens Featured Columnist here on BleacherReport.com
Follow Todd's work on Twitter! Twitter.com/ravens023
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