Jaguars vs Ravens: Live Preseason Week 3 Report Card for Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens got out of this one with a big win over the Jaguars. Every phase of the game worked for the Ravens as they beat the Jags 48-17.

Making this win more important is the fact that the Ravens' starters played for most of the game. 

Let's take a look at how the Ravens grade out in their win.

Joe Flacco: A-

Final Grade — A-

Flacco missed some throws early, but his accuracy improved as the night went on. He was in almost complete control of the offense, and his pocket presence is clearly improved.

One bad drive lowers Flacco's grade, but his numbers really don't do his performance justice. He was awesome for most of the game.

Q3 — A

Joe Flacco began the quarter with a bang, shredding the defense in the short- to mid-range. He was sharp and calm. His touchdown pass to Vonta Leach was a thing of beauty and displayed his improved pocket presence that he's been flaunting for most of the night.

That will be all we're going to see tonight from Flacco. Final analysis is on the way. For the third quarter, though, Flacco was awesome.

Q2 — B+

Flacco looked completely in control in this quarter. Perfect fake on the touchdown and he's doing an incredible job of spreading the ball around.

While he looked great throughout most of the quarter, Flacco was abysmal to end the half. A fumble and an interception makes his stats look bad, and he just looked scared out there. That needs to change. Definitely more good than bad in this quarter, though.

Q1 — B

I liked a lot of what I saw from Flacco so far. He has clearly developed in terms of pocket presence, but he still missed on some deep throws. When he starts to hit those deep throws to Torrey Smith, Flacco and this offense can go from good to great.

Offense: A-

Final Grade — A-

For the first time in a long time, the Ravens are stacked with young talent. Almost every player did something today.

The receivers in particular were excellent. LaQuan Williams had the catch of the night, but Tandon Doss, Anquan Boldin and especially Torrey Smith were also impressive. Finally, Tommy Streeter finally showed signs of life.

In the backfield, the Ravens are stacked with young explosive talent. Damien Berry played great to close out the game, and Bernard Pierce and Bobby Rainey are a nice duo who complement each other. Ray Rice didn't play for long, but he did good things when he was in.

The one weakness was the offensive line, which was just average. It took some nice plays from Flacco and Taylor to avoid pressure and make some key throws. The run blocking was also just average. This unit needs to improve.

Q4 — A-

The backup receivers are looking phenomenal tonight. Doss, Williams and now Logan Payne have all made spectacular catches. It was also nice to see Tommy Streeter make some nice plays. His touch catch on the screen was nice, and he showed his breakaway speed on his touchdown reception.

Tyrod Taylor finally looked like a legitimate backup quarterback until an ugly interception was returned for a touchdown. He was in complete control, but that interception was hideous. He bounced back with a touchdown pass which was an easy throw, but he at least did a good job making his progressions.

Curtis Painter made two nice throws as the last quarterback to come in. His sample size was too small to make any real conclusions though.

In the running game, I'm liking how Damien Berry runs. He's decisive and hits the hole hard. He won't break off many big gains, but he won't get stuffed often either. Bobby Rainey is still a beast as well. His touchdown catch showed off his very good speed.

All in all, the interception was the only minus, but it's a big one.

Q3 — A

I can't get over how good Tandon Doss looks tonight. When he's not catching the ball, he's making smart blocks. He's not going to be a huge threat in terms of production, but Doss does the little things well.

Torrey Smith, though, has done everything well. He's getting open, getting yards after the catch and making big plays constantly. LaQuan Williams also made some nice plays. His hands are spotty, but he's pretty good with the ball in his hands, and he can make the spectacular catch from time to time.

The offensive line is the only blemish of the offense. They really don't look great.

Pierce is making some nice plays this quarter. His hurdle was fun to watch, but he's not as graceful as Jerome Simpson. He looks more decisive now that he's gotten a few more touches in this game.

Tyrod Taylor looks good as well. He's much improved from previous weeks.

Penalties have been the main problem tonight. It's continued into this quarter. That's really the only blemish from this quarter.

Q2 — B+

It's great to see Flacco spread the ball around. He is confident in all his receivers, which makes this offense dangerous. Tandon Doss is starting to get involved, which is nice to see. Doss might have second best hands on team behind Boldin. The Ravens' backfield is awesome, too. They can all catch passes.

The running game was just average after Rice checked out, but Rainey and Pierce both have skills. Rainey is more decisive at this point, but Pierce will be more dangerous once he develops.

The final drive was embarrassing on all accounts and really hurts this grade.

Q1 — B-

Anquan Boldin might be the MVP so far. He's looked really good in the short game. Flacco has looked good as well, but the Ravens have missed some opportunities. They looked lost in the red zone, and the offensive line was just ok.

Defense: B-

Final Grade — B-

There are two major concerns that I have with the defense's performance. First, Jimmy Smith and Cary Williams just don't play the ball effectively in the air, which hurt the defense's ability to play man coverage.

Second, the pass rush isn't nearly as fearsome without Terrell Suggs. The Ravens simply have no edge rush right now, which makes the problems with coverage even more glaring.

Beyond these two concerns, there were some good things happening. I liked Albert McClellan's performance, as well as Ray Lewis'. The star, though, might have been Bernard Pollard. It seemed like he was always around the ball.

All in all, it was a below-average performance for this unit, but they still got the job done.

Q4 — C

Seeing Courtney Upshaw get a sack was exciting, even if it was against the backups. DeAngelo Tyson also racked up a sack. The rookies are doing a better job getting after the passer than the veterans.

The weakness on defense has been generally down the middle of the defense. The Jags have done a decent job at finding soft spots in the zones.

The defense isn't really stopping the Jaguars to end the game, but they're slowing them down enough to burn clock. The run defense hasn't been great all day, so it's only fitting that Jags score their first offensive touchdown on a long run.

Q3 — B+

Jimmy Smith really needs to learn to play the ball. If he had turned his head around on the pass interference call (which was a bogus call), he would've been fine.

The defense again was just average, but they got the stop and managed to keep the Jags from scoring thanks to the Josh Scobee miss.

Omar Brown made a nice hit that was a highlight of the quarter. He might just be earning a roster spot with his performance this preseason. 

Q2 — B

The Ravens are starting to rattle Blaine Gabbert. Run defense has been mostly excellent, with Ray Lewis making a big play behind the line. Albert McClellan has also looked very good. He's like a more athletic Jarret Johnson in terms of his ability to set the edge. Paul Kruger, though, has been struggling. He's getting beaten outside too often.

In the secondary, Cary Williams simply looks too stiff to be a true starter at cornerback. Smith has taken the edge in that battle. At least Lardarius Webb is awesome. He's been playing the run spectacularly.

Locking down in the red zone was key. A lot to pick at, but all in all the defense played just fine.

Q1 — B+

A lot of great things happened. Some nice hits from Bernard Pollard and Haloti Ngata kept the fans energized, and the Ravens kept the Jaguars contained. Unfortunately, there were some breakdowns in coverage, and Jimmy Smith still plays the receiver instead of the ball. That could cause some problems down the road.

Special Teams: A-

Final Grade — A-

If the Ravens covered kicks better, this grade would've been an A+. As is, everything else was awesome, especially Justin Tucker and the return game.

Jacoby Jones and Deonte Thompson are both dynamic returners, and Tucker was stellar. The blocked field goal from Pernell McPhee was also a highlight.

The Ravens have to feel good about their performance tonight, but they need to shore up that kick-return unit.

Q4 — A

It's nice to see Tucker nail a few out the back of the end zone. So that's what he can do with a full kicking motion.

Deonte Thompson showed his speed on a nice kick return. It really wasn't anything nifty, but the blocking was good and Thompson covered 60 yards in a flash.

Q3 — B

I ignored it for too long—the kick return coverage has been pretty bad tonight. Justin Tucker is being relied on as a safety way too much tonight.

The bright spot was a blocked field goal by Pernell McPhee. He barely grazed the ball, but it was enough to keep it from splitting the uprights.

Q2 — A+

With that 53-yard field goal, Justin Tucker should have gone ahead in the kicking competition. The Ravens can't seriously be confident that Cundiff can nail that same kick on a regular basis. Then, the announcers were talking about how Tucker has shortened up his motion on kickoffs to help the Ravens practice coverage. Tucker then proceeded to nail one eight yards deep with his shortened motion.

On other plays, Jacoby Jones had a spectacular return. He looks good tonight in the return game.

Q1 — A

Nothing special here, but a lot of positive signs. Two nice returns from Jacoby Jones with good blocking and solid punts from Sam Koch. Justin Tucker nailed the only field goal attempt. Could he be getting the edge in the competition?

Coaching: A

Final Grade — A

The Ravens were motivated, the game plans were solid without giving too much away and the coaches managed to get a good look at all the players they wanted to see.

No complaints can be found in the coach's performances.

Q4 — A

I loved that the Ravens went for the jugular in the final minutes. They kept playing aggressively trying to see what they had in their receiving corps. Turns out, there is a lot of young talent there.

The game plan on offense was simple but effective. Defensively, it was even more simple, and only a little less effective. No complaints here.

Q3 — A

Flacco did all he needed to do, so pulling him midway through the quarter was smart. I've had no problems with any of the play-calling tonight, and the Ravens are still motivated. 

Q2 — A

The Ravens have been mixing it up a little more this quarter. The touchdown was a perfectly designed play by Cam Cameron, and the defense is getting a little more exotic in their blitzes. The team looks motivated, so no complaints here.

Still some vanilla coverages, but Ravens should be good enough to make them work. For the most part they are, but they'll occasionally get beat.

Q1 — B

Dean Pees' pregame interview is a must-listen for Ravens fans. Pees was refreshingly candid on his take on the defense. He claimed he wanted to get the young players developing faster. He also expressed displeasure with some the secondary's performance. Give credit to Pees for his willingness to be candid about his players to the media while still being supportive.

Nothing special in game, though. Nice play-calling on offense, but pretty vanilla on defense. It's preseason, though, so it's very hard to judge.