Baltimore vs. Cincinnati: Report Card Grades for Each Ravens Unit
Looking to rebound from a subpar 2013 season, the Baltimore Ravens held their home opener Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Ravens couldn't have had a worse start offensively. They fell behind 15-0 after the offense repeatedly got nothing going, while the defense was bending but not breaking.
Quarterback Joe Flacco was the primary culprit of the offensive woes. He completed just 10 of 23 passes in the first half for 78 yards. Flacco threw several passes behind receivers, but Jacoby Jones also dropped a big pass in the second quarter that would have put Baltimore in the red zone.
On defense, Baltimore gave up several big plays and long drives, but it always managed to hold Cincinnati to just a field goal. It was a minor miracle the Ravens trailed just 15-0 at the half.
Once the second half began, so, too, did Baltimore's offense. Baltimore got the ball to start the half and drove 31 yards on eight plays before punting and pinning Cincinnati at its own 10-yard line.
Two drives later, Baltimore went on a 10-play, 82-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown run by running back Justin Forsett to trim the Bengals lead to 15-7.
On the Ravens' next possession, they went on a 14-play, 48-yard drive that ended with Justin Tucker kicking a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to 15-10.
On Baltimore's next offensive possession, Flacco hit Steve Smith for an 80-yard TD to put the Ravens ahead, 16-15.
Though Baltimore had all the momentum, the defense could not hold on to the lead. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton hit All-Pro receiver A.J. Green for a 77-yard score to put the Bengals back ahead, 23-16, after Dalton hit Mohamed Sanu for the two-point conversion.
Baltimore got one last chance on offense, but Flacco was sacked by Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson on fourth down, ending the game at 23-16 in favor of the Bengals.
Here are my grades for each Ravens unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
As has been the case for six years now, Baltimore opened its season with Joe Flacco starting at quarterback. This certainly wasn't his best regular-season debut to a season.
Flacco completed just 10 of 23 passes in the first half for 78 yards, and Baltimore fell behind 15-0. He threw several passes behind receivers and several others into tight windows that were almost intercepted.
He found a little more rhythm in the second half, completing 25 of 39 passes for 277 yards and one score, but he also threw an interception that didn't lead to Bengals points.
Flacco also did a good job of avoiding pressure, which was in his face for most of the game. However, when it counted most, Flacco took some costly sacks.
At the end of the first half with just seven seconds left and Baltimore in field-goal range, Flacco dropped back to pass and could have thrown an incomplete pass to stop the clock, but instead he took a sack, ending the half and preventing Baltimore from scoring.
Then on Baltimore's final offensive possession of the game, Flacco took consecutive sacks to end the drive and allow Cincinnati to run out the clock and secure the win.
Overall, it was a poor performance by Flacco that really hindered Baltimore's offense.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
With Ray Rice out while serving his two-game suspension, that left Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro to get most of the carries against Cincinnati.
Pierce was a non-factor, running the ball just six times for 14 yards and fumbling the ball in the first half, which led to a Bengals field goal.
Pierce was benched for most of the game going forward, and backup Justin Forsett got the majority of the touches in the second half.
He finished with 11 carries for 70 yards and a score to go with five catches for 14 yards. Forsett entered the game as the second-string back, but he may have left as the starter heading into the next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This was the first regular-season game for Taliaferro, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina, but he didn't receive a single carry or catch.
Ultimately, Baltimore's running backs had a decent game with the little work they got. They combined for just 17 carries, as the offensive focus was more on the passing game.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Ravens receivers were not in sync with Joe Flacco for most of the first half, but they found some rhythm coming out of halftime.
Steve Smith had an electrifying Ravens debut, catching seven passes for 118 yards and a score. His 80-yard TD gave Baltimore its only lead of the day at 16-15 late in the fourth quarter.
Torrey Smith's three catches for 50 yards don't stand out on paper, but all three catches were for first downs. He helped keep the Ravens offense in rhythm in the second half.
Jacoby Jones had a 47-yard kickoff return in the second half, but he also dropped a long pass in the first half that would have put Baltimore in the red zone.
At tight end, Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels combined to terrorize Cincinnati's defense. Pitta caught 10 passes for 83 yards, while Daniels caught four passes for 34 yards. They both converted several big first downs in the second half, helping Baltimore's offense crack the Bengals defense.
Unfortunately, Baltimore dug too big of a hole to overcome.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This was arguably the biggest matchup to watch against Cincinnati. How well Baltimore's offensive line could hold up against the Bengals defensive line would likely determine how well the offense performed.
The Ravens were among the NFL's worst in 2013 when it came to allowing sacks. They gave up 48 sacks, while Cincinnati's defense recorded 43 sacks and had the No. 3 overall defense.
Against Cincinnati, Baltimore gave up three sacks, each of which came in crucial scenarios at the end of the first and second halves.
The line did open some nice holes for Ravens running backs, but with only 20 rushing attempts, it was too small of a sample size to really judge how good the line can be in this area.
The O-line also allowed Flacco to be pressured or hit on several other plays, but Flacco's mobility allowed him to keep from getting sacked.
This wasn't a great game by the line, but it wasn't a bad one, either.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
With the Ravens' thin secondary, the defensive line needed to step up to keep pressure on Andy Dalton and prevent him from picking Baltimore apart.
It did a poor job, as it failed to sack Dalton once and rarely even pressured him. However, a lot of Dalton's attempts came on quick throws that made it hard for Baltimore's pass rush to break through.
On the ground, Baltimore held Cincinnati to 79 yards on 26 attempts (3.0 yards per carry) and no scores. While the D-line didn't allow many big plays, it didn't make many big plays, either, recording just one tackle for loss on the day.
The longest run Baltimore surrendered was for 16 yards. The D-line could have done more, but you can't fault it for this loss.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
This was the regular-season debut for linebacker C.J. Mosley, the Ravens' 2014 first-round draft pick.
Drafted 17th overall out of Alabama, Mosley easily won a starting job in training camp, and there was a lot of anticipation to see how he and the rest of the linebackers would perform.
Mosley played great in his debut, recording seven tackles and a pass deflection. Several of his tackles came on the edge where a Bengals running back just needed to make him miss to get a big gain.
However, Mosley consistently made the play. Daryl Smith registered nine stops, including four solo tackles.
As mentioned before, the Ravens surrendered just 79 yards on the ground, and much of that had to do with the play of the linebackers. However, they failed to register a sack and had just one tackle for loss.
Like the defensive line, the linebackers could have played better, but they weren't the reason why the Ravens lost.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
The Ravens secondary was arguably the team's weakest position against Cincinnati, and injuries were a big reason why. Baltimore was without star cornerback Lardarius Webb after he was declared inactive.
Webb missed the entire preseason with a back injury. Though he practiced for much of the past two weeks, Baltimore simply wasn't ready to activate him.
That left Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson and Jimmy Smith to get the majority of snaps at cornerback. They didn't give up many big plays, but the ones they did were costly.
The biggest one was A.J. Green's 77-yard score late in the fourth quarter to give Cincinnati the lead and ultimately the win.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had a great game, completing 25 of 38 passes for 301 yards and one score and notching his first career win at Baltimore. The secondary's play was a big reason why, but it wasn't helped out by the lack of a pass rush.
Considering the circumstances, Baltimore's secondary did all right, but if it could have made just one more play, the Ravens might have pulled out the win.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Ravens special teams was their most consistent unit in 2013, and it had a decent showing against the Bengals.
Justin Tucker hit a 38-yard field goal and missed a 55-yard attempt.
The return unit surrendered no kickoff returns and just one punt return, though it was a 45-yard return by Bengals cornerback Adam Jones.
Sam Koch punted four times for an average of 42.3 yards per punt to go with two downed inside the 20-yard line.
Backup safety Jeromy Miles also blocked a field-goal attempt in the third quarter to keep the score at just 15-0.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
The Ravens looked flat and out of sync in the first half, and the coaches have to take some blame for that. The offense in particular was a mess, and that's on offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.
Kubiak was brought on to upgrade an offense that ranked 29th in overall offense in 2013. While the Ravens did manage to get 420 yards against Cincinnati, it only led to 16 points in a seven-point loss.
What's worse is Kubiak going with such pass-heavy play-calling, despite the success of the running game. Baltimore running backs gained 84 yards and one score on just 17 carries (4.9 yards per carry).
While Baltimore trailed for most of the game, it was never down more than two scores. There was no reason for Joe Flacco to attempt 62 passes and run the ball just 17 times.
On defense, Dean Pees called a good game, considering he had only three cornerbacks to work with. His defense would bend but rarely break.
The 77-yard game-winning score the defense gave up came off a deflected pass in which Jimmy Smith was in good position on A.J. Green, but Green just made a spectacular play.
As for John Harbaugh, for him to allow his team to look so bad in the first half of the first game of the year is unacceptable. He also should have encouraged Kubiak to run the ball a little more.
Grade: C-
Final Grades
10 of 10
Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
QB | C+ |
RB | B- |
WR/TE | B |
OL | B- |
DL | B |
LB | B |
Secondary | C+ |
ST | B+ |
Coaching | C- |
Cumulative Grade | D+ |
The Ravens got off to a horrible start, but they were almost able to overcome it. They showed heart in their near-comeback but ultimately fell short.
Had they played the entire game with the effort they had in the third and fourth quarters, they probably would have won this game.
Baltimore has to turn the page and get focused and prepared for its Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers come to town for a Thursday Night Football showdown, giving the Ravens a quick chance to rebound from this loss.
Baltimore cannot come out this flat again and hope to beat the Steelers.
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