Ravens vs. Colts: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
It wasn't the prettiest of games from the offense, but thanks to some great play from their defense, the Indianapolis Colts were able to take the 20-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Things got off to an incredibly sloppy start for both sides, with a handful of turnovers and a few field goals before halftime. The Colts led just 6-3 heading into the locker room, but things would get much more interesting before the game was over.
Andrew Luck was able to get a couple touchdowns in the second half, finding Dwayne Allen in the third quarter along with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to go up 20-6 in the fourth. The Colts could have very well put this game out of reach multiple times, but two turnovers in the red zone made things more interesting.
The defense was able to step up and keep its team in it, producing consistent pressure on Joe Flacco to keep Baltimore from going off on offense. Flacco was sacked four times in the game, finishing the day with 235 passing yards and an interception on 22-of-38 passing.
Both sides finished with a combined seven turnovers on the day, but the Colts were able to hold onto a lead for the entire game, moving to 3-2 to tie the Houston Texans on top of the AFC South.
Before fans look forward to Thursday night's game against the Texans, let's take a look at the complete positional grades from Sunday's win against Baltimore.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It was not the best start from Andrew Luck, who was unable to find open receivers in the first half. He went 16-of-26 in the first two quarters, averaging just 4.2 yards per attempt while throwing an interception. The pick wasn't completely his fault, however, as Luck was drilled by C.J. Mosley while throwing to help the ball land in Haloti Ngata's hands.
Luck was finally able to throw a touchdown in the third quarter to Dwayne Allen, but then he threw an interception later while inside the red zone to C.J. Mosley. The third-year quarterback simply tried to force a throw on third down when the team should have settled for a field goal in a low-scoring game instead of giving the Ravens life heading into the fourth quarter.
Like most great quarterbacks, Luck had a short memory. Shortly after the interception, Luck went on to lead his team down the field on 4-of-4 passing before ending the drive with a 13-yard touchdown scrambling up the middle.
Statistically, the numbers weren't great for Luck, going 32-of-49 with 312 yards, two total touchdowns and two interceptions. Still, because of some great plays late in the game, Luck was able to help his team get a big win.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
Ahmad Bradshaw was able to get off to a very fast start, running for 20 yards on his first run of the game to convert a short third down. He wasn't able to do too much more after than run in the first half, but he and Trent Richardson combined for 65 yards on just 13 carries through the first two quarters.
The two-headed rushing attack started to pay dividends down the stretch. Both Bradshaw and Richardson were making plays in the offense, making defenders miss to pick up extra yards. The two combined for 105 yards on 24 carries, as they both continue to find some rhythm in the offense.
Both running backs were getting quite a bit of work in the passing game as well, with each getting four receptions. Those eight total catches only resulted in 27 yards, but it's a promising sign to see that the Colts can use both Bradshaw and Richardson as versatile weapons in the backfield.
A late fourth-quarter fumble from Bradshaw was not what the Colts wanted to see from the veteran, however, even if it came after a few great runs to put them in the red zone. Had he not fumbled, the running backs would have a higher grade, but they still deserve credit for making the most out of their touches.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Despite Luck's wide receivers racking up the catches in the first half, it was quite hard for T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks to get open. The Ravens secondary was aggressive with the receivers and usually did a solid job blanketing them and forcing Luck to go through his reads.
The passing game started to open up in the second half, and Hilton ended up with a big game, catching nine passes for 90 yards. Reggie Wayne was productive as well, catching seven passes for 77 yards. Nicks continues to be the odd man out with just 29 yards on three receptions, but the Colts can't complain if the top two receivers keep putting up big numbers.
The tight ends were mostly ineffective in the first half, with Dwayne Allen making just one catch for 10 yards in the first half while Coby Fleener didn't have a single reception.
That changed in the second half. Allen caught a six-yard touchdown along with a few more big plays to finish the game with 59 yards and a score on four receptions. Fleener had just one catch on the day, but it was a big one late that ended up going for 30 yards.
Give credit to Luck's weapons for making adjustments and getting open in the second half, because that might have been the difference in this game.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The few changes made to the offensive line made things a bit more difficult than usual for the Indianapolis offense. While Luck was only sacked once in the first half, he was pressured often, including getting hit on his interception to Ngata.
Undrafted free agent Jonotthan Harrison had some good blocks in the first half, but he also had some miscommunication with Luck on third down, snapping the ball early and forcing his team to punt the ball away. A high snap in the fourth quarter nearly resulted in a turnover had it not been for a great saving play from Luck, and then Harrison completely forgot to snap the ball later in the quarter.
As a whole, the offensive line was able to hold its own. It wasn't its best performance by any means, and there will be questions about the decision to start Harrison over A.Q. Shipley. But with Luck being sacked just once and the two running backs each rushing for over four yards per carry, it was another acceptable performance from a unit that struggled consistently in 2013.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
With the outside linebackers struggling to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, it was nice to see the defensive line step up early. On a big third down in the first quarter, Cory Redding and Ricky Jean Francois were able to get to Flacco and bring him down, forcing the Ravens to punt.
Redding continued to be a menace against the pass, producing interior pressure on a consistent basis. The rest of the defensive line, however, didn't exactly step up. The Ravens ran for 90 yards on just 15 carries, breaking off some huge runs from time to time. That will change once Arthur Jones returns, as he was a big piece on the defense during the team's first two games.
While it didn't shut down the run, the defensive line did make huge stops when needed. It's played better, but this defensive line did enough to keep Baltimore's offense off the field and force it to punt five times throughout the game.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
One of the biggest weaknesses for the Colts this year defensively has been the linebacker position, but that was not the case on Sunday.
In the fifth game of the season, Bjoern Werner was finally able to step up. He was able to get his first sack of the season in the first quarter then followed it up by putting more pressure on Flacco on the very next play. Werner continued to put pressure on the quarterback throughout the game and was able to get another sack on the final drive of the game for the Ravens.
The defense has missed Robert Mathis badly, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come from Werner. Two sacks and a number of hurries made Werner look like a stud, but he's going to have to find a way to keep it up.
On the inside, D'Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman looked much more comfortable than the duo of Jackson and Josh McNary, at least when it came to stopping the run. Defending tight ends and running backs in the passing game continues to be an issue for them, however, as Owen Daniels caught five passes for 70 yards, while Justin Forsett had 55 yards on seven receptions.
The pressure on the outside combined with the return of Freeman bodes well for this unit in the future, but this is still only one game.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
Veteran safety Mike Adams was able to make a big play on his first play of the game, stripping the ball out of Steve Smith's hands for a fumble. The Colts got the ball back and then went on to score a field goal for the first points of the game.
Both safeties appeared to come in ready to play. Sergio Brown, who is replacing LaRon Landry during his four-game suspension, was able to come up with a huge fourth-down sack near the goal line to help the Colts maintain an early lead in the second quarter. Brown made another big stop on third down, making a good open-field tackle to keep Steve Smith Sr. from picking up the first.
The safeties weren't the only ones in the secondary to step up, however. Vontae Davis did a great job shutting down Steve Smith throughout the game, helping hold him to just 34 yards on five receptions. Davis was also able to get a big interception to start the second half, leading to a touchdown on the ensuing Indianapolis drive.
Greg Toler didn't play great throughout, but he definitely had the biggest play of the game. On fourth down with the Ravens trying to convert to stay alive on their final drive, Joe Flacco went deep. The receiver had gotten past Toler deep, but he was able to make an incredible diving deflection to force the incompletion and essentially end the game.
While Flacco didn't have his best game, the secondary played great throughout. Brown looks like more of an upgrade over Landry than a replacement, and that could end up completely changing how this defense is perceived if he can continue to play at a high level.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Once again, Pat McAfee and Adam Vinatieri played as well as the Colts could have hoped, but some other unrelated miscues will hurt the special teams grade this week.
McAfee was as reliable as ever, averaging 47.7 yards per punt on three attempts with two landing inside the 20-yard line. His best punt came on a booming 56-yard attempt that bounced just short of the end zone and was pinned down at the 4-yard line.
Meanwhile, Vinatieri remains perfect, making both of his field goals and both of his extra points. The 41-year-old is now 10-of-10 on field-goal attempts and looks like he could continue kicking for the next few seasons.
The big problems on special teams came from Griff Whalen, who has otherwise been a very reliable return man. He had a huge fumble after deciding not to call a fair catch on a punt, and then he tried to make something happen on a kickoff return deep in his own end zone before going down well inside the 20-yard line.
Had those miscues not happened, it would have been hard to not give the special teams an A+, but it was still a good day from McAfee and Vinatieri.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff was criticized before the game even started for replacing A.Q. Shipley with Jonotthan Harrison at center. Shipley had been playing very well for the Colts, and with Jack Mewhort also out, it forced the Colts to play two backups on the offensive line. That decision didn't work out very well, but people would have had a lot more questions if Luck was getting thrown around.
A huge decision on a blitz on fourth down with Sergio Brown payed off big in the second quarter. On a play-action fake from Flacco, Brown was able to get the sack and keep the Ravens from putting any points on the board, helping his team preserve an early 3-0 lead.
Chuck Pagano and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky deserve a lot of credit this week for their play-calling on defense. They weren't afraid to draw up blitzes and play aggressive at the line of scrimmage, frequently putting pressure on Flacco and forcing him to make mistakes.
Offensively, the Colts weren't worried about providing balance. Luck finished with 49 pass attempts, while the team as a whole ran the ball 30 times. Pep Hamilton is starting to make adjustments as the season progresses, and it's showing.
It's still a mystery as to why Pagano decided to start Harrison, but the aggressive play-calling from both the offense and defense made up for it in the win.
Grade: B+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | B- |
| WR/TE | B+ |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | B |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | B+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
There's a saying about winning ugly, and it's fitting considering how this game played out. The offense struggled, and there were costly turnovers and some questionable calls from the referees. But the defense held its own and constantly made stops.
For as sloppy as this game was, there were a lot of positives to take from the win. The Colts showed that they can beat a legitimate playoff contender even when Luck is struggling, relying on some strong defensive play and some aggressive play-calling.
Had there not been two red-zone turnovers from the Colts, this game would have looked a lot different. Still, the Colts have won three straight and are looking like the Super Bowl contender fans thought they could be heading into the season.
Now, the Colts have an interesting stretch of games against teams like the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll see if this team is the real deal and can keep this three-game winning streak alive, but judging from this win, it looks like it is.
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