Ravens vs. Steelers: Full Game Grades for Baltimore
An old-fashioned AFC North clash was on deck in Week 10 when the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens. After the two teams faced off in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football, this was also in prime time on Sunday Night Football.
After Baltimore won the first matchup 26-6, Pittsburgh was looking for revenge this time around. However, it was the Ravens that got off to a fast start.
After a promising first offensive series ended with a punt, Baltimore scored the game's first points on their second drive. Following a Jacoby Jones punt return to Pittsburgh's 35-yard line, Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith for the score to put Baltimore ahead 7-0.
The Ravens defense also got off to a fast start, forcing three-and-outs on Pittsburgh's first three offensive possessions.
At one point in the second quarter, Baltimore recorded three consecutive sacks on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
However, momentum would turn when Baltimore drove into Pittsburgh territory in the middle of the second quarter, but rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro fumbled the ball. Steelers cornerback Brice McCain picked up the loose ball and returned it down to the Baltimore 30-yard line.
Just like that, momentum had swung in favor of Pittsburgh.
The Steelers capitalized after Big Ben hit running back Le'Veon Bell for a five-yard score to tie the game at 7-7.
After Flacco threw an interception on the ensuing possession, Big Ben then hit Martavis Bryant for a 19-yard score to put Pittsburgh up 14-7.
The Ravens would respond with a drive that ended in a Justin Tucker field goal to put the score at 14-10.
On the ensuing Steelers drive, Ben would hit Markus Wheaton for a 39-yard touchdown throw to put the Steelers up 21-10, which would be the score going into halftime.
From there, Pittsburgh would take command of the game after receiver Antonio Brown caught a 54-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger to put Pittsburgh ahead 29-10.
The Steelers would go on to win the game 43-23.
Here are my grades for each Ravens positional unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Joe Flacco is quietly having one of the best seasons of his seven-year NFL career, but he entered this game off a terrible performance in Week 8. Flacco threw two picks and no touchdowns as the Ravens lost 27-24 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Flacco would respond with a solid first half against the Steelers. It started on the second possession of the game with him throwing a 35-yard touchdown to Torrey Smith.
That put Baltimore up 7-0, and he would continue to play well despite Baltimore's inability to put points on the board.
However, Flacco threw an interception in the second quarter that Pittsburgh's offense would convert into a touchdown. From there ,the game began to get out of hand for Flacco and the Ravens, and neither could seem to recover.
Flacco finished the game completing 30 of 45 passes for 303 yards to go with two scores and one pick.
Though he didn't play great, Flacco played well enough that the game should have been closer for Baltimore.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
In Baltimore's Week 2 win over Pittsburgh, Ravens running backs combined for 152 yards on 30 carries (5.0 yards per carry). They also chipped in five catches for 21 yards.
Needless to say, they were a big part of the game plan to power Baltimore to victory. It looked like that would be the case early as Baltimore took a 7-0 lead.
However, once Pittsburgh stormed out to a 21-10 lead, the Ravens slowly abandoned the running game.
Justin Forsett got the start and ran nine times for 38 yards to go with five catches for 67 yards. He did great when he touched the ball, but the offense favored the pass more while trailing most of the night.
Rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro had a costly fumble in the second quarter that Pittsburgh's offense converted into a touchdown. That fumble came with Baltimore up 7-0 and swung momentum toward the Steelers.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Coming into this game, Pittsburgh ranked 19th in passing yards allowed per game (250.1). In Baltimore's Week 2 win over Pittburgh, receivers and tight ends combined to catch just 16 passes for 143 yards.
That low level of production was mainly due to the success of the ground game. Regardless, they needed to come up bigger in the second matchup with the game now being played in Pittsburgh.
Torrey Smith answered the call with a touchdown in a first quarter. He caught the 35-yard score to put Baltimore up 7-0 early in the game.
However, Baltimore's offense would struggle for the rest of the game as Pittsburgh's secondary began shutting down Ravens receivers.
That stalled the offense and helped Pittsburgh go on a 29-3 run between the second and fourth quarter to take command of the game.
Torrey and Steve Smith combined for just nine catches for 99 yards. Tight end Owen Daniels did chip in six catches for 53 yards.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Ravens' offensive line needed to play well for Baltimore to win in this game, as Pittsburgh's front seven can terrorize opponents with its complex blitz schemes.
The line off to a good start, opening up holes in the run game while protecting Joe Flacco in pass protection.
However, as the game wore on and Pittsburgh began scoring, Baltimore was forced to pass more.
This made it easier for Pittsburgh to blitz and find holes in Baltimore's line, and the Steelers did just that. Flacco was hit and pressured relentlessly in the second half as Baltimore was down by double digits for much of the night.
The line surrendered four sacks and never could keep Flacco clean consistently enough to help him find his rhythm.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Pittsburgh entered this game ranked ninth in rushing yards per game (127.1) and fourth in passing yards per contest (291.1).
Needless to say, Baltimore's defensive line needed to play well to help the defense slow down Pittsburgh's surging offense that's scored a combined 81 points in the past two games.
The Ravens' defensive line was up to the task early, forcing the Steelers into three straight three-and-outs to open the game.
The line was clogging up running lanes to keep running back Le'Veon Bell in check while also keeping pressure on QB Ben Roethlisberger. As a team, Pittsburgh ran for a season-low 55 yards on 25 carries.
However, the breakdowns in the secondary allowed too many big plays that overshadowed the great play of the line.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Like Baltimore's defensive line, the linebackers played well in this game to put the defense in position to gain the upper hand over Pittsburgh.
Elvis Dumervil was constantly pressuring Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger off the edge and even notched a sack in the second quarter.
Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley was once again all over the field while tying the team lead in tackles with nine. Daryl Smith also chipped in nine stops.
However, there were too many breakdowns in the secondary that allowed the Steelers to get the win.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
The Steelers entered this game having scored 80 combined points in their past two games, much of it having to do with the play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
It didn't help matters that starting cornerback Jimmy Smith was held out of this game while recovering from a foot injury. That left Lardarius Webb and Chykie Brown as the starters with the recently signed Dominique Franks getting significant snaps.
Though the Ravens' front seven played well in this game, the secondary repeatedly let it down with busted coverages and poor tackling.
On several occasions, Pittsburgh receivers caught the ball with a Baltimore defensive back in front of him, but the tackle was missed, allowing a much bigger play to occur.
Baltimore allowed six passing touchdowns, and the secondary was effectively the worst unit on the field in this game.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Baltimore's special teams units have been the team's most consistent groups all year. In this game, special teams was the reason that Baltimore was even able to make this a respectable game.
Jacoby Jones returned a punt 25 yards in the first quarter down to the Steelers' 35-yard line, and the offense would then score a touchdown to take a quick 7-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 29-17 when it appeared the game was out of reach.
Justin Tucker hit a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter to make it a 14-10 game.
Punter Sam Koch punted five times for an average of 41.2 yards while downing two inside the Pittsburgh 20-yard line.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Baltimore entered this game having won three of their previous four road matchups with the Steelers. Head coach John Harbaugh has been good at keeping his team composed on the road, especially in hostile environments like Pittsburgh.
Part of that has to do with getting off to fast starts in games. Baltimore did just that in this game, scoring a touchdown on its second offensive series and forcing a Steelers three-and-out on their first possession.
However, good coaching also involves not letting a game get out of hand when the opponent makes a run. That's exactly what happened in the second quarter after Lorenzo Taliaferro fumbled a possession away.
That led to a 29-3 run by Pittsburgh to take command of the game, and at no point could Harbaugh or the rest of the staff stop the bleeding.
The Ravens also played very undisciplined football, committing nine penalties for 93 yards. Baltimore's coaches didn't have enough control of the game or even their own players to win this game.
Grade: C-
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
QB | C+ |
RB | B- |
WR/TE | C |
OL | C- |
DL | B+ |
LB | B+ |
Secondary | D- |
ST | A |
Coaching | C- |
Cumulative Grade | C- |
After a promising start to this game, Baltimore collapsed down the stretch on its way to getting hammered by the Steelers.
This is now the second straight loss for Baltimore, which falls to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in division play. The Ravens' hopes of winning the division are fading fast.
Baltimore needs to rebound with a win over the Tennessee Titans in its next game to get back on the right track.
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