Ravens vs. Saints: Full Game Grades for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens hit the road to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 12 for a clash on Monday Night Football.
Both teams entered the week within one game of a spot in the playoffs. The 4-6 Saints needed a win to remain in first place in the NFC South. Baltimore had to win to tie a host of 7-4 teams for one of the two wild-card spots in the AFC.
It didn't look good for Baltimore early on after an end-around to receiver Josh Morgan netted 67 yards and got New Orleans down to the 1-yard line.
Baltimore stuffed two straight runs, and on third down, Drew Brees scrambled for a two-yard gain to get the ball back to the 1-yard line. New Orleans then went for it on fourth down with a Mark Ingram run up the middle that Haloti Ngata stuffed for no gain, and a turnover on downs prevented an early Saints score.
One of the advantages Baltimore had in this game was its defensive line going against an average Saints offensive line, and that proved true on the first drive.
Baltimore also held an advantage in terms of its strong offensive line going against a putrid Saints defensive line in terms of stopping the run.
That too was evident in the first half and on Baltimore's first offensive possession. On Baltimore's first play backed up at its own 1-yard line, running back Justin Forsett burst through the line for a 38-yard gain.
The Ravens would continue to march down the field before Joe Flacco hit Steve Smith for a 15-yard score to put Baltimore up 7-0.
The Saints would eventually respond with a long drive that ended with Drew Brees hitting Jimmy Graham for a one-yard score to tie the game at seven-all.
Baltimore then looked poised to respond after it drove down to the 1-yard line, but H-back Kyle Juszczyk fumbled at the goal line, and New Orleans recovered it.
The Ravens defense would eventually force a punt, and Baltimore drove down the field and scored after Forsett ran 13 yards for a touchdown.
That put Baltimore up 14-7, but the Saints responded with a long drive that ended with a field goal to cut the lead to 14-10.
The Saints defense would then make a stand after Junior Galette sacked Flacco on third down to force a Ravens punt. New Orleans would score after Brees hit Marques Colston for a 26-yard touchdown.
That gave New Orleans the lead and momentum as the two teams headed into the halftime break. Though Baltimore trailed at the break, it would assume control in the second half.
After the Ravens nailed a field goal on the opening drive to tie the game, safety Will Hill picked off a Brees pass and took it to the house for six.
That gave the Ravens a 24-17 lead, and they would never give up that lead en route to a 34-27 win.
Here are my grades for each Ravens unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Joe Flacco didn't need to have a big passing game against the Saints with how well the run game and defense played. Baltimore's ground game was rarely stopped by the Saints, and that made life easy for Flacco when he had to throw.
He was often given a clean pocket, with at least one receiver coming open immediately each play as the Saints began selling out to stop the ground game. Baltimore's first score came after Flacco threw a 15-yard score to Steve Smith that gave his team a 7-0 lead.
However, Flacco almost had a crucial pick-six early in the game after he threw a pass right into the arms of linebacker David Hawthorne. Flacco caught a break, though, as Hawthorne dropped what should have been an easy catch.
Had he made the interception, Hawthorne had a clear run to the end zone for the score, but he simply dropped it. That was still a crucial mistake by Flacco, even if New Orleans was unable to take advantage of it.
Overall, Flacco did just enough this night to be an effective game manager, which is all Baltimore needed him to be to get the win.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
The Ravens' first offensive possession began at their own 1-yard line, but Justin Forsett made sure to get Baltimore out of danger. He burst through the hole for a 38-yard gain to move the Ravens from their own goal line out close to midfield.
That was just the first of many big runs, as Forsett gashed the Saints repeatedly throughout the night. The ground game simply could not be stopped as Forsett had a career game.
He broke his previous career high of 130 yards rushing after a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter not only helped Baltimore ice the game but gave him 182 yards and two scores for the night.
Though Forsett got the bulk of the carries, Bernard Pierce did well with what little action he got, including a 26-yard run.
Simply put, the Ravens won this game with their ground game and defense.
Grade: A+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Coming into this game, the Saints pass defense was their biggest weakness, and it was up to the Ravens pass-catchers to expose that.
The Ravens ended up relying on their ground game, but when they did pass, Baltimore's receivers more often than not made a play.
Steve Smith got it started on the first drive, catching two passes for 29 yards; one was a 15-yard score to put Baltimore up 7-0. Torrey Smith finished with five catches for 98 yards.
On the ensuing drive, Smith hauled in a 40-yard pass that eventually led to a Ravens touchdown. While Baltimore leaned on the run game, the receivers made plenty of plays as well.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Ravens were dominant on the ground, and the offensive line was the reason why. Throughout the game, the line opened up huge running lanes for running backs to pick up yards.
Even in pass protection, the Ravens line held up well against a decent Saints pass rush. However, enough cannot be said about how dominant the line was in the ground game to allow Baltimore to run the ball, control the clock and keep Drew Brees and the high-flying Saints offense off the field.
It also allowed the defense to get long breaks on the sideline to rest and be energized.
The offensive line was the MVP of this game in what was the unit's best performance all year.
Grade: A+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
One of the advantages the Ravens appeared to have in this game was their defensive line going against an average Saints offensive line. That was evident on New Orleans' first offensive possession.
After the Saints offense drove down to the 1-yard line, Baltimore stuffed three runs, including a fourth-down stop by Haloti Ngata to prevent an early Saints score.
Baltimore's line would effectively shut down the Saints ground game, forcing New Orleans to be one-dimensional and rely heavily on the arm of Drew Brees.
While he did get some big plays against Baltimore, Brees also threw a costly pick-six that gave the Ravens the lead for good. The defensive line played a big part in that by negating the Saints run game and allowing the secondary to focus more on defending the pass.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
6 of 10
The Ravens linebackers dominated in this game, thanks in large part to the defensive line playing great as well. The line clogged up running lanes and occupying blockers to allow the backers to make the play, which they did early and often.
Rookie inside linebacker C.J. Mosley finished with a game-high eight solo tackles to go with three tackles for loss (also a game high) and one sack.
Outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil combined for three sacks, three tackles for loss and three QB hits.
The run game and defense won this game, and the linebackers were a big contributor to the latter.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Baltimore's secondary was their its weakness coming into this game, but even the defensive backs looked solid for much of the night thanks to the dominance of the front seven.
When the linebackers and defensive line didn't get pressure on Drew Brees, he often found an open receiver for a big play and/or a touchdown. Ravens defensive backs allowed receivers to get behind them far too often, which led to a big night for the Saints passing attack.
He finished the night with 420 passing yards and three scores but also threw a pick-six to safety Will Hill that gave Baltimore the lead for good in the third quarter.
The secondary did just enough to help Baltimore escape New Orleans with a win.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
As has been the case all year, Baltimore's special teams were solid in this game. Kicker Justin Tucker converted all of his field-goal attempts, and Baltimore needed all of them to escape with the win.
He hit all four of his extra points to go with two field goals, including a 55-yarder in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 10-point lead.
Punter Sam Koch didn't get much work in as the Ravens only had to punt twice. However, he drilled both of his attempts for an average of 63 yards.
Adding to that, he pinned both of his punts inside the 20-yard line, forcing the Saints to drive nearly the length of the field on both occasions.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
The Ravens had a great game plan coming into this game on offense and defense that allowed them to take control and come out of New Orleans with a win.
Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak called a masterful game that involved a lot of runs against the Saints' porous defense. When that opened up the pass, Joe Flacco often had at least one wide-open receiver as the result of the Saints trying to stop the run.
The Ravens punted just twice, and much of that was the result of the offense playing so well and ending most of its drives with scores.
Defensive coordinator Dean Pees called a great game that involved a heavy pass rush to force the ball out of Drew Brees' hand quickly. That helped mask the weakness in the secondary, and it even forced Brees into a pick-six in the third quarter.
Overall, this was a great job by the coaching staff, though penalties continue to be a concern. Baltimore committed six penalties for 42 yards, and it's on the coaching staff to fix that.
Grade: B+
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
QB | B |
RB | A+ |
WR/TE | B+ |
OL | A+ |
DL | A- |
LB | A+ |
Secondary | C+ |
ST | A |
Coaching | B+ |
Cumulative Grade | A- |
This was easily one of the best overall performances from the Ravens this year, and it helped get them the win to improve to 7-4.
The Ravens are now tied with a host of other 7-4 teams for one of the two wild-card spots in the AFC. These are the kinds of performances Baltimore has to have down the stretch to ensure it gets into the playoffs.
The AFC North title isn't out of the question either with the 7-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals barely ahead of Baltimore. Regardless, the Ravens look poised to make it to the playoffs in one way or another.
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