Browns vs. Ravens: Full Game Grades for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens entered Week 17 needing a win and some help to get into the NFL playoffs. Hosting the Cleveland Browns in their regular-season finale, the Ravens needed a win and a San Diego Chargers loss to get into the postseason.
It wasn't easy getting the first one, as the Browns put up quite a fight that Baltimore didn't expect to get. Neither team did much offensively in the first half, as both defenses played great versus struggling offenses.
Baltimore did have an early scoring opportunity after Joe Flacco hit Justin Forsett for a 21-yard pass into the red zone.
However, Cleveland would stop the Ravens on four consecutive plays to force a turnover on downs. The Ravens did get back into the red zone early in the second quarter after a 30-yard run by Forsett.
Once again, though, Cleveland's defense stiffened, and the Ravens settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
The Browns responded with a drive that ended in a field goal after running back Terence West gashed Baltimore for a 36-yard run into Ravens territory.
The drive ended with Cleveland settling for a field goal to tie the game at 3-3. That would be the score going into half time as both offenses struggled mightily to find any rhythm in the first half.
The third quarter didn't get any better for the Ravens, as the offense continued to get shut down by the Browns defense. They didn't score in the third quarter, and Cleveland was able to score after a long drive ended with a two-yard score by West.
That gave the Browns a 10-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but from there, the Ravens took command. After getting a field goal to cut the lead to 10-6, Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a 16-yard score to take a 13-10 lead with seven minutes, 33 seconds left in the game.
After the Ravens defense forced a Browns three and out, Forsett broke off a 32-yard run to put Baltimore right back in the red zone.
Flacco then hit Kamar Aiken for a two-yard score to give Baltimore a commanding 20-10 lead. The ensuing drive saw Lardarius Webb pick off Browns quarterback Connor Shaw to seal the win for the Ravens.
Elsewhere, the San Diego Chargers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and because Baltimore beat Cleveland, that gave the final wild-card spot to the Ravens.
Here are my grades from this game for each Ravens unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Joe Flacco didn't get off to a great start, but his strong finish helped propel Baltimore to the win and into the playoffs.
With the Browns holding a 10-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens took command behind the arm of Flacco.
After getting a field goal to cut the lead to 10-6, Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a 53-yard bomb on the next Ravens drive to put the offense in the red zone. One play later, Flacco threw a 16-yard score to Smith to take a 13-10 lead with 7:33 left in the game.
After the Ravens defense forced a Browns three and out, Flacco hit Kamar Aiken for a two-yard score on the ensuing Ravens drive to give Baltimore a commanding 20-10 lead.
That would be the final score, and it marked one of the best moments Flacco has had this year. His fourth-quarter performance made up for his previous three quarters of less than stellar play, and he's a big reason why Baltimore is in the postseason.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
The Ravens offense struggled to get anything going for much of the first three quarters, but Justin Forsett still had a solid game overall.
Forsett breathed life into the offense early in the second quarter when he rushed 32 yards into the red zone, which eventually led to a Baltimore field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Forsett broke off a 27-yard run that led to the game-clinching touchdown by Kamar Aiken. Forsett finished the game with 119 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving.
Backups Bernard Pierce and Fitzgerald Toussaint combined for just nine yards on eight carries. While they did little, it doesn't underscore how well Forsett played in this one to help power Baltimore to the win.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The receivers came alive in the fourth quarter to spark Baltimore to a comeback win that clinched the Ravens a playoff berth.
Torrey Smith got it started when he hauled in a 53-yard bomb with under eight minutes to play and Baltimore trailing 10-6. One play later, Joe Flacco threw a 16-yard score to Smith to take a 13-10 lead with 7:33 left in the game.
On the ensuing Ravens offensive drive, Kamar Aiken hauled in a two-yard score to give Baltimore a commanding 20-10 lead.
Steve Smith didn't score but did haul in nine passes for 90 yards. Tight end Owen Daniels chipped in two catches for 46 yards.
Overall, this was a good game by this unit, even though much of its production didn't come until late in the second half.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Ravens entered this game with several injuries along the offensive line that forced them into a configuration they hadn't used all year.
Normal starting guard Marshal Yanda was moved to right tackle to replace the injured Ricky Wagner in the first game Wagner has missed this year.
Rookie John Urschel started in Yanda's guard spot, and rookie James Hurst started at left tackle to replace the injured Eugene Monroe.
Needless to say, the line was facing a tough test today, and it did fairly well against the Browns. In pass protection, the line surrendered just one sack but did allow seven QB hits.
On the ground, the line helped Baltimore running backs rush for 128 yards on 25 carries. Overall, this was a solid game by the line, especially given the circumstances it faced.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Ravens were without starting defensive end Chris Canty due to injury. This was the final game All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata missed while serving his four-game suspension.
Their absences left Lawrence Guy, DeAngelo Tyson and rookie Timmy Jernigan to get more snaps in their place. They had trouble containing the Browns ground game, despite having a rookie undrafted free agent in quarterback Connor Shaw starting.
Browns running backs combined for 100 yards on 22 carries. Though they didn't run the ball very much, they did have enough success to consistently move the chains and make life easier for Shaw.
In the end, the line played decently, but it''ll need to play better if the Ravens are to have success in the playoffs.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
With the offense once again failing to do much, it was up to the defense and its stud linebackers to take command of this game.
Outside linebackers Pernell McPhee and Terrell Suggs combined for three sacks and four QB hits. They were a big reason why Browns QB Connor Shaw never was able to find any rhythm passing the ball.
McPhee also chipped in three tackles for loss in arguably his biggest game of the year. He alone made a strong case for MVP of this game.
Inside linebackers C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith combined for 16 tackles but got just one QB hit and no pass deflections.
Overall, the unit was solid but didn't play as great as it has for much of the year. Then again, it has been arguably the best linebacker unit in football, so a "good" game seems like an average one by its standards.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
The Ravens secondary got a bit of a break in this game, with Cleveland giving Shaw his first start in the year to go with All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon being inactive.
In all, it played a solid game, even though it wasn't exactly against a quality passing offense. Cornerback Lardarius Webb had the game-clinching interception as he was solid in coverage for most of this game.
Ravens defensive backs also combined for four pass deflections and helped limit the Browns to 150 yards passing.
Though the opposition wasn't great, Baltimore's secondary played a key role in helping Baltimore get the win.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
While the offense was struggling for much of the first three quarters, the defense and special teams ensured Baltimore never got far behind.
Kicker Justin Tucker converted both of his field goals and extra points, though his longest attempt was just 28 yards.
Punter Sam Koch played a key role with six punts, averaging 46.5 yards per attempt with two being downed inside the 20-yard line.
The kick-off coverage teams limited the Browns to just 55 yards on three returns. Though they didn't do anything to stand out, Baltimore's special teams were as solid as they've been most of the season.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
The Ravens once again got off to a slow start, and though they rallied for the win, they can't afford to play like this against playoff teams.
The offense in particular has struggled mightily up until the fourth quarter, as the Ravens haven't gotten an offensive score in four straight games in the first quarter.
Two straight three and outs to open this game helped ensure Baltimore got nothing going offensively early in this one. Whatever the issue is, it's clear that head coach John Harbaugh hasn't figured it out yet.
On defense, Dean Pees and his unit continue to be the reason why Baltimore is able to win or at least stay competitive in games.
In all, this team has a lot of problems that haven't gotten better as the season has worn on, and the coaches have to take some blame for that.
Grade: C+
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
QB | B |
RB | B+ |
WR/TE | B+ |
OL | B |
DL | B- |
LB | A- |
Secondary | B |
ST | B+ |
Coaching | C+ |
Cumulative Grade | B |
A win is a win, and for Baltimore, it means it's back in the playoffs after missing out last year after beating the Browns.
However, this game had an eerily similar feel as last year early on. The Ravens entered Week 17 last season needing a win over the Bengals to get into the playoffs.
Baltimore lost that game, though, and missed the postseason. Had Baltimore lost today, the same thing would have happened for the second year in a row.
Thankfully, the Ravens avoided that same fate by scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to get the win.
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