Ravens vs. Broncos: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens opened their 2015 regular season with a matchup against the Denver Broncos in Mile High. 

As is often the case when a team opens its season on the road, Baltimore got off to a slow start in this one. It fell behind 6-0 after Peyton Manning guided Denver's offense right down the field on their first two possessions, but the Ravens defense stiffened up both times to force field goals and prevent touchdowns. 

As the first half wore on, Baltimore began to find some rhythm on both sides of the ball. After the defense forced a punt for the first time late in the first quarter, Baltimore took the ensuing possession and methodically began driving down the field before the drive stalled at the Denver 33.

That led to Justin Tucker converting a 52-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3. However, the Ravens lost starting left tackle Eugene Monroe, and that led to the offensive line struggling for much of the first half.

After the Ravens forced another Broncos punt, the offense couldn't keep the momentum going as they went three-and-out. Denver's offense would then go 30 yards before settling for a 43-yard field goal to take a 9-3 lead.

The defense was playing well but kept allowing Manning to complete short pass after a short pass and methodically drive Denver's offense down the field. But every time, the Ravens got the stop to force the field goal, and that helped keep the margin at 9-3 going into halftime.

Though it was a shaky performance by the offense, they were still right in the game if they could just find their rhythm. The defense did their best to help out after Jimmy Smith caught a deflected Manning pass and took it to the house for six on Denver's first possession of the second half. 

That gave the Ravens their first lead of the game at 10-9. They'd keep the momentum going after the defense forced a three-and-out and the offense began moving the ball.

Flacco completed three passes for 35 yards to get Baltimore into Denver territory before Tucker hit a 44-yarder to give Baltimore a 13-9 lead in the middle of the third quarter. 

At this point the Ravens had firm control of the game, but they slowly began giving it away. They would miss another golden opportunity for a pick-six after linebacker Daryl Smith read Manning's eyes and broke on a pass that he dropped.

He would have had a clear path to the end zone for the score had he caught it, and it's those kinds of plays that often haunt teams. 

As it turned out, Flacco would throw a pick-six to Aqib Talib on the ensuing Ravens possession to give Denver a 16-13 lead. Just as Baltimore appeared to have taken control, it gave the momentum right back to Denver with one dropped interception and one bad pass by Flacco. 

Baltimore wouldn't regain it, punting after five plays on the ensuing possession. From there, Denver went on a 17-play, 81-yard drive that bled into the fourth quarter before Baltimore finally forced a Broncos field goal to give them a 19-13 lead, but with only three minutes left in the game.

While not ideal, considering how poor Baltimore's offense had played to this point, you couldn't ask for much more than having the chance to drive for the game-winning score as time wound down.

Flacco would attempt to do so as he guided the offense down the field while hitting several clutch passes to get down to the red zone with under a minute to play. 

However, on 3rd-and-9 from the 16-yard line, Flacco fired a pass down the seam for Crockett Gillmore in traffic, but Broncos safety Darian Stewart made the interception after the ball popped up and Stewart reeled it in.

It looked like Broncos safety David Bruton may have been interfering with Gillmore on the play, but the refs didn't call it as Stewart made the play to seal the win for Denver. 

Making it worse was the interception came one play after Flacco threw one up that fell into the arms of Steve Smith Sr., but he dropped it in the end zone.

Needless to say, this was a gut-wrenching loss for the Ravens. 

Position Grades for Ravens

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	D+
RB	C-
WR	D
TE	C-
OL	D-
DL	A-
LB	A
DB	B+
Special Teams	B+
Coaching	B-

The Ravens offense was MIA for most of this game, and it ultimately cost them the win. 

Joe Flacco struggled mightily in this one and finished the game 18-for-32 passing for 117 yards and two picks, one of which was a pick-six and the other being the game-sealing pick in the red zone.

Not all of this can be laid on Flacco, though. His receivers failed to step up, and even Steve Smith Sr. struggled to get open. Smith Sr. also had the critical drop at the end of the game that could have given Baltimore the lead.

The running backs rarely were able to get anything going as Denver's front seven controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Ravens backs finished the game with just 73 yards on 23 carries (3.2 YPC). That's not going to cut it against good teams, though the offensive line's struggling contributed to the backs' struggles. 

Speaking of which, Baltimore was without starting left tackle Eugene Monroe for most of the game after he left with a concussion in the first quarter. That forced backup James Hurst into the game, and he was part of an offensive line effort 

The linebackers played outstanding in this one, allowing almost nothing in the running game while also getting good pressure on Manning. The backers were even good in pass defense, though they did miss a chance for a pick-six after Daryl Smith broke on a pass beautifully but dropped it.

Smith would have had an easy score had he caught it. Other than that, the linebackers were great at making plays when they were in position to do so. 

Making matters worse for Baltimore, All-Pro linebacker Terrell Suggs was lost to a torn Achilles in the fourth quarter and will be out for the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. 

It's a crushing loss, but doesn't diminish how well the linebackers and front seven in general played in this one. Their great effort helped make life easier for the defensive backs, who played surprisingly well against Denver's high-flying offense.

They held the Broncos to a mere 150 yards passing, and cornerback Jimmy Smith consistently shutting his man down was a big reason why. Smith even chipped in a pick-six that really kept Baltimore in a game in which their offense was non-existent. 

Important Note No. 1: Steve Smith and WRs Struggle

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

This was a game to forget for the Ravens offense, and the wide receivers were a big reason why. They simply could not get open and make plays for Joe Flacco, who was struggling but did throw several nice passes that his receivers dropped.

The biggest of which was late in the game on a pass Flacco floated just over a defender and into the arms of Smith Sr., who dropped the ball in the end zone. 

After a strong preseason, Smith Sr. looked like a 36-year-old receiver in this game. He can't take all of the blame, though, as no other receiver stepped up.

Marlon Brown tried to, but only managed two catches for 25 yards. Other than Brown and Smith Sr., no other Ravens receiver caught more than one pass. 

Baltimore badly needs first-round rookie Breshad Perriman to return from his PCL injury as soon as possible if this offense is going to become more reliable this year. It's clear there simply aren't enough play-makers at this position right now. 

Important Note No. 2: Jimmy Smith Helps Secondary Look Much Improved

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

As bad as the offense looked, the defense was outstanding in this game.

With a revamped secondary and much of their front seven back, Baltimore's defense figured to be great against the pass this year, but no one saw this kind of performance coming.

They made a future Hall of Famer in Peyton Manning look pedestrian while containing star wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. 

Last season, Sanders and Thomas combined for 212 catches for 3,023 yards and 20 touchdowns. In this game, they only managed 15 catches for 125 yards and no scores. 

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith played a huge role in helping the secondary shut down the Broncos passing game in this one. Smith even returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Ravens their first lead in the game.

He looks like a star in the making, and how well he and the secondary played is a major positive to take away from this game. 

Important Note No. 3: Eugene Monroe

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The Ravens were hit with a big loss early in this game after starting left tackle Eugene Monroe was knocked out of the contest with a concussion. 

It forced Baltimore to play without its blindside protector for essentially the whole game against a Broncos defense that had 41 sacks in 2014, the ninth most of any team. 

Hurst was tasked with replacing Monroe, which had to make Ravens fans cringe given how bad he was at times as a rookie last year. Hurst finished 2014 ranked 80th out of 84 offensive tackles in Pro Football Focus' rankings. 

Needless to say, losing Monroe was huge in this game, and it could seriously hinder this team going forward if he misses significant time. 

Joe Flacco: Offense Has a Lot of Work to Do

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Anytime an offense scores just six points, commits two turnovers, generates just 173 yards of total offense and has just 11 first downs in a 60-minute football game, it's almost impossible for that team to win.

Baltimore still almost did it thanks to a strong effort from the defense that included a pick-six for the Ravens' only touchdown of the game. In the end, it was too much to overcome as Baltimore lost in heartbreaking fashion. 

Joe Flacco played about as bad of a game as the seventh-year quarterback has ever had. The whole offense was bad, though, and Flacco knows there is a lot of work for that side of the ball to do, as he told BaltimoreRavens.com's Garrett Downing. 

“We have a lot to work on, obviously," Flacco said. "That was a pretty poor showing.”

Flacco has to up his game for that to happen, but he also has to get more help from his receivers and running backs for that to happen, as well. 

Ravens Devastated to Lose Terrell Suggs

Nick Wass/Associated Press

As mentioned before, Baltimore lost star linebacker Terrell Suggs to a season-ending torn Achilles in this game. 

It was a devastating loss for a team that has relied heavily on Suggs for most of his 13-year NFL career, all of which was spent in Baltimore. That includes the eight years John Harbaugh has been the head coach, and it clearly hurt him as much as anyone that one of his leaders was done for the year, as he told Downing.

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“You try to find why things happen, and here’s a tough break for a guy who’s done nothing but work above and beyond to a degree – at least as hard as he’s worked his whole career – I’d say more,” Harbaugh said. “He’s just prepared himself to be the kind of leader that you admire so much. This guy has been such a leader for us."

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Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. was also clearly distraught after losing his fellow veteran leader. 

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“I lose my locker mate. We lose a leader, a vocal leader,” Smith Sr. said. “It’s a heavy blow. It’s a tough deal.”

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You can tell just from hearing Harbaugh and Smith Sr. just how important Suggs is to the Ravens. It won't be easy, but they musty find a way to press on without him if they are to reach their goals this season.