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

The Baltimore Ravens hit the road for a matchup with the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 with both teams looking for their first wins of 2015.

You could tell that was the case in the first half of this one, as both teams came out firing on all cylinders offensively after both units looked terrible in Week 1. Baltimore and Oakland combined for 19 offensive points in their Week 1 contests (Baltimore scored off a pick-six).

You wouldn't have guessed that after watching both teams go up and down the field to start this game. Oakland opened up the scoring with a six-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off with Derek Carr hitting Amari Cooper for a 68-yard score.

That put Oakland up 7-0 early, and it got the ball right back after Kamar Aiken fumbled on the ensuing possession after catching a short pass from Joe Flacco.

That put the Raiders at the Ravens' 29-yard line, but the defense would stiffen and force a field goal that gave Oakland a 10-lead. It didn't take long for the Ravens to find themselves trailing by double digits, but that's when the offense began to find some rhythm.

The ensuing drive saw Flacco guide the offense down the field, highlighted by a 37-yard strike to Steve Smith Sr. The drive would end with a Justin Tucker 22-yard field goal to cut Oakland's lead to 10-3. 

After Baltimore's defense forced a punt, Flacco went back to work and finally got the offense into the end zone by hitting Crockett Gillmore for a 26-yard score.

That tied the game at 10-all as the second quarter began. Oakland's offense responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Latavius Murray running for a one-yard score to put his team back up 17-10.

That came after Baltimore allowed two big passing plays as Carr continued to pick apart the Ravens secondary. The good news for Baltimore is that Flacco continued to do the same against Oakland the next drive as he led the offense right back down the field.

Flacco would cap off a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended with him hitting Gillmore for a nine-yard score to tie the game at 17-all. Both offenses would tack on one more field goal to go into halftime tied at 20-all. 

It was a great first half if you're a fan of offensive football, but given how bad Baltimore's normally stout defense looked, it wasn't something it enjoyed. 

The second half didn't exactly get much better, as Oakland would open up the half with a 10-0 run to take a 30-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The touchdown came on another busted coverage by Baltimore's secondary that allowed Carr to hit Michael Crabtree for a 29-yard score.

It was looking bleak for Baltimore, but Flacco would not let them go down without a fight. He led the offense down the field to open the final quarter before Tucker converted a 37-yard field goal.

That cut the deficit to 30-23, and after the defense forced a quick punt, Flacco and the offense got the ball right back with a chance to tie the game.

He got the drive started off with a 38-yard strike to Aiken before hitting three more passes to get Baltimore into the red zone. There, Lorenzo Taliaferro ran it in from seven yards out to tie the game at 30-all with 7:03 left in the game.

Baltimore's defense finally made a big play after Will Hill picked off Carr to give the Ravens the ball at the Raiders' 37-yard line. 

The Ravens would get down to the 13-yard line before Flacco overthrew a wide-open Smith Sr. for what would have been a touchdown on 3rd-and-8. That forced Baltimore to settle for a 31-yard field goal to take a 33-30 lead with 2:10 left in the game. 

However, Baltimore's defense could not hold on to the lead as their secondary once again let them down. Carr led Oakland's offense right down the field with several big passing plays, the last of which was a 12-yard score to Seth Roberts.

That gave Oakland an improbable 37-33 lead with 26 seconds left in the game. Flacco got the ball one last time, but his final pass was intercepted by Neiko Thorpe to seal the 37-33 win for Oakland. 

This was a collapse of epic proportions for Baltimore, and it now puts it in a rare 0-2 hole heading into a date with the Bengals next week.

Position Grades for Ravens

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

After a terrible Week 1 performance at Denver, Baltimore's offense bounced back in a big way in Oakland. A big reason why was that Joe Flacco picked apart the Raiders to the tune of 384 yards and two scores. 

Flacco was the reason Baltimore avoided falling into an early hole after the defense gave up 20 first-half points. His late interception came when his team was behind with less than 30 seconds to go.

There was the missed touchdown Flacco had late in the fourth quarter that would have given his team a 37-30 lead. Still, anytime you lead your team to 33 points, you've done your job. He was great in this one, but his defense let him down badly. 

The ground game also looked good this week after not doing much in Week 1. At running back, Justin Forsett had a good game with 80 all-purpose yards (68 rushing, 12 receiving). 

Lorenzo Taliaferro also looked good in his 2015 debut, rushing for 34 yards and a score to go with three catches for 12 yards. The tight ends were huge in this game, and Crockett Gillmore led the way with five grabs for 88 yards and two scores. 

Steve Smith Sr. exploded against the Raiders and showed why he's still a great NFL receiver. He hauled in 10 passes for 150 yards and showed why he's still the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore. 

Kamar Aiken chipped in five catches for 89 yards, and he and Smith Sr. finally showed they can be a reliable receiver tandem. Outside of them is a different story, though, as no other receiver caught more than two passes or had more than 12 yards. 

Though the defense was bad as a whole, the front seven was strong throughout this game. The defensive line maintained their gaps well, and the linebackers got off their blocks to stuff Raiders running backs throughout the contest. 

The linebackers were also getting decent pressure on Derek Carr, but it wasn't enough to keep him from picking apart the secondary. The defensive backs were terrible in the first half as Carr threw for 228 yards and a score in the first half alone. 

Carr finished the game with 351 yards and three scores, the final of which was the game-winner for Oakland. The secondary was simply atrocious in this game, and the coaches could find no answers for it. 

Important Note No. 1: Justin Forsett and Ground Game Bounces Back

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A big reason why Baltimore lost in Week 1 was it got very little production from the ground game. 

After Justin Forsett rushed for 1,281 yards last year (fifth-most in NFL), he was held to just 43 yards in a 19-13 loss to the Broncos. Forsett made sure he wouldn't be the reason his team lost this week as he gashed the Raiders for 68 yards on just 15 carries. 

Forsett also caught three passes for 12 yards. With the passing game doing great, this was the kind of confirmation Baltimore needed that Forsett is still someone it can rely on as its bell-cow back.

Forsett does turn 30 in October, and it's not often you see NFL running backs be productive at that age. It looks safe to say that isn't the case with Forsett for now. 

It also helps that Baltimore has a young and talented back behind him in Taliaferro. Making his 2015 debut after missing last week with a knee injury, he rushed for 34 yards and a score on seven carries. 

Baltimore finished the game with 109 yards on 25 carries. It may have lost, but it will be up to the ground game to help Baltimore out of its 0-2 hole going forward. 

Important Note No. 2: Steve Smith Sr. Still Has It

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Against the Broncos in Week 1, Steve Smith Sr. looked like a 36-year-old receiver as he was held to two catches for 13 yards. 

That brought about major concern that Baltimore no longer had a reliable receiver to go to with that position now in flux. Breshad Perriman is still hurt, and Kamar Aiken continues to struggle as a starting receiver, which means Smith has had to shoulder the load at this spot.

He did that and then some against the Raiders after exploding for 10 catches for 150 yards. He also managed to get open for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but Joe Flacco overthrew him. 

Smith looked like he hadn't lost a step since last year's 79-catch, 1,065-yard season. He also looked like someone who can carry this position for now while other guys hopefully begin to emerge. 

Important Note No. 3: Secondary

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The Ravens' secondary was their biggest weakness and ultimate downfall last season. Then came a strong Week 1 performance against the high-flying Broncos offense that made it seem as though the unit had made a dramatic leap forward.

Then came this Week 2 debacle at Oakland. Baltimore's secondary made Carr look like a future Hall of Famer after the Bengals made him look like an average backup in Week 1. 

This, after Baltimore made a surefire Hall of Famer in Peyton Manning look average in last week's game.  At Oakland, both the corners and safeties gave up big play after big play.

Some plays saw Raiders players simply beat Ravens defenders. Others saw Baltimore yield busted coverage that led to big gains. 

After Baltimore took its first lead of the game with 2:09 left, this unit just needed to make one stop to overcome its mistakes and get Baltimore the win. 

It failed to do so, as Carr led the Raiders right down the field before throwing the game-winning touchdown to Seth Roberts. That gave Carr 351 yards and three scores for the game after Baltimore allowed just 150 yards and no scores through the air last week. 

This was simply a disaster for this group after it showed so much promise in their 2015 opener. Just as it did many times last season, this unit once again cost Baltimore a game it had no business losing. 

Joe Flacco on Digging out of 0-2 Hole

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Baltimore's offense let it down in a narrow loss to the Broncos in Week 1. Joe Flacco led that unit to just six points and threw a pick-six that allowed Denver to escape with a 19-13 win.

Flacco made sure he wouldn't allow that unit to perform poorly again against the Raiders. He finished this game passing for 384 yards and two touchdowns while leading the offense to a 33-point performance. 

The only problem was that the Raiders scored 37, and as good as Flacco and the offense were, they did miss opportunities to put more points on the board. 

After the game, Flacco told Brian Bower of Russell Street Report that now is not the time to blame others if this team is to climb out of the hole in which it's dug itself. 

"We have to take it one game at a time," Flacco said. "Have to claw our way back into it. Stay tight knit."

Flacco couldn't have said it any better. The Ravens will draw a lot of scrutiny for losing to the Raiders and starting the year 0-2. 

However, they must block out the noise and focus on the task at hand. That starts this coming week when the Bengals come to Baltimore for an AFC North clash. 

Crockett Gillmore's Big Game Ended Up Being Gut-Wrenching Loss

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The Ravens needed an unproven tight end to step up for their offense to have success this season. 

Most thought that would be second-round rookie Maxx Williams, but he has yet to establish himself in his first professional season. Instead, second-year man Crockett Gillmore has stepped up and taken this starting spot and ran with it. 

Drafted in the third round out of Colorado State in 2014, Gillmore had his breakout NFL game against the Raiders. He hauled in five passes for 88 yards and two scores in what will probably go down as one of the biggest games of his pro career.

That's not how Gillmore viewed it. As he told Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, it was "gut wrenching" to watch his team fall to 0-2. This team has the potential to do great things, especially with the emergence of Gillmore on offense. 

However, there's going to be a lot more gut-wrenching moments if the Ravens can't overcome this loss and fix their mistakes going forward.