Ravens vs. Buccaneers final: Report Card, Grades

At halftime, the Ravens were hurting. They scored only three points and allowed 10. But a break was apparently all they needed to solve their issues as they came out swinging in the second half. After forcing a three-and-out on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the Ravens marched on three consecutive drives into the end zone. They leave Raymond James Stadium with a 27-22 victory.

Offense

Quarterback: B+

Lamar Jackson’s second half was easy. Hand the ball of to various running backs and/or wide receiver Devin Duvernay and let them get rolling. After attempting 30 passes in the first half, he threw eight passes in the second. All were completed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson finished with a 104.9 quarterback rating.

Running back: A

The rushing offense utterly steamrolled the Buccaneers in the second half. In the end, the rushing attack finished with 231 (!) yards on 33 carries (good for 7.0 yards per carry). Now, they get 11 days to rest up and recover before facing the New Orleans Saints on November 7.

Wide receiver: A

The wide receivers combined for 16 targets and they caught 13 of them. Honestly, an all-around solid performance by them and Duvernay vaults them from maybe a ‘B’ zone to an easy A. His ability to cut up the field and make plays is something special. The element of him bouncing outside with the powerful run game between the tackles and the complement he adds to Jackson is one-of-a-kind.

Tight end: A+

Hello, Isaiah Likely! We’ve all been impatiently waiting for you after a star-studded preseason. We also don’t blame you, as you play behind one of the league’s best tight ends who might have the closest chemistry of any pass-catcher with their respective quarterback. But, with Mark Andrews exiting the field due to a shoulder injury, No. 80 was called and he answered the bell with six receptions on seven targets for 77 yards and one helluva first NFL touchdown catch.

Offensive line: A

Pass Blocking: B+
Run Blocking: A+

Utter dominance from the offensive line. Though they allowed three sacks, they can’t be too faulted for the errors as they faced a first-half pass rush with blitzes a-plenty. Many will note Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea besting rookie center Tyler Linderbaum, but I point you to what the rookie out of Iowa did to poor Bucs linebacker Devin White.

Defense: B

Defensive line: B+

Solid against the run, a sack and some batted passes were enough to keep the Bucs from gaining any momentum. They closed off the trenches in the second half and didn’t allow much in the end.

Outside linebacker: A-

Odafe Oweh would arguably be the sack leader of this season for the Ravens if he was a half-step faster or not getting held up. He’s generating pressure so much more consistently and it’s going to happen. But Justin Houston got his fifth and sixth sacks of the season on back-to-back plays, after getting his third and fourth on back-to-back plays last week. When he’s in the lineup and not playing 50-plus snaps and can just chase the passer, he’s among the elite, still.

Inside linebacker: B-

Wasn’t a big splash kind of night for the inside backers. Queen was relatively quiet, which is rather positive when comparing it to the Bucs linebackers. Mercy, the broadcast was pointing out on every play in the second half how linebacker Devin White wasn’t making a play or getting bullied by Linderbaum.

Cornerback: B

Mike Evans is going to get his, and that’s all there is to it. Other than that and the ugly first half, they really just bolted down and executed. The dropped picks hurt but they didn’t punish this team like they seemed to have in games’ past.

Safety: A

Geno Stone made a heavy hit to knock the ball loose on what would’ve been a first-down catch. Kyle Hamilton with the perfect coverage on tight end Cade Otton. Chuck Clark standing up Rachaad White and burying him to the gridiron on the two-point attempt. Outside of the Clark interception drop that also drew friendly fire on Hamilton, it was a great night for this unit.

Special Teams: A+

Allowing a block on a 61-yard field goal try is forgivable, especially when Justice Hill made a stellar special teams play in the first to help get them their first points of the night. Tonight they also gained big yards on returns from Duvernay (fourth quarter return was impressive) and recovered the all-too-critical onside attempt by the Buccaneers. Jordan Stout looks to be settling in with four punts averaging 52.5 yards and two of them were inside the 20-yard line.