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Quarterback: D
Joe Flacco's passing numbers suggest a decent effort, but they were deceptive. His receivers were rarely open downfield and he often threw into coverage. He was fortunate to come away with only two interceptions (if the Bengals could catch better, he would have thrown four). Because his outside receivers couldn't get open, he had 13 completions to backs or tight ends.
Running backs: C
Ray Rice was relentless with 135 of the team's 215 total yards. He had eight catches for 87 yards, and 12 runs for 48 yards. But the Bengals were able to bottle him up for the most part, except for a 35-yard catch-and-run. Le'Ron McClain also had a nifty 19-yard catch-and-run. But falling behind quickly, the Ravens were not able to commit to the running game.
Receivers: F
Derrick Mason caught only three of 13 passes thrown to him. The Bengals have smothered him in both games this season. Same with Mark Clayton. There was no separation for the receivers against the Bengals' corners. And the receivers weren't able to come up with any jump balls. Todd Heap worked the middle for three catches but no damage.
Offensive line: D+
At times, the line held up well and seemed to give Flacco enough protection. But when it rained, it poured. Flacco was into his whirlybird routine in the backfield, only this time there were no miracles. Three of the four sacks on Flacco came in the final drive when the Bengals could tee off. Jared Gaither was called for two holding penalties in the third quarter and Michael Oher for a false start in the fourth.
Defensive line: D
Granted, losing Haloti Ngata was big. And Justin Bannan played hard, getting in on four tackles, one for a loss. But the Bengals' unappreciated offensive line hammered away at another 100-yard rushing game for Cedric Benson. Equally bad, the Ravens never got any kind of pass rush against Carson Palmer with only one sack. He improved to 8-3 all time against the Ravens with the win.
Linebackers: D
There were too many missed tackles and Benson made the most of them to get his 117 yards. He had runs of 21, 15 and 12 yards. It appeared the Ravens failed to maintain gap integrity again. Holes sprung up everywhere. The Bengals finished with 146 rushing yards, compared with 142 the first game.
Secondary: F
Ed Reed's arm tackling was awful. If he can't use his shoulders, maybe he shouldn't be out there. Tackling in the secondary was hideous. Fabian Washington limped off with a thigh injury and tried to return, but was guilty of a pass interference call on a big fourth-down play that led to Cincinnati's second touchdown. Dawan Landry was flagged for pass interference and Chris Carr had an illegal contact call that was negated by a Bengals penalty. Rookie Lardarius Webb was the lone bright spot.
Special teams: F
Steve Hauschka missed a critical 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that ended any real hope of a comeback. He has missed his two biggest kicks this season wide left. That's ominous. Webb averaged 21.3 yards on kick returns, but Carr was still stuck in neutral on punt returns. There was little carryover from last week.
Joe Flacco's passing numbers suggest a decent effort, but they were deceptive. His receivers were rarely open downfield and he often threw into coverage. He was fortunate to come away with only two interceptions (if the Bengals could catch better, he would have thrown four). Because his outside receivers couldn't get open, he had 13 completions to backs or tight ends.
Running backs: C
Ray Rice was relentless with 135 of the team's 215 total yards. He had eight catches for 87 yards, and 12 runs for 48 yards. But the Bengals were able to bottle him up for the most part, except for a 35-yard catch-and-run. Le'Ron McClain also had a nifty 19-yard catch-and-run. But falling behind quickly, the Ravens were not able to commit to the running game.
Receivers: F
Derrick Mason caught only three of 13 passes thrown to him. The Bengals have smothered him in both games this season. Same with Mark Clayton. There was no separation for the receivers against the Bengals' corners. And the receivers weren't able to come up with any jump balls. Todd Heap worked the middle for three catches but no damage.
Offensive line: D+
At times, the line held up well and seemed to give Flacco enough protection. But when it rained, it poured. Flacco was into his whirlybird routine in the backfield, only this time there were no miracles. Three of the four sacks on Flacco came in the final drive when the Bengals could tee off. Jared Gaither was called for two holding penalties in the third quarter and Michael Oher for a false start in the fourth.
Defensive line: D
Granted, losing Haloti Ngata was big. And Justin Bannan played hard, getting in on four tackles, one for a loss. But the Bengals' unappreciated offensive line hammered away at another 100-yard rushing game for Cedric Benson. Equally bad, the Ravens never got any kind of pass rush against Carson Palmer with only one sack. He improved to 8-3 all time against the Ravens with the win.
Linebackers: D
There were too many missed tackles and Benson made the most of them to get his 117 yards. He had runs of 21, 15 and 12 yards. It appeared the Ravens failed to maintain gap integrity again. Holes sprung up everywhere. The Bengals finished with 146 rushing yards, compared with 142 the first game.
Secondary: F
Ed Reed's arm tackling was awful. If he can't use his shoulders, maybe he shouldn't be out there. Tackling in the secondary was hideous. Fabian Washington limped off with a thigh injury and tried to return, but was guilty of a pass interference call on a big fourth-down play that led to Cincinnati's second touchdown. Dawan Landry was flagged for pass interference and Chris Carr had an illegal contact call that was negated by a Bengals penalty. Rookie Lardarius Webb was the lone bright spot.
Special teams: F
Steve Hauschka missed a critical 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that ended any real hope of a comeback. He has missed his two biggest kicks this season wide left. That's ominous. Webb averaged 21.3 yards on kick returns, but Carr was still stuck in neutral on punt returns. There was little carryover from last week.
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C'mon men!! Lets get real...., we got SMOTHERED by the bengals using the same formulae they did during our home game in the 4th Qtr. Then we bounce back against the undefeated Broncos using the 3-4 Defense, but what do we do the nxt wknd??? Abandon it....!! Now tell me how smart that is?? leave alone a decision being made by a DC being paid millions..... I just learnt this game 3years ago, watching it.., and i cant stand the decisions being made by these Ravens coaches.... ( MissRex ryan to death), but my heart goes to those people who have supported this team since 1996, back then all i knew and watched was soccer and rugby. I still beleive we can correct this ship, on one condition... NO MORE SLIP UPs...including the Colts...., we just cant!!!!
Mungah (11/10/2009, 3:38 AM )