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Baltimore Ravens

Peter Schmuck's report card after the Ravens' 26-16 win over the Falcons

Baltimore Sun
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Columnist Peter Schmuck gives his position grades for the Ravens' game against the Falcons. (Kevin Richardson/Baltimore Sun video)

Quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson beat himself up over the two interceptions he threw last week, so he’ll probably do the same about the three balls he fumbled Sunday. The second one was returned 74 yards for a Falcons touchdown and a temporary momentum shift. But he kept it together and continued to deliver a fairly effective mix of read-option runs and improvised rollout passes until leaving the game for one long possession with a possible concussion. Robert Griffin III engineered a time-consuming drive that resulted in an important field goal while he filled in during the third quarter. Grade: B

Running backs: Gus Edwards did what he has been doing for the past couple of weeks, grinding out a hard 82 rushing yards and wearing down the defense. Kenneth Dixon was active for the first time since Week 1 and had eight carries for 37 yards. Ty Montgomery also had some productive carries as the running game ate up clock in the second half. There weren’t a lot of big breakaway runs, but the yards piled up all day. Grade: A-

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Offensive line: The O-line made an early statement, opening up big holes for Edwards and Jackson on the Ravens’ first drive of the game, and outmuscled the Falcons defensive line for most of the afternoon. The pass protection also was good, though Jackson’s elusiveness certainly helped. Marshal Yanda saved the first drive by recovering a fumble on a broken play in the red zone. Grade: A-

Receivers: Rookie tight end Mark Andrews caught two passes for 26 yards on the Ravens’ opening drive. Michael Crabtree also got free for a solid gain after a nice escape by Jackson. But Crabtree and Willie Snead IV both had big drops that stunted the Ravens’ offensive continuity later in the first half. Otherwise, it was tough to make any sweeping judgment since — with the running game chugging along — there weren’t a lot of opportunities to go around. Grade: B-

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Defensive line: The defensive line did a solid job bottling up the Falcons’ running game and put decent pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan, though both of the Ravens’ first-half sacks were credited to linebackers. Though the D-linemen didn’t spend a lot of time dancing in the backfield, they took care of business when they were on the field and stayed fresh while the offense clearly dominated time of possession. Grade: B

Linebackers: Terrell Suggs had a key sack in the first quarter and made a big fourth-down stop to set up the Ravens with great field position for their first possession of the second quarter. He had a terrific game overall. Za’Darius Smith got the other sack at a very opportune time, dropping Ryan for a big loss to end a midfield threat in the final two minutes of the first half. Patrick Onwuasor put the cherry on top with a strip-sack in the fourth quarter that Tavon Young returned for a touchdown. Grade: A

Secondary: The defensive backs kept the Falcons’ passing game well in check, holding Ryan to 131 yards and one garbage-time touchdown, but did not intercept him. Marlon Humphrey held his own against Falcons superstar Julio Jones and rookie Calvin Ridley, but got dinged for a phantom helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter. Replay clearly showed that he grazed Jones’ helmet with his shoulder after Jones dropped his head to cause contact. Young scored the capper touchdown on an 12-yard fumble return. Grade: A-

Special teams: The special teams highlight came early in the second quarter when punter Sam Koch threw a 21-yard pass to Chris Moore to put the Ravens at the Falcons’ 25-yard line. It would have been more significant if the Falcons had not scored two plays later on a 74-yard fumble return. The special teams play was solid throughout, with Justin Tucker hitting on field-goal attempts from 41, 21, 45 and 47 yards. Grade: A

Coaching: Coach John Harbaugh delivered a key challenge near the end of the third quarter, pointing out a 12-man penalty on the defense that got the Ravens a first down at the Falcons’ 28-yard line. The three coordinators all called solid games, and OC Marty Mornhinweg did a good job of adjusting the game plan when Griffin had to enter the game in the second half. Grade: A

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