2 years ago
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Here’s however the Ravens graded retired astatine each presumption aft a 16-13 overtime nonaccomplishment to the Pittsburgh Steelers connected Sunday successful the regular-season finale astatine M&T Bank Stadium:
Quarterback
Tyler Huntley seemed overmatched and astatine times tried to bash excessively much, which got him and the Ravens successful trouble. He ran the shot good (12 carries for 72 yards), but threw 2 interceptions and failed to retrieve a fumble aft a atrocious drawback erstwhile helium should person conscionable fallen connected the ball. The occupation with Huntley is that helium is conscionable a one-read player. If the archetypal receiver isn’t open, helium struggles to get to his No. 2 enactment without panicking. Opposing teams person figured retired that choky extremity Mark Andrews is his go-to guy. Huntley has to larn to find different unfastened receivers. Grade: D
Running back
Just similar past week against the Los Angeles Rams, the Ravens’ moving backs dominated the 2nd fractional and were capable to get immoderate yards by bouncing extracurricular the tackles. But the large plays from Latavius Murray were conscionable runs up the mediate successful which the Ravens bushed the Steelers one-on-one. The large question is what took the Ravens truthful agelong to tally the ball? Pittsburgh came into the crippled with 1 of the worst tally defenses successful the NFL and the Ravens didn’t commencement pounding distant until the 2nd half. The Ravens finished with 249 rushing yards, astir of which came successful the 2nd half. Grade: A
Offensive line
Right defender Kevin Zeitler has been the team’s champion violative lineman and it showed again Sunday. He was ascendant astatine the constituent of onslaught and made immoderate bully blocks successful the moving crippled successful the 2nd half. The remainder of the radical was shaky arsenic usual, adjacent though close tackle Patrick Mekari had a coagulated show portion battling done an injury. Center Bradley Bozeman had a mediocre drawback successful the shotgun enactment aboriginal successful the crippled that led to a fumble. Rookie near defender Ben Cleveland has occupation bending and isn’t overmuch of a walk blocker. Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva held up astatine times, but the Ravens can’t number connected him week-to-week to halt the different team’s apical walk rusher. The Ravens ran the shot well, astatine least. Grade: C-
Receivers
Other than Andrews, the Ravens don’t get their different receivers successful the mix. Andrews is simply a large weapon, but Huntley has passageway imaginativeness erstwhile looking his way. Marquise Brown is intriguing due to the fact that it’s hard to foretell which Brown volition amusement up from crippled to game. He surely hasn’t been a ascendant performer ever since starting backmost Lamar Jackson got wounded Dec. 12 against the Browns. His driblet successful the extremity portion astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional is unacceptable, and truthful was his driblet of a heavy walk on the close sideline successful the past infinitesimal of regulation. He can’t beryllium considered a No. 1 receiver. Again, Huntley didn’t get different receivers progressive similar Rashod Bateman oregon adjacent Brown, who combined for 5 catches for 52 yards. Grade: D
Defensive line
These guys were stellar up front, peculiarly antiaircraft extremity Calais Campbell. He was beardown against the tally and successful pursuit, finishing with six tackles, including 1 for a loss. Nose tackle Brandon Williams (six tackles) was besides beardown against the tally and the Steelers couldn’t determination him successful the mediate of the field. Pittsburgh had lone 79 rushing yards connected 30 carries, and a batch of those yards came connected end-arounds by receiver Chase Claypool. Both Campbell and Williams person played good successful caller weeks successful what could beryllium their last seasons successful Baltimore. Grade: B+
Linebackers
Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser was having a bully crippled until helium wounded his ankle successful the 2nd half. Fellow extracurricular linebacker Justin Houston besides got decent unit and forced backmost Ben Roethlisberger to measurement up respective times, but the Ravens don’t person a ascendant walk rusher, and that hurts. Inside linebacker Josh Bynes had 8 tackles and Patrick Queen had three, but Queen is simply a liability successful walk sum and misses tackles successful the unfastened field. He doesn’t conscionable get faked out, but embarrassed. Grade: C+
Secondary
The Ravens got a reprieve due to the fact that Pittsburgh likes to propulsion abbreviated passes with Roethlisberger. Baltimore did a decent occupation of making tackles connected abbreviated patterns, too, particularly slants. Safety Chuck Clark had 8 tackles and played good successful tally support. He has besides go a beingness connected the backend successful walk defense. The Ravens, though, had chances for 2 casual interceptions and failed to bent onto the ball. Big players marque large plays successful large games, and the Ravens’ corners and safeties didn’t instrumentality vantage of the opportunities. In crunch-time, they couldn’t get it done. Grade: C-
Special teams
Justin Tucker converted connected field-goal attempts of 24 and 46 yards, but the Ravens didn’t get a batch retired of punter Sam Koch, who has struggled successful caller games. Koch averaged lone 38.3 yards connected 7 punts and didn’t amended the Ravens’ tract presumption overmuch successful the 4th quarter. Rain and a dense shot wounded punters, but Koch has ever done good careless of the upwind conditions. Returner Devin Duvernay appeared closed to breaking a kickoff instrumentality but couldn’t get past that archetypal wave. But astatine slightest helium was moving northbound and southbound alternatively of eastbound and west. Grade: C+
Coaching
Physically and mentally, the Ravens were acceptable for this game. There would beryllium immoderate superior problems if they weren’t. Offensively, it’s hard to recognize wherefore it took coordinator Greg Roman truthful agelong to tally the ball. That interception connected the walk to Andrews successful the extremity portion aboriginal successful the 4th fourth was a large mistake. Defensively, the crippled program was sound, and for the astir portion the Ravens controlled the Steelers’ offense. But successful the end, they couldn’t marque a play and the Steelers weren’t going to beryllium denied. That’s not coaching, but the effect of missing a game-changing subordinate similar cornerback Marcus Peters oregon Marlon Humphrey, adjacent though Humphrey had struggled this play earlier being injured. Grade: C-
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