Grading the Ravens’ position groups in their Week 13 loss to the Eagles.
Offense
Coaching: C
It never felt like Todd Monken had a handle on this game. The offense couldn’t settle into a rhythm and largely moved the ball on improvised plays from Lamar Jackson. The passing game consisted mostly of deep shots and check downs with not enough plays designed to scheme up open space underneath. Personnel management was an issue, too. Monken struggled to adjust his blocking plan without Charlie Kolar, and was unprepared for the unavailability of Diontae Johnson.
Quarterback: B-
It was the best of Lamar Jackson, and it was the worst of Lamar Jackson. He made his usual handful of spectacular plays, but missed a few key throws and declined underneath options and opportunities to run. Jackson was also lucky that he didn’t lose either of his fumbles. He can be forgiven for some of his mistakes due to his shoddy offensive line, but this was still a game Jackson is capable of winning.
Running backs: B
Derrick Henry earned all 82 of his rushing yards – 81 of which came after contact, per Next Gen Stats – and emerged as a check-down outlet for Jackson in the second half. Justice Hill struggled to pick up yards as a ballcarrier and a pass-catcher in a disappointing outing. Keaton Mitchell was a surprising healthy scratch; hopefully, he can get going as a change-of-pace back after the bye.
Wide receivers: B-
Zay Flowers was on track for another 100-yard day, but the Eagles quieted him in the second half. That was much easier once Rashod Bateman went down for the game with knee injury, though he wasn’t targeted on 18 routes, per Next Gen Stats. Diontae Johnson was mysteriously MIA, so the Ravens needed Tylan Wallace or Nelson Agholor to step up. Wallace caught both of his targets but failed to break free after the catch, while Agholor couldn’t reel in two beautiful throws from Jackson in the fourth quarter.
Tight Ends: A-
Mark Andrews dominated the middle of the field against the Eagles, catching six of his seven targets for 67 yards, including a leaping grab over multiple defenders in the end zone. Isaiah Likely only had two catches for 14 yards until the Ravens’ last drive of the game, and both players struggled to fill the run-blocking hole left by Kolar’s injury. Patrick Ricard was only in the game for five run plays, limiting his impact.
Offensive Line: C-
In both pass protection and run-blocking, the offensive line remains the biggest weakness of an otherwise explosive offense. Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum continue to hold down the fort, but Patrick Mekari’s performance fell flat – sometimes literally. Daniel Faelele was competent in pass protection but lost in the run game, and two weak links is more than enough to sink a whole unit. Rogen Rosengarten was rock-solid for most of the game, but the few mistakes he made led to losses in yards.
Defense
Coaching: A-
The defense was dealt a tough hand in this game with three successive three-and-outs by the offense in the first quarter and special teams losing the field position battle all game. But Zach Orr corralled his coverage plans and left Jalen Hurts with nowhere to go with the football for most of the night. Even most of Saquon Barkley’s rushing yards came against a drained defense in the fourth quarter. Orr got creative with Malik Harrison with Kyle Van Noy out, though Odafe Oweh played a confusingly low amount of snaps. He also made the right adjustments to silence A.J. Brown after he racked up 66 yards in the first half. However, going with just four linemen for most of the game had a clear impact on the unit’s fatigue by the fourth quarter.
Defensive line: B
Travis Jones and Broderick Washington both held up against a well-coached, diverse Eagles run game, but Nnamdi Madubuike struggled to hold his gap and finish plays. Brent Urban was solid but unspectacular as usual against the run, and none of the four could break through in the pass rush. The D-line put in a hard day’s work, but came away with few impact plays to show for it. The return of Michael Pierce would do wonders for this unit.
Edge rushers: C+
Tavius Robinson continued to show his growth filling in for an injured Odafe Oweh, but he was simply outmatched in the pass rush against the Eagles’ tackles. Same goes for Malik Harrison, who oddly played far more snaps than Odafe Oweh. David Ojabo was ineffective in his eight snaps, and this unit as a whole is showing why fans and pundits alike were clamoring for the Ravens to add an edge rusher.
Inside linebackers: B+
Like the defensive line, the inside linebackers largely held firm against the Eagles’ excellent run game until they were gassed in the fourth quarter, though they were completely washed out of the play a few times before then. Roquan Smith was a solid tackler and notched a sack on his only blitz, but had to make some second-half adjustments to stop getting burned on deep overs by A.J. Brown. Chris Board has quietly earned a larger snap share than Trenton Simpson, largely because he’s playing far more consistently. Simpson made his usual splash play or two, but otherwise got caught out of position too often.
Cornerbacks: B+
Marlon Humphrey is still flying under the radar as a DPOY candidate. Even with Jalen Hurts virtually ignoring his area of the field, Humphrey still found a way to impact the game with a sack. Almost all of the yards given up by Brandon Stephens and Nate Wiggins were to A.J. Brown, and both contributed to run defense. Tre’Davious White was solid in coverage, but missed a crucial tackle against Brown and couldn’t step up against the run. As a whole, this unit is firmly trending upwards with fewer communication problems and fewer deep ball surrendered as a result.
Safeties: B+
Kyle Hamilton had an uncharacteristically rough game, giving up his first touchdown of the year and missing a few tackles. Though he played more in the box this week, he couldn’t make any splash plays against the run. Ar’Darius Washington, though, racked up eight total tackles and kept a lid on the Eagles’ deep passing game. Notably, Marcus Williams was inactive, though John Harbaugh insisted he’s still in the team’s plans.