The Denver Broncos came into Week 4 trying to defend their 3-0 perfect record against the Ravens. The Broncos had held their first three opponents to 26 points combined. They quickly realized they weren’t still playing the Giants, Jets, or Jaguars – the opponents in which they dominated in the initial weeks of this season.
The Ravens showed they are clearly in a different class than the Broncos. They completely shut down the Broncos offense; they pressured the Broncos quarterbacks 26 times leading to five sacks and fifteen hurries. The Ravens offense was also dominant, Lamar Jackson had over 300 yards passing against one of the truly elite defenses in the league, and Hollywood Brown made up for his Week 3 drops by catching a gorgeous 49-yard touchdown pass to silence his critics. The Ravens easily won the game 23-7. Below I will highlight the three highest graded players, and three lowest graded players using Pro Football Focus’ grading metrics (PFF).
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Highest graded player of the week: Calais Campbell.
For the second time this year, Calais Campbell comes in as the highest graded player of the week with a PFF grade of 90. Campbell was yet again a complete force and continues to show why he is one of the best interior defenders in all of football. Campbell did not record a sack, but he had a team high seven pressures, three QB hits, and four hurries. He also contributed four tackles and also did not miss a tackle. The Broncos were down two starting guards so you knew Campbell had the potential to deliver a big game, and he did. He was constantly disrupting plays in the backfield and pushing the pocket. The backup guards of the Broncos struggled mightily against the 6’8 veteran and really had no answer for him in the interior. For context, the backup guards for the Broncos registered PFF grades of 42.1 and 38.4, the lowest graded Broncos players of the week. Campbell has been having a great season thus far and holds the 4th highest PFF grade among interior defenders. Next week Campbell gets to go up against a Colts offensive line that will not have the services of its All-Pro guard, Quenton Nelson. Campbell could be in line for another huge game.
Second highest graded player of the week: Malik Harrison.
This should be a breath of fresh air for Ravens fans. Malik Harrison, who had been consistently one of the lowest graded Ravens every week, came in as the second highest graded player this week with a grade of 89.5. Harrison had easily the best game of his young career this past Sunday. He recorded four tackles and didn’t miss any. His run stopping has always been good, he has only missed one tackle this year. But where he shined this week, was his pass coverage. Through the first three games this season, he has been targeted ten times, and has allowed nine catches for 130 yards and one touchdown. Against the Broncos, he was targeted twice and allowed one catch for three yards. Harrison is already a good run defender, if he can continue to improve his coverage, the sky is the limit for the former Buckeye.
Third highest graded player of the week: Mark Andrews.
After having a forgettable Week 1 performance against the Raiders, Mark Andrews has had PFF grades of 80.5, 80.2 and against the Broncos he registered his highest grade thus far, 84.9. The former Sooner had five catches for 67 yards, all five catches resulted in a first down. He was also able to get behind the defense for what would’ve been a thirty-yard touchdown catch, but it was negated due to a facemask penalty from backup left tackle, Andre Smith. Andrews has been Lamar’s favorite target since entering the league and this season is no different. Through three games, Andrews has zero drops on 23 targets. Andrews is known for his pass catching but this season he also has a 70-blocking grade which is his highest of his career. Given, it is only a four game sample, but it is encouraging seeing Andrews grade well in the blocking department while Nick Boyle is still out. Next week, Andrews will look to feast on a Colts defense who doesn’t have a single defensive player graded above a 74.
Lowest graded player of the week: Patrick Queen.
For the third straight game, Patrick Queen comes in as the lowest graded player of the week. Queen registered a PFF grade of 34.9, which is his second lowest of the year. The only lower grade was week two against the Chiefs, where he graded at 27.1. It’s more of the same with Queen, missed tackles. He had three more this Sunday which puts his total missed tackle count to nine for the year, worst in the NFL. He was a bit better in coverage this week, six targets for only three receptions which resulted in 25 yards. Not great, but it’s a step in the right directon for Queen who has looked lost at times in coverage. Last week, I grouped Malik Harrison and Queen in together as the two lowest graded Ravens against Detroit. Harrison had his best game of the season against Denver. Hopefully Queen can take a step forward against the Colts on Monday Night.
Second lowest graded players of the week: Ben Cleveland and Ben Powers.
I’ve decided to group in both of the guards together because they are rotating in at left guard and had a similar grade. Powers played 38 snaps and registered a PFF grade of 44.7. Ben Cleveland played 34 snaps and had a slightly higher grade at 49.2. Neither player made a case as to who should be the main starting left guard. Cleveland was a slightly better run blocker this week than Powers, but both players allowed a pressure, and Powers allowed a QB hit. Powers was the third highest graded player Week 3 against Detroit; he had a clean slate, zero pressures, hits, hurries and sacks. In Week 4 he had to go up against a formidable Broncos front that didn’t make his day easy. Hopefully this is just a bump in the road and he can return to form next week against the Colts. There has yet to be any consistent guard play so far from either player. I would imagine the coaching staff would prefer one guy to pull away but until then, the rotation will continue.
Third lowest graded player of the week: Brandon Stephens.
Brandon Stephens comes in as the third lowest graded player of the week with a grade of 51.8. This was Stephens’ first NFL start. Filling in for injured starter, Deshon Eliott, Stephens played decently well but there were some hiccups. Stephens only had two tackles and missed another; he also was targeted three times, allowing two catches for only fourteen yards but one went for a touchdown. Stephens seems to be a versatile player, he played 15 snaps in the box, 23 at free safety, and 7 at slot corner. He is the exact type of player Wink Martindale loves to deploy. A former running back in college, Stephens was moved to cornerback and led SMU with 12 breakups. The Ravens drafted him in the third round and have been using him at safety. Stephens is a solid backup but can also step in when either Elliott or Clark were to go down. He’ll look to start against the Colts next week if Elliott can’t go.
The Ravens are beginning a four game homestand this week when they host the Colts Monday Night. Indianapolis just got their first win this Sunday when they beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17. The Ravens and Jackson should present a much tougher task than Jacoby Brissett. Look for Lamar and company to come out aggressive against a Colts defense who has struggled to defend the pass so far. Rashod Bateman looks to potentially make his NFL debut as well. Hopefully there are no setbacks and the rookie can showcase his skills. The Ravens open up as a seven point favorite and will look to get a big win to keep pace with the Browns and Bengals in the AFC North.
Mirzet was born in Bosnia and raised in upstate NY. Mirzet became a huge fan of the ravens when he first moved to the country and has never looked back. Mirzet is also a former base data analyst at Pro Football Focus. Using advanced metrics and stats has always been a passion of his when discussing anything football-related. Salihovic also lived in Baltimore shortly after he went to college at SUNY Cortland, he currently resides in Utica, NY.