Analytical Review of Bills at Ravens

The Ravens hosted the Buffalo Bills in what was being viewed as the game of the week from pundits and analysts. The game lived up to the hype. The Bills won the game 23-20; coming back from a 17-3 deficit. It was yet another collapse in the second half from the Ravens. It is the second one this year, and it is also the fifth straight home loss dating back to last season. This game also featured another John Harbaugh 4th down decision that is being scrutinized. I firmly believe the decision was the right one but the result was the worst possible outcome. Lamar throwing an interception in the endzone allowed the Bills to easily march down the field from the 20 (not the 2-yard line) and they kicked a chip shot field goal as time expired. The fallout from this game will be talked about all week, but for the context of this article I will simply outline which players graded well and which didn’t. All grades all courtesy of Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Highest Graded Player of the Week: J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins finishes as the highest graded player this week with a mark of 72.8. A grade of 72 is generally solid but it is quite low to be considered the highest of the week. For reference, last week the Ravens had 6 players grade above an 85. But moving onto Dobbins. It was nice to see J.K. hit paydirt twice. He had both a rushing td and a receiving td on a 1-yard shovel pass. His grade is also elevated due to his pass blocking in which he received an 81 grade in that department. He only had 4 snaps as a pass blocker but did well in the limited role. It is good to see him pick up blocks effectively, it just adds to his overall value. Dobbins will draw the Bengals next. The last time he played them he absolutely lit them up on the ground. Hopefully another huge game is in store.

Second Highest Graded Player of the Week: Justin Madubuike

Madubuike had another solid game and finished with a PFF grade of 70.6. Madubuike was a force all day. He did not sack Allen but he did bat two passes and was around the ball constantly. He also added 2 hurries and 2 pressures in route to a very solid game. Madubuike is currently PFF’s 9th graded interior defender. Michael Pierce was 6th before his injury and Calais Campbell is 22nd overall. This interior line of the Ravens is one of the best and will only get better with the improved play of Madabuike and the emergence of Travis Jones, who I will mention later in this article. This front will be tasked with stopping Joe Mixon next week, which should not be hard because his offensive line cannot get a push at all. Mixon is averaging 2.7 yards per carry and will be playing the best defensive front he has faced all year.

Third Highest Graded Player of the Week: Broderick Washington

Washington finishes as the third highest graded player of the week with a mark of 70.5; his third highest graded game of his career. Washington, like Madubuike, is enjoying his best year of his career. Washington finished his rookie campaign with a PFF grade of 30.2, then slightly improved in 2021 with a PFF grade of 59.8, and now is graded at 64.6 through four games. Washington was not a huge difference maker against the Bills but certainly was not a liability. The Bills running backs did not gain many yards on the ground and Washington was a big reason why. He was drawing double teams and allowing other players to make stops. He also added a tackle and 2 assists.

Other notable high graded players:

Travis Jones: 73.3. (Technically the highest graded player of the week but only played 15 snaps).

Ben Powers: 69.5. (Second highest graded offensive player)

Devin Duvernay: 69.3

Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Tyler Linderbaum

Linderbaum comes in as the lowest graded player of the week. The rookie finished with a final PFF grade of 46.1; the lowest grade of his young career. Linderbaum played fairly well for the most part, he had a very good pass blocking grade (79.5) and a little below average run blocking grade (54.6) but he committed a team high three penalties which resulted in a low grade. Two false starts by your center is something you rarely see but Linderbaum did it twice and had a holding call. This type of performance is not worrisome considering he will correct those false starts and there is a good chance we do not see him commit a single false start for the rest of year. Linderbaum is currently PFF’s 20th rated center and will look to improve next week against the Bengals.

Second Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Rashod Bateman

Bateman saw his low graded game of the year this past week; coming in with a final PFF grade of 47.6. It was a struggle for the pass catchers on both sides due to rainy conditions. But Bateman stood out with his 2 drops on 6 targets, one drop was on a crucial third down in the second half that would’ve easily moved the chains. Bateman has been solid thus far but now has 4 drops in as many games. His final stat line was 3 catches for 17 yards before leaving with an injury. Bateman will be needed next week in a divisional clash vs the rival Bengals.

Third Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Marlon Humphrey

Humphrey rounds of this list by finishing with a PFF game grade of 47.9. Yes, he did have an interception but that was mostly due to an errant throw by Allen. Humphrey suffered a bad grade mostly due to his run defense. He played 20 run defense snaps and managed one tackle and missed another. This low grade is not indicative of him as a player; it was a rainy game and footing was hard for most skill positions players on both sides. He’ll look to avenge his performance from last season when he lines up against Ja’Marr Chase next week. Chase lit up Humphrey for over 200 yards last year and I am sure Humphrey has not forgotten about it. Get your popcorn ready.

Other notable low grades:

Lamar Jackson: 58

Bradon Stephens: 51.9 (third straight game under a 60 grade)

Patrick Queen: 56.1 (His highest grade of the season)

After yet another collapse at home; the Ravens draw the Bengals next Sunday Night in Prime Time. This will surely be a revenge game after the Bengals swept the season series last season. Burrow and Chase destroyed the Ravens in both games but especially the second game where the Ravens were starting practice squad players. They also did not have Marcus Peters for either game so it will be interesting to see the WR/DB matchups. Joe Burrow was on a podcast this off-season gloating about the two wins against the Ravens last season and how they talk trash. Interestingly he did not bring up his rookie season when the Ravens were at full strength and he managed a 66 QB rating and nearly got shut out. But hey, maybe if they lose, he will still throw a party afterwards like he did when they lost the Super Bowl. The Ravens will need a strong performance from their secondary to have a chance in this one. They open up as 3-point favorites at home.