The Falcons came into M&T Bank Stadium to face the Ravens in a must-win game for both teams. The Ravens ended up securing the win and clinching a playoff spot due to the Bengals defeating the Patriots. The Ravens now have ten wins on the season and are on a collision course with the aforementioned Bengals in Week 18 for the right to be the kings of the North. But before we look ahead, we have to examine some of the standouts in the game vs the Falcons. Below I will highlight the three highest and three lowest graded players of the week via PFF.
Highest Graded Player of the Week: Morgan Moses
Moses checks in as the highest graded player this week; he finished the game with a PFF grade of 92.8, his second game this season with a 92+ grade. Moses had yet another dominant performance in the run-blocking department. He finished this game with a run-blocking grade 93.3 which is his third game this season with a run-blocking grade of 93+. He was a big reason why the Ravens running backs averaged nearly 7 yards per carry. Moses is currently PFF’s tenth overall graded Tackle and is 6th overall in terms of run-blocking grade. Moses and the running game will be needed again next week when they host their rivals, The Steelers in yet another important division game.
Second Highest Graded Player of the Week: Chuck Clark
Finally, Clark appears on this list. Clark’s PFF grade of 85.4 was by far his highest graded game of the season, his next closest game was in week one at the Jets. But in between these two games, his highest graded game was 69. Clark was all over the field in this contest, he lined up in the box 23 times and lined up 23 times at free safety. Clark had 7 total tackles and did not miss a tackle. He also was only targeted twice and allowed one reception for zero yards. Clark and the defense were lights out once again. The defense has allowed only three touchdowns over their last four games and have really flipped the script since their early season deficiencies. Clark has not graded well on an overall basis but has graded extremely well as a tackler. He has 87 tackles on the season and only 7 missed tackles. He and this defense has been the catalyst for this team over the last month and will need to continue the momentum going into the final weeks of the season and the playoffs. Expect the defense to continue the dominant play as they host the Steelers next week.
Third Highest Graded Player of the Week: Gus Edwards
Edwards rounds off the list with his best game of the season. “Gus Bus” finished the game with and 85.3 grade. Edwards had an absurd 9 yards per carry in this contest on 11 attempts. He consistently gashed the Falcons defense with big run after big run. His 63 yards after contact were also his highest since week 8. Edwards had only 11 rushing attempts but 5 of those rushes went for first downs. It was clearly his best game of the season and the offensive line did a tremendous job at opening holes. But Edwards has been quietly one of the best actual runners since he entered the league. He has now gone 4 straight seasons averaging over 5 yards per carry. The only other running backs to accomplish that feat? Nick Chubb. Edwards will face the Steelers next week. The last time they played, Edwards went for 66 yards and the Ravens rushed for over 200 as a team.
Other Notable High Grades:
Patrick Ricard: 84.6
Demarcus Robinson: 81.7
Sammy Watkins: 75.5
Roquan Smith: 76.7 (82.3 grade since joining Ravens. 51.4 grade with Bears)
Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Justin Madubuike
Madubuike finishes this week as the lowest graded player. His 41.5 overall was his lowest of the season and Madabuike now has 5 straight games under a 55 grade. You truly felt the Absence of Campbell in this contest. The Falcons ran for 115 yards and had a lot of success on the outside zones. Madabuike had two tackles but did miss two and only had one pressure on 28 pass-rush snaps. He now has only 6 pressures over his last 5 outings and has been mostly a non-factor. Madabuike came out of the gates strong but has cooled off in the second half of the season. Hopefully the young interior defender will have a bounce-back game vs the Steelers next week.
Second Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Jason Pierre-Paul
JPP comes in as the second lowest graded player this week. He finished the game with a PFF grade of 46.3. The pass rush for the Ravens was mostly did non-existent and Pierre-Paul was part of the problem. The veteran had 17 pass rush snaps and only managed one pressure. But he was mostly a liability as a run defender where he had only one tackle and missed two more. JPP has only 16 pressures this season on 267 pass rushing snaps on the season. The team needs a spark from someone other than Justin Houston if they want to have a chance to make a deep postseason run.
Third Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Odafe Oweh
Oweh rounds off this list with yet another underwhelming performance. He finished the game with a 50.8 grade and is now ranked 101st overall among 120 qualified edge rushers on the season. Oweh managed only one pressure one 15 pass rushing snaps. He now has 2 or less pressures in all but 5 games this season. He did contribute three tackles and did not miss a tackle which is a good sign because he has had some awful showings in that department this season. The team has to be disappointed with Oweh this season. He only has one game over a 68-pass rushing grade this season and has not had a single impactful play on the season. Hopefully he and the rest of the edge rushers can step up their play down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Other Notable Low Grades:
Isaiah Likely: 40.2
Ronnie Stanley: 59.2
Tyler Huntley: 63.1
Now that the Ravens have clinched a playoff spot, they turn their attention to the North. Their next two game are against the Steelers and then on the road against the Bengals where it could be for the Division. The team has been having plenty of offensive woes over the last several games now but they are managing to win close games. Something they were incapable of down the stretch last season. It does not matter how they win but as long as they do win. The playoffs are a one game series and anything can happen, and the best teams know how to close out close games. The offense should hopefully get Lamar Jackson back this week for their final stretch of games. The offense looks stale and they need a spark badly, and Lamar Jackson just happens to be the most dynamic runner in the league. The defense has been playing on an elite level but you really want to see more from the edge rushers, Queen and Roquan have been excellent at blitzing but you cannot rely on that as your main pass rush options. But it would be unfair to judge this defense because they have been the reason for the team’s last few wins. The Ravens will host the Steelers next week who are technically not eliminated yet and always play the Ravens close regardless of record. The Ravens open up as 4-point favorites.
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.