The Ravens went into Cincinnati on Sunday with a completely decimated roster looking to upset the division leading Bengals. For only the second time this season, the Ravens were blown out. Both blowouts came at the hands of the Bengals. The Bengals routed the Ravens 41-21 in what was one of the best QB performances of all time. Joe Burrow threw for 525 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Ravens simply had no answer for the second-year signal caller as he was simply doing whatever he wanted against the banged-up Ravens secondary. On offense, Josh Johnson played as well as you can ask given the circumstances. Johnson was called up to start after backup QB, Tyler Huntley, was placed on COVID reserve the day before. Johnson was able to do some nice things but the Bengals offense was simply too much to overcome. The Ravens have now lost 4 straight games and are in danger of missing the postseason for the first time in the Lamar Jackson era. Below I will highlight the 3 highest and 3 lowest graded players of the week via Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Highest Graded Player of the Week: Mark Andrews
For the second straight week; Mark Andrews comes in as the highest graded player, registering a PFF grade of 91.1. It is his 4th highest graded game this season which should tell you everything you need to know about the elite tight end. Andrews is proving to be QB-proof as he has now posted PFF grades of 90 or better with 3 different quarterbacks this season. Andrews final stat line was 8 receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown. He did this on 10 targets which marks 3 straight games with over 10 targets and also 3 straight games with over 100 receiving yards and 1 or more touchdowns. Andrews was also 3-3 on contested catches which simply shows his athleticism and the QB’s trust in him. Andrews is atop the PFF grading chart for tight ends. His grade of 91.6 ranks 1st out of 74 qualified tight ends. He is also the only Ravens offensive player with a PFF grade above 80. The next closest is Bradley Bozeman who sits at a 74.2 grade. Besides Lamar, he is easily the Ravens most valuable player on offense. He’ll be needed once again for a showdown against the Rams next week.
Second Highest Graded Player of the Week: Tony Jefferson
Tony Jefferson comes in as the second highest graded player of the week, finishing with a PFF grade of 85.2. Jefferson has had a rough few years. After tearing his ACL in 2019, the Ravens released Jefferson the following off-season and decided to role with Chuck Clark. Since then, Jefferson was essentially out of football for a year before landing with the 49ers practice squad this past season. That was short lived however, as the 49ers released him within a few weeks. With the Ravens desperate for any abled body, they decided to sign Jefferson to the practice squad. He was forced into game action this past Sunday due to Clark missing the game with COVID. But the former sooner did not disappoint. Jefferson was a bright spot for the defense on a day that saw Burrow have a career game passing. Jefferson had a sack, 5 tackles and held up in coverage as he was targeted 4 times, allowing 3 receptions for 22 yards, and even had a pass break up. It is good to see Jefferson play well as the Ravens safeties have not played particularly well this season for the most part. Jefferson and the secondary will have their hands full next week as they welcome the Rams and their prolific passing attack in a must win game for the Ravens.
Third Highest Graded Player of the Week: James Proche
Proche rounds off the highest graded list this week finishing with a PFF grade of 84, his highest of the season. Proche had his best game of the season, finishing with 7 catches on 8 targets for 76 yards. Proche, listed at 5’11 and 190 pounds, profiles as a perfect slot receiver. And that’s what his role was against the Bengals. He lined up 15 times in the slot and only twice out wide. 4 out of his 8 catches resulted in a first down and he had an average depth of target (aDot) of 9 yards. He did a nice job of getting open for Josh Johnson and made his job easier. The sure-handed Proche has not played much this season due to being buried on the depth chart, but he has shown to be reliable when called upon. The Ravens should feel good about guys like Proche and Duvernay, 2 guys who are low on the depth chart but have proven to be reliable when needed.
Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Brandon Stephens
Stephens comes in as the lowest graded player this week, finishing with a PFF grade of 24.3, the lowest grade given to a Raven’s defensive player this season. After having the best game of his career last week, Stephens follows that up with the worst game of this career. Before I get into the bad, Stephens had a solid game as a tackler, he finished with 4 tackles, one assist and zero missed tackles. The problem was his coverage. He was targeted 3 times, allowed all 3 targets to be caught for a whopping 98 yards and a touchdown. He was the responsible man for the long Tyler Boyd TD. Truly a back breaking play. Stephens will look to forget this game and move onto next week against a potent Rams passing offense.
Second Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Kevon Seymour
Seymour lands as the second lowest graded player this week finishing with a PFF grade of 46.5. It was just bad all around for the Ravens secondary, and Seymour was no exception. He finished the game with 2 missed tackles, and he allowed 7 receptions on 8 targets for 123 yards and allowed one touchdown. The Raven’s secondary is literally running on fumes. Anthony Averett, who was their only decent cornerback, went down with injured ribs. The Ravens were running practice squad players against a potent passing attack and the result was what you expected. The Ravens simply cannot be competitive with who they have in their defensive backfield. Seymour will have the pleasure of facing Cooper Kupp next week.
Third lowest Graded Player of the Week: Daryl Worley
Worley rounds off this week’s list; coming in with a PFF grade of 49.8. Worley was signed to the practice squad during the week and was thrust into a game against one of the best QBs in the league. I cannot fault him for not playing well given the circumstances but he certainly did not play inspiring football like how Tony Jefferson did. He allowed 6 catches on 7 targets for 57 yards and one touchdown. Daryl Worley has played in the NFL since 2016 and has seen his PFF grade drop every year. In 6 seasons he has been targeted a staggering 309 times and has given up 24 touchdowns. He has a career yards per reception mark of 13.8 and has a 106-career passer rating against. Times are tough in Baltimore.
Just a month ago the Ravens were the number 1 seed and now they could easily miss the playoffs entirely. They are simply too banged up at too many crucial positions to realistically compete. They will need Lamar Jackson back in the worst way next week as Aaron Donald will look to destroy the struggling offensive line. Even with Lamar back, they just simply have too many injuries in the secondary. The final 2 games should be treated as playoff games. The only saving grace: Both games will be at home.
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.