Analytical Review of Ravens at Jaguars

The Baltimore Ravens traveled to Jacksonville to face off against the 3-7 Jaguars coming off a bye week. The Jags prevailed 28-27 in an impressive come-from-behind effort. All four of the Ravens’ losses have come via fourth quarter comebacks. Baltimore settled for four RedZone field goals in the first three quarters which kept the Jags alive throughout the game. That, coupled with dreadful pass defense in the fourth quarter and yet another late game turnover sealed the collapse. The offense was mostly good throughout the game but just could not finish drives. The defense was mostly good as well until the fourth quarter arrived. They allowed 18 fourth quarter points and a game sealing 2-point conversion which ultimately decided the game. We have to be honest about this Ravens team; they have moments where they look very good, but they have trouble closing out games. This team could easily hold an 11-0 record if they simply did what they are supposed to do when holding a multi-possession lead in the fourth quarter. But that is wishful thinking and they currently sit at 7-4 with the Bengals hot on their trail. I have a feeling Week 18 will be flexed into Sunday Night Football as it very well could be a game that will decide the division. As bad as it was, there were some positive takeaways as I will outline below with three highest graded players of the week. I will also showcase the bad as well with the three lowest graded players of the week. All grades courtesy of PFF.

Highest Graded Player of the Week: Lamar Jackson

Jackon checks in as the highest graded player in the contest with a PFF grade of 90.9, his highest of the season. If you simply look at the box score, you would say “Jackson had an average game”. He went 16-32 (50% completion) with only one touchdown and zero picks. But if you look deeper into it, you will see a much different, better game for Jackson. Jackson’s pass catchers dropped five passes (season high) including what should’ve been an easy touchdown to Demarcus Robinson, but he dropped the pass in the endzone. If he makes that play, the game is completely different and Jackson’s numbers look completely different. You cannot blame Jackson for putting the balls in the proper places and his wide receivers not making simple plays. He also had 3 big time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays which I believe is the most important stat. He was also a force on the ground, where he added 14 carries for 89 yards. Jackson also had his best game of the season in terms of average depth of target which was a season high, 13.1. Jackson was aggressive all day and looked very good. He was just let down by his pass catchers and defense. Jackson also finished as the highest graded PFF QB of the week. He is surely the last of the problems on this team and is always putting his team in positions to win. He’ll look to carry the momentum into next week as the stout Broncos defense comes into M&T Bank Stadium.

Second Highest Graded Player of the Week: Broderick Washington

Washington finishes as the second highest graded player this week and highest graded defensive player of the game with a mark of 83.8, his best game of the season. This is now Washington’s third straight game with a game grade of 73 or better. He is really coming into his own and this game really showcased his talents. He had a very impressive sack early in the game, beating his man cleanly and getting to Lawrence quickly for the sack. He also added 3 total “stops” and had 4 total tackles in the game with zero missed tackles. It was an all-around great performance for an up-and-coming young interior player that the Ravens always seem to develop. He and the defensive front will face the Broncos offensive line next which rank in the bottom half of the league in run and pass-blocking grades via PFF.

Third Highest Graded Player of the Week: Josh Oliver

Oliver rounds off this list by finishing with a PFF grade of 83.1, his second highest graded game of the season. The TE surely had a great revenge game vs his former team who traded him away to the Ravens a season ago. Oliver finished with 4 catches on 6 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. Oliver had an eye-popping 19 yards per reception in this contest. All four of his receptions led to a first down or a touchdown but his grade would’ve been higher if he did not have a drop. The drop was his first of the season which shows how solid he has been this season operating as mostly the number two Tight End behind All-Pro, Mark Andrews. Oliver only has 11 receptions on the season but he has made crucial first down and touchdowns with his limited role. He’ll look to continue the solid play next week, though Charlie Kolar could make his season debut and eat into his snap count.

Other Notable High Grades:

DeSean Jackson: 91 (He has a 91 grade in each game he has appeared in, 7 snaps in each contest)

Calais Campbell: 78

Tyus Bowser: 72.9 (His highest grade since he debuted in Week 9)

Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Brandon Stephens

Stephens gets the lowly distinction as the lowest graded player of the week. Stephens finished the game with a PFF grade of 41.2 which amazingly is not his worst game of the season. That came in week two when he had 35.4 grade against the Patriots. The Ravens for some reason continue to use Stephens as an outside corner even though he has shown absolutely nothing in his career to prove he deserves that important role. That may sound harsh, but it is objectively true. Last season as a rookie he finished with a season grade of 53, which was among one of the worst grades amongst all starting corners. This season he is actually worse. He currently has a 46.3 grade on the season which ranks 112th out of 121 qualified corners. He also had an allowed reception percentage of 78.6 and QBs had a near perfect QB rating when targeting Stephens last season. This year he is slightly improved in coverage but is still poor overall. Versus the Jags, it was really bad. Mostly in fourth quarter. It seemed like every play Lawrence was picking on Stephens. Stephens allowed 7 receptions on 8 targets and the game-losing two-point conversion at the end. Credit the Jags, they went after the weakest link in the Ravens secondary and continued to exploit it until the game was decided. He does have an impressive 81 overall tackling grade on the season, which is important to have when you allow as many catches as Stephens does. At least next week Stephens will get to play the Russell Wilson and the broken Broncos offense. So, he should grade better, but I won’t believe until I see it. Through two seasons, his highest game grade is 76.

Second Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Justin Madubuike

Madubuike is the second lowest graded player of the week. He finished with a PFF grade of 44.5, which marks his worst game of the season. Madubuike never really seemed to get going in this contest, he had 29 pass rush snaps and only managed two pressures and two hurries. His grade is also dragged down by a poor tackling grade, he missed two tackles and his grade suffered because of it. Unlike Stephens, Madubuike has earned the benefit of the doubt by having multiple good games on the season and this is surely a blip on the radar for the promising young interior defender. He’ll look to rebound vs the Broncos next week.

Third Lowest Graded Player of the Week: Ben Powers

Powers rounds off the list by finishing with a PFF grade of 45.8, his lowest grade since week one. Powers has had a great season as a pass-blocker. His 84.2 grade is among the highest grades out of qualified guards on the season. But his run-blocking grade of 50.2 is among the worst out of all qualified guards. This game was no different, he had a solid day as a pass blocker but a poor grade as a run blocker. To put into perspective, Powers has only one game above a 65-run blocking grade but 8 games above a 70-pass blocking grade including multiple games in the 80’s. Powers is having a career year overall but the run-blocking needs to improve if he wants to be a complete guard. He is still young and can surely improve in that area. He is a valuable piece to one of the best offensive lines in the league.

Other Notable Low Grades:

Kenyan Drake: 48.6

Jason Pierre-Paul: 48.7

Mark Andrews: 54.1

Gus Edwards: 53.9

The Ravens now sit at 7-4, still atop the AFC North but were the only AFC north team to lose this week. The rest of the division all had impressive wins and the Bengals are a real threat now to dethrone a very vulnerable Ravens team. The Ravens fortunately get to host the Broncos this weekend who simply cannot move the ball even against the worst teams. The Ravens very badly need to take care of business at home before going on the road the following two weeks against their rivals, the Steelers and Browns. The offense needs to help Lamar out by catching some passes that are thrown to them and the defense needs to figure out how to make some stops in fourth quarters of close games. Could this Jags game be aberration? Maybe. But we have seen this team repeatedly collapse in these situations, so it is hard to give them the benefit of the doubt. The Ravens open up as 8.5 home favorites against the Broncos.