Grading the Ravens’ position groups in their Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Offense
Quarterback: A+
Just when it seems like Lamar Jackson has reached his ultimate form, he takes his game to a new level. Blitz him? He’ll burn you. Load up in coverage? He’ll rip you apart.
The two-time MVP did both to the Buccaneers on Monday night, dropping another signature Jackson 5 touchdown passes in a near-flawless performance. A sloppy screen leading to a turnover was the only negative drop in a sea of spectacular plays, including Jackson’s longest completion since 2022.
And he made it look easy. After taking back-to-back sacks on his first drive, he played the rest of the game like a student with the answers to the test. There was never a moment of panic or uncertainty in his quarterbacking, and that emanated to the rest of the offense. Right now, there’s not a better football player on the planet.
Running backs: A+
Derrick Henry has done something unexpected in Baltimore: he’s redefined himself. Sure, he’s still got the tackle-breaking ability and vicious stiff arm from his peak in Tennessee, but his calling card as a Raven has been pure speed. He is simply blowing by NFL defenders with elite footwork that allows him to accelerate through his cuts in a way few other backs can.
After just four carries in the first half, Henry broke through for two massive runs in the second half before adding his first receiving touchdown of the year, just for kicks. The only Buccaneer who could catch him on his 81-yard rush in the third quarter was 199-pound cornerback Zyon McCollum, who ran a 4.33-second 40 at the 2022 Combine. The King finished with 169 yards on just 15 carries. You do the math.
Don’t forget about Justice Hill, either, who shouldered screen and pass-protection duties in the first half. He made several key plays to help the Ravens overcome offensive penalties on multiple drives.
Wide receivers: B
Rashod Bateman accounted for almost 80% of the Ravens receivers’ production on his own in a career game that showcased his route-running, ball-tracking, and most importantly, chemistry with Jackson. That is an extremely encouraging sign for Baltimore moving forward, who have now seen several different pass-catchers step up into major roles when called upon at different times this season.
The rest of the Ravens’ receiver corps had a quiet game against Tampa Bay. Flowers rolled his ankle in the first quarter but managed to play the rest of the game after a brief absence, though his injury may have reduced his role in the offense with only one target. For the second game in a row, Nelson Agholor made the most of his sole reception, taking it 20 yards to keep Baltimore in field goal range, while Tylan Wallace ran just two routes. It’s tough to grade this unit too harshly without many targets to go around, and they remain impressively committed to the downfield blocking that turns intermediate gains into explosive ones.
Tight Ends: B-
Like the receivers, the tight ends were buoyed by one big statline: Mark Andrews’ pair of touchdowns. That’s two in the last three games for Andrews, who has been in lockstep with Jackson in the red zone and continues to feast as a run-blocker.
Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar were quiet for the second game in a row, combining for just 31 receiving yards, but their mere presence on the field changes the numbers in the run game, not to mention their blocking. Same goes for Patrick Ricard, who didn’t play as much in the first half as the Ravens pulled different levers against the blitz. He did drop his first target of the season on a bullet from Jackson up the seam.
Offensive Line: B+
The Ravens gave up two sacks on their opening drive and then kept Jackson clean for the rest of the game, consistently working together to pick up stunts and blitzes from the Buccaneers’ aggressive defense.
Ronnie Stanley is back to All-Pro form, and Tyler Linderbaum is pulling off blocks in space that few other centers are capable of. Rosengarten had one of his best run-blocking performances, but continued to struggle in true dropback situations. With Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele settled in at their respective guard spots, this unit should keep improving as the year goes on.
Defense
Defensive line: C+
Baltimore switched their defensive line rotation against Tampa Bay with Michael Pierce taking over most of Travis Jones’ snaps. Pierce combined with Nnamdi Madubuike to produce most of the defense’s pressure on Baker Mayfield, but the unit struggled against the run for the first time this season.
Brent Urban made a few stops, but the interior was too often moved off the ball by a talented, well-coached Buccaneers offensive line. This unit is shorthanded with Broderick Washington still out and may need some reinforcements to prevent wear and tear from building throughout the season.
Edge rushers: C-
Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy both recorded one sack, but they struggled to consistently generate pressure against Tristen Wirfs and Luke Goedeke. Tavius Robinson continues to stack solid performances, especially setting the edge against the run, but expanded snaps for David Ojabo and Yannick Ngakoue did not come with commensurate results. The Ravens need more out of this unit to take the pressure off of the secondary in coverage.
Inside linebackers: B+
Roquan Smith was everywhere on Sunday, finishing with 11 tackles and playing a big role in stopping explosive runs by the Buccaneers. He held up in coverage, too, but has not been effective as a blitzer this season. Orr should consider sending Trenton Simpson on more blitzes to keep him on the field against the pass while protecting against his weakness in coverage.
Overall, this duo did an excellent job limiting big plays in the middle of the field, both against the run and the pass, even if they failed to come up with splash plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Cornerbacks: B
Marlon Humphrey’s two interceptions put the Buccaneers on their back foot in the first half, giving the Ravens offense a chance to take and extend the lead. Once he was injured, though, Baltimore struggled to pull of their disguised coverages and stop Tampa Bay through the air.
Brandon Stephens had one of his worst games of the year, allowing more separation than usual and blowing his assignment on the Buccaneers’ first touchdown. Nate Wiggins deserves credit, though, for stepping up into a bigger role after Humphrey went down and not allowing a single reception on his five targets. He’ll take over as a full-time outside cornerback if Humphrey misses any games, while Arthur Maulet has returned just in time to start in the slot.
Safeties: B-
The secondary was less of an issue than the pass rush on Monday night, with an improved performance from Marcus Williams and another day of Kyle Hamilton punishing ballcarriers and would-be pass-catchers all over the field. But Eddie Jackson and Ar’Darius Washington both struggled to make up for Humphrey’s absence. Neither was competitive enough at the catch point or comfortable enough in zone coverage, but Washington did have a sack late in the fourth quarter.