Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position after a 28-14 AFC wild-card round win over the Steelers on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore:
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson beat up on the Steelers with both his legs and his arm. Jackson had big runs early as the Steelers crashed down with their outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, forcing running back Derrick Henry inside. Jackson beat them to the outside with option plays off the edge. The NFL Most Valuable Player contender had 81 yards on 15 carries and also completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. His scrambles kept several passing plays alive, but Jackson was also sharp throwing across the middle. His timing was nearly perfect on almost every throw in the first half. Grade: A
Running backs
Pittsburgh had no way of containing Henry, who rushed 26 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Henry wore the Steelers down, and it was evident he would have a big game after the first quarter. The Ravens also got backup Justice Hill in the mix. Henry, however, was in beast mode and had good cutback runs inside the tackles early, but also nice gains on pitches around the corner. He finished with 186 yards and two scores on 26 carries as Baltimore finished with 299 yards on the ground. Grade: A
Offensive line
The tackles, Ronnie Stanley and rookie Roger Rosengarten, did a nice job controlling a Pittsburgh strength in outside linebackers Highsmith and Watt. Both tackles played well as far as allowing both linebackers to go inside and then sometimes they would just reverse-shoulder them down. On passing plays, both Ravens were successful in hooking the Steelers’ rushers inside and allowing Jackson to get outside. In the running game, guards Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele wore down the Steelers’ interior and had no problems getting into linebackers Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen. The only disappointing plays were the presnap penalties. Stanley had two and Rosengarten had one. Grade: A
Receivers
The Ravens had success in almost every area of the field except outside the numbers. But they didn’t have to attack there because Jackson was successful in the intermediate area of the field. Pittsburgh adjusted its coverage in the second half, but the Ravens made enough plays to keep drives alive in the first 30 minutes. Tight end Isaiah Likely led the Ravens with 53 yards on three catches, and fellow tight end Mark Andrews had two for 27. The Ravens needed major contributions without slot receiver Zay Flowers, who was out with a knee injury, and Jackson completed passes to seven players. It was a good blend of mixing and matching and getting everyone involved. Grade: A
Defensive line
This group swallowed up Pittsburgh’s running game and made the Steelers one-dimensional. Pittsburgh had only 29 rushing yards and finished with 280 yards of total offense. The Ravens kept consistent pressure on Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson, who is basically a statue compared with his younger self. Tackle Nnamdi Madubuike had four tackles and two sacks and looked relentless in pursuit. He didn’t play that way earlier in the season. Nose tackle Michael Pierce had one sack and one pressure but, perhaps most importantly, has been healthy for his second straight game. Grade: A
Linebackers
Middle man Roquan Smith led the group with five tackles and weakside linebacker Malik Harrison had four. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh had a sack and three pressures on Wilson. The Ravens came up and tackled well and kept everything inside of them. They occasionally let Wilson get outside of the pocket, but they might have underestimated his ability or speed. Overall, though, Pittsburgh’s biggest plays came on the outside in one-on-one matchups against the cornerbacks. Grade: A
Secondary
The Ravens played well enough to win, but there are still questions about this secondary, especially at one cornerback position where the Ravens have used both Brandon Stephens and Tre’Davious White. Both have had problems in coverage and give up long passing plays. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has to shoulder some responsibility for not going after both earlier in the game. The Ravens seem to have several standouts in cornerback Marlon Humphrey (four tackles) and safeties Kyle Hamilton (three) and Ar’Darius Washington (seven), but this unit still seems confused at times and might have trouble against a good offensive team like Kansas City. Grade: C+
Special teams
Punt returner Steven Sims is scary. Not only did he fumble one return, but he was also indecisive as to when to make a return. Whenever he is back there, he doesn’t provide a comfort level. The Ravens also had other goof-ups on special teams, such as Jordan Stout kicking a punt into the end zone even though the Steelers didn’t have a returner. How about kicking it to the 20-yard line and allowing it to bounce? Stout averaged 45.8 yards per punt. These units have to perform better in the postseason. Grade: C+
Coaching
The Ravens came out early and scored often, something they have struggled to do in the postseason under Jackson. They were physically stronger and better than Pittsburgh, and it showed. Coach John Harbaugh finally has this team playing with some toughness, and it’s been that way for the past month. Coordinator Todd Monken seems to have settled in on using the running game, and Henry doesn’t allow Monken to second-guess himself about throwing more often. Defensively, the Ravens still seem lost in coverage sometimes, and it shows on the faces of both safeties, Hamilton and Washington. Overall, the Ravens did what needed to be done and that’s advance in the postseason, but there are areas to improve. Grade: B
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