Quarterback: B-
Lamar Jackson only needed to throw 12 passes for the Ravens to cruise to a shutout victory. Despite limited opportunity, Jackson completed eight throws for 150 yards, two touchdowns and
finished with a passer rating of 114.6 — the latter two being his highest marks since October 30. Jackson did have another interception after Zay Flowers dropped a pass that then fell into the arms of a defender. While that wasn’t his fault, he also had one errant overthrow to Mark Andrews that should have been picked off but was dropped. He also took four sacks, some of which were the result of him being indecisive in his run-versus-pass decision making. Sans the turnover, though, Jackson was sharper throwing the football in this game than he has been in recent weeks, and he picked up two first downs via scramble with 26 rushing yards. He’s looked much more athletically spry the past two games, which is a positive sign for the Ravens’ offensive hopes.
Running Back: A-
The Ravens rumbled for a total of 189 rushing yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry, taking advantage of a plus matchup against the Bengals’ run defense. Derrick Henry led the way with 100 yards on only 11 carries, with a long 29-yard rush. It was Henry’s fifth 100+ yard outing of the season and his most efficient performance in terms of yards per carry since Week 1. Keaton Mitchell, meanwhile, rushed for an efficient 66 yards on eight carries — a week after totaling 76 yards on just six attempts in Week 14. Mitchell ran hard and decisively in this game, giving the Ravens some juice behind Henry. If he can continue building momentum over the final stretch of the year, it could pay dividends for Baltimore’s offense. Rasheen Ali had two catches and a long 30-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass for his first career score.
Wide Receiver: C+
It was a rollercoaster performance from Flowers with both highs and lows. Flowers caught a long 28-yard touchdown pass and made another impressive acrobatic grab earlier in the game. At the same time, he also had two costly drops — one that resulted in the aforementioned interception and the other was a would-be touchdown in the end zone. He still led the team in receiving with 68 yards and three catches, and he scored for the first time since Week 1. Deandre Hopkins saw one target and made the most of it, reeling in a 32-yard reception that was the longest of the day for the team. With no Rashod Bateman (ankle) in the lineup, no other wide receiver stepped into a larger offensive role.
Tight End: C
It was another quiet day at the office for the Ravens’ tight end group in this matchup. Mark Andrews was the only tight end to receive a target, and he caught two passes for 18 yards. Andrews continues to take a clear backseat to Flowers in the pecking order of Jackson’s go-to targets. Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar were not a factor in the passing game. All the tight ends played a role in the team’s success in the run game, though, and deserve credit for blocking well.
Offensive Line: B-
The Ravens’ offense line thrived in run blocking, which is their strength as a unit, and had their way with Cincinnati’s defensive front. After a slow start in the first quarter, running lanes started opening up consistently for the remainder of the game. The Ravens had success running inside the tackles and on zone rushes outside the edges as well. They still surrendered some pressure more than one would like, especially with the Bengals missing Trey Hendrickson, as Jackson was sacked four times and hit five in total. However, all-in-all this was a more impressive performance from the front-five unit than many of their games recently.
Defensive Line: B+
Fresh off signing a three-year contract extension earlier this week, Travis Jones had a dominant performance in Cincinnati. Jones racked up four total tackles with a sack, tackle for loss, and quarterback hit, while also making strong plays against the run. John Jenkins also had four tackles as well. The defensive line didn’t make a huge statistical pass-rushing impact outside of Jones but played a part in the team’s overall success against Joe Burrow in the trenches. Furthermore, they did a good job against the run. The Bengals ran for 100 total yards on 29 carries (3.4 yards per carry) and recorded no single rush longer than 10 yards.
Edge Rusher: A
The Ravens’ defense had their best pass-rushing performance of the season and the much-maligned edge rusher group led the way. In his return from a foot injury, Tavius Robinson made an immediate impact with a sack, two quarterback hits, and tackle for loss. Rookie Mike Green recorded got on the board in all three of these categories as well. Dre’Mont Jones was not able to get home on Burrow but wreaked havoc in the pocket with a game-high five quarterback hits. Jones played with a physical tenacity and edge that the Ravens have been lacking. Kyle Van Noy had quarterback hit on Burrow as well and also made one of the key plays of the game. In the fourth quarter, Van Noy dropped into coverage and intercepted a pass attempt at Baltimore’s own seven-yard line. Van Noy handed the ball off to Alohi Gilman after picking it off, which led to an 84-yard touchdown return.
Linebacker: B+
One unfortunate casualty of the Ravens’ victory was Teddye Buchanan, who suffered a knee injury and did not return after exiting the game early. In his place, Trenton Simpson stepped into an elevated role and finished second on the team in tackles (nine). Roquan Smith was all over the field, racking up 14 total tackles including eight solo ones. The Ravens’ coverage over the middle of the field was solid and the linebackers played a big role against the run, too.
Cornerback: B+
It was helpful for the Ravens’ cornerbacks to avoid facing Tee Higgins again, who was absent from this game with a concussion. Ja’Marr Chase was still able to get his even on a lousy day for the Bengals’ offense, in large part because he was the only wide receiver seeing passes thrown his way. Chase had 10 catches for 132 yards on 16 targets. The Ravens did a good job limiting the impact of Cincinnati’s other wideouts — only one other non-chase wide receiver had a catch. Nate Wiggins had eight tackles with a pass breakup and Marlon Humphrey also recorded another pass breakup after having three last week. Humphrey corralled an interception off a high throw to Chase and returned it for 21 yards. The Ravens saw Chidobe Awuzie exit the game early as well with a foot injury, which would be an impactful loss should he have to miss any time.
Safety: B+
The aforementioned Gilman had arguably his best performance with the Ravens since being acquired by the team. In addition to his long touchdown, which gave the Ravens a commanding 24-point lead in the fourth quarter, Gilman also had eight tackles, a pass breakup, and played well against the run. Malaki Starks recorded a nice pass breakup as well in single coverage and five tackles of his own. Kyle Hamilton tied Gilman for tackles with eight and played his usual all-around role and made an impact in all facets. The Ravens’ safety trio was joined by Ar’Darius Washington, who had two tackles in his season debut.
Special Teams: B
Jordan Stout punted three times, and his longest attempt went for only 53 yards. He did have a punt inside the 20-yard line, though. Tyler Loop connected on his only field goal try and all three extra points. The Ravens had no punt returns and Ali returned their only kickoff return for 32 yards. On the flip side, their own return coverage was solid. The Bengals lost two yards in the punt return game as Charlie Jones was stuffed for negative yardage.
