Offense
Quarterback: B+
It was a tale of two halves for Lamar Jackson. In the first half, he and the entire offense were slowed down and struggled to get much going. Jackson himself had some uncharacteristic overthrown passes and appeared out of sync with his pass-catchers. The Browns’ pressure flustered him on multiple occasions. However, Jackson was much sharper as the game progressed. He strangely only ran the ball two times for 13 yards on the day but wound up completing 19 of 29 (65.5%) of his passes for 225
passing yards and four touchdowns. Jackson’s deep ball was on-point, and he connected on several long throws to Deandre Hopkins, Devontez Walker, Zay Flowers, and more. Jackson put the ball in harm’s way more than usual but still finished with zero turnovers. By his lofty standards, this wasn’t Jackson’s best performance. However, he still had a more-than-fine day overall and orchestrated a second consecutive 40+ point showing for the offense. His passing prowess in the second half was especially paramount given the Ravens’ struggles to get the ground game going.
Running Back: D+
After tearing up the Buffalo Bills’ defense for most of the game in Week 1, Derrick Henry was unable to get anything going in this game. He had several rushes that were stuffed at the line of scrimmage or went for negative yardage. He finished with 11 carries for only 23 yards, with a longest rush of eight yards. The Browns made a concerted effort to sell out to stop the run early in the game, which was a successful strategy. As the game progressed, the Ravens went away from the rushing attack and spread the Browns’ defense out more through the air. Henry also lost a fumble for a second straight game, but this time it was fortunately recovered by the Ravens. Backup Justice Hill saw only three rushing attempts and gained seven yards, as well as 18 more yards through the air via three receptions. Rasheen Ali, who once again was active over Keaton Mitchell, did not make an offensive impact. A harsh grade is only fair given the high expectations of Henry and company and the near lost fumble that threatened a scoring drive.
Tight End: D+
For the second straight week, the Ravens’ tight ends were essentially absent from the team’s offensive game plan. Mark Andrews once again had just one lone reception, which gained only two yards. One of his other three targets should have been a touchdown but Andrews had the ball jarred loose in the end zone after initially catching it cleanly. Right before that play, third-string Zaire Mitchell-Mitchell Paden had another would-be touchdown catch slip through his hands. Mitchell-Paden was flagged for a costly false start just a play earlier two that backed the Ravens up from the Browns’ goal line. Charlie Kolar was not targeted again. The lack of receiving production combined with little-to-no notable push in the run blocking department was disappointing. The forthcoming return of Isaiah Likely will be a welcome addition to this group, who evidently has missed his presence a little more than many expected through two weeks.
Wide Receiver: A-
After Zay Flowers carried the load for the Ravens’ pass-catchers in Week 1, the receiving production was more spread out against the Browns. It was all-around showing from the wide receiver group, who accounted for all four of the team’s offensive touchdowns. Flowers once again led the team with seven receptions for 75 yards on 11 targets. While he didn’t score or catch a 20+ yard pass, Flowers caught key passes and created extra yards after the catch. Deandre Hopkins made the most of his targets and delivered two highlight-reel receptions again. He reeled in a long 41-yard pass that was initially called a touchdown before he was ruled down just before the goal line. Later in the fourth quarter, Hopkins caught a 24-yard score from Jackson. Both catches were contested in one-on-one coverage. Hopkins clearly has earned the trust of Jackson through two weeks. Devontez Walker caught two passes for 26 yards and both were touchdowns, while Tylan Wallace also had two catches including a 15-yard score early in the game. No. 2 wideout Rashod Bateman had a second straight quiet outing with only two receptions for 15 yards, but the contributions from the rest of the group compensated for his lack of production.
Offensive Line: C
It wasn’t the best day at the office for the Ravens’ offensive line. In the run blocking department, they struggled to open up rushing lanes against an aggressive Browns’ defensive front. Rushing for 45 yards total on 21 carries is a far cry from the Ravens’ standard and a big step back from last week. The running backs could have run more decisively, but there was limited running room to be found. They held up better overall in pass blocking but had difficulty containing Myles Garrett. Stanley, who usually performs well against Garrett compared to most offensive tackles, was beaten a couple times in one-on-one settings. To be fair, Garrett is an unstoppable force for any offensive line to truly contain. Jackson was sacked three times for a loss of 28 yards and the Browns had a total of five quarterback hits.
Defense
Defensive Line: B+
The Ravens’ defensive line had an impactful outing in Week 2. Nnamdi Madubuike was again disruptive as a pass-rusher with a well-rounded showing. Madubuike had a sack, tackle-for-loss, and two quarterback hits against Flacco, while also recording seven hurries as well. No other defensive end or defensive tackle made a significant impact in the box score, but as a group they held up well. The Browns wound up finishing with 115 rushing yards on 22 carries (5.2 yards per carry), but the Ravens limited any legitimate damage on the ground. 31 of those yards came on one carry in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
Edge Rusher: B+
Among the most impactful defenders in this game, Tavius Robinson was one of them. Robinson was far more active than in the season opener. He racked up six tackles, third on the team, with a sack, quarterback hit, and tackle-for-loss. Robinson was responsible for the forced fumble off Flacco in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a 63-yard touchdown return that put the Ravens up by 24 points. Odafe Oweh had two quarterback hits with a number of hurries and pressures. Rookie Mike Green had a quarterback hit as well, and so did Kyle Van Noy before exiting the game early with a hamstring injury. The Ravens’ edge rushers collectively made life difficult for Flacco and were in the offensive backfield often.
Linebacker: A
After a disappointing performance in Week 1, Roquan Smith led the inside linebacker corps to an outstanding bounce-back showing against the Browns. Smith individually played a starring role and had arguably his best overall game as a member of the Ravens. He finished with 15 total tackles, eight of which were solo, with three tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback hits. Smith was a force against the run and made a number of key open-field tackles. Notably, he also recovered a fumble and returned it 63 yards to the house for a touchdown. Rookie Teddye Buchanan got the start next to him over Trenton Simpson after the two split snaps last week. Buchanan recorded six tackles and Simpson had four. The playing time share may continue to swing towards the latter’s way in the coming weeks.
Cornerback: A
Marlon Humphrey exited the game early with a groin injury, which hopefully will not necessitate an extended absence. Humphrey’s lone mistake of dropping a gifted would-be interception that was then caught for a touchdown in the end zone was the lone blemish from this group on the day. The Ravens’ cornerbacks played much better in this game than they did in Week 1. Humphrey had a pass breakup, Nate Wiggins had a team-high three pass breakups with an interception, and T.J. Tampa had a key knockdown on a fourth down. Wiggins also had a tackle-for-loss where he blew up a screen pass with a crushing hit. He returned his interception of Flacco for 60 yards down the field. Tampa earned the active nod over veteran Jaire Alexander and made the most of it. Chidobe Awuzie and Keyon Martin each had five total tackles.
Safety: A-
Last week, Kyle Hamilton was almost a one-man show for the entire defense at times it felt. That wasn’t the case against the Browns, but he still had another solid performance. Hamilton had five combined tackles and one tackle-for-loss. His running mate, rookie Malaki Starks, again looked comfortable in his second career contest. Starks finished second on the defense in tackles with seven, trailing only Smith. The Browns did complete multiple passes of over 20 yards, but the Ravens’ safety tandem did a good job of limiting explosive plays. The Ravens should feel good about how Starks has looked alongside Hamilton through two weeks now, while the latter continues to play at an All-Pro level.
Special Teams: A–
It was a strong all-around game from the Ravens’ special teams. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop was once again perfect on both of his field goal tries and connected on five extra points. Jordan Stout averaged 51.8 yards per punt with two punts landing inside the 20-yard line. LaJohntay Wester had a 23-yard punt return that he nearly returned for much more and maybe a touchdown.
