Ravens Team Grades On A Miserable Monday
By Kevin Ross II
The good guys in purple were ill-prepared, uninspired, and outclassed by a hungry pack of Bengals as Cincinnati won by a final score of 23-16. The Ravens were thoroughly outplayed from the opening kickoff, and the Bengals were able to avoid a raucous comeback and win in dramatic fashion. This loss is disheartening for Baltimore as they lose to a divisional opponent who quite frankly did not play their “A” game.
As a result, the city of Baltimore faces its very first misery Monday of the season, and this is how the Ravens grade out.
Quarterback Joe Flacco / Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak : Grade D
A quick look at the boxscore would indicate a monstrous day for Joe Flacco, and a solid debut for new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak. The quarterback totaled a whopping 345 passing yards, threw a touchdown, and only had one interception. But those who watched the game know that those numbers are a farce.
For starters, the numbers can’t voice Flacco’s inexcusable blunder before halftime, or how he took back-to-back 4th quarter sacks, which derailed the comeback. Second of all, it took Flacco a career high 62 pass attempts to compile his 345 passing yards. So when you look at the number of attempts, Flacco’s total passing yards begins to look a bit pedestrian. In fact, Flacco’s 62 passing attempts was the most by any quarterback so far in Week 1 The second highest amount of attempts was 56 passes by Tom Brady, who also took a loss; the next highest was 53 attempts by Andrew Luck, who also took a loss. Are you starting to notice a trend?
Offensive coordinator Kubiak must find a better balance, as the NFL has continually proven that one dimensional offenses usually don’t put up many points, and usually cost their teams to lose.
Running Back Bernard Pierce : Grade D-
Third year running back Bernard Pierce was expecting to do big things, as he started in place of Ray Rice, who is out serving a two game suspension. But after only two quarters of NFL football, Pierce is now wondering does he even have a future in the National Football League. Pierce’s stats are underwhelming as he tallied only 14 yards on 6 attempts. Pierce was abruptly benched following a critical fumble in the second quarter.
“We’re not too enamored with fumbles,” said Coach Harbaugh. “It’s not what we’re looking for from our running backs.”
Pierce was replaced by veteran running Justin Forsett, who recorded 70 rushing yards, and a touchdown. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod to start on Thursday night football against the Steelers.
Wide Receiver Steve Smith : Grade A
They say winning organizations release veteran players one year too soon, rather than one year too late. The former is certainly the case for the Carolina Panthers who allowed Steve Smith to leave prematurely. Smith was the lone highlight for the Ravens as the veteran receiver nearly single-handedly willed his team to victory. Smith recorded a thunderous 80 yard touchdown reception which gave the Ravens the lead late in the fourth quarter. It was a stunning turn of events, as Steve Smith nearly capped off a great comeback win for the Ravens.
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Kevin Ross is a freelance writer covering all things Washington Redskins. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
