Team Grades: Ravens Rebound By Trouncing Tampa Bay Bucs
By Samuel Njoku
Baltimore lost a tight contest against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. This week, the Ravens made sure the game wasn’t close. They went into Raymond James Stadium and destroyed the Tampa Bay Bucs 48-17 in a game that got out of hand quickly. When a team wins a game in such a fashion, there are usually plenty of game balls to go around.
Offense Grade: A
Could a unit get anything less than an A when scoring 48 points? For starters, Torrey Smith got back on track in his contract year by hauling in 2 touchdown passes. The Bucs had no answer for the slot route in the redzone and Baltimore capitalized. Steve Smith got into the action with a TD grab of his own. If both players play to their potential, this offense can be quite potent. Justin Forsett averaged a whopping 7.9 yards per carry as he totaled 111 yards on 14 carries. He’s emerged as the starting running back for the Ravens, a move that many saw coming back in the preseason. He’s quick, elusive, and the Ravens best option in the backfield.
But none of the success of the offense would be possible without the play of James Hurst and John Urshel. Both were called upon to play for injured Eugene Monroe and Kelechi Osemele. The thought was that the loss of the two players would severely hamper the play of the left side of the offense. But both players made sure that wasn’t the case.
Defense Grade: B
There may be nothing better for a defense than a great outing by their offensive counterparts. By the end of the first quarter, the Ravens already led 28-0. And that’s all Dean Pees and the Ravens defense needed to see. Baltimore went after QB Mike Glennon on nearly every play and sacked him 5 times. Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs are hard to stop in situations such as the one the Bucs found themselves in on Sunday. NT Brandon Williams has been a monster on the inside for Baltimore this year. He has to be doubled on every play or he will disrupt the play. That has freed up opportunities for the Ravens linebackers.
The secondary still needs to improve as guys like Chykie Brown continue to get exposed. But the return of Will Hill next week may help Pees make adjustments to put players in better position. It was a good day for the defense.
Quarterback Grade: A+
This was without question the best game of Joe Flacco’s career. He could do no wrong and could have easily thrown for 10 touchdowns if this game was competitive. He wasn’t sacked once in this game and you could see the results. Joe doesn’t need 30 seconds in the pocket to make a play. But if he’s given enough time, he’ll make any defense pay as many found out in 2012. He still boasts the strongest arm in the NFL and can make a defense pay for a mistake from anywhere on the field. The Bucs defense made plenty of mistakes, and it cost them touchdowns from Joe Flacco. Superb outing from the Ravens quarterback.
Special Teams Grade: A
Nothing new to see here. Jacoby Jones and Michael Campanaro had strong games. Justin Tucker and Sam Koch were solid as usual. Coverage units kept Tampa Bay from creating any sparks for their team.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
