Team Grades: Baltimore Ravens Lose Offensive Battle With Oakland Raiders
By Kevin McGuire
For the second straight week the Baltimore Ravens ended up on the losing end of a close battle with an AFC West foe. This time it was the Oakland Raiders coming up and handing the Ravens a loss to start the season. In a stark contrast from a defensive battle with the Denver Broncos in the opener, the Ravens and Raiders made for an offensive seesaw battle. The Ravens just simply ran out of time.
Offense: B
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco passed for 348 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His lone interception came in at the end of the game and likely had no real impact on the final result. Flacco and veteran wide receiver Steve Smith connected 10 times for 150 yards and Crockett Gillmore was on the receiving end of both Flacco touchdown passes. Ten different players caught a pass in the game for the Ravens. The Ravens had a successful day on offense, picking up 29 first downs and going two-for-two on fourth down conversions (4-of-11 on third downs). At the end of the game Baltimore piled up 494 yards of offense on 11 offensive possessions.
One thing that failed the offense was leaving points on the field inside the red zone. Baltimore reached the red zone six times and scored just two touchdowns in the game. Had Baltimore managed just one more touchdown, we may still be watching the Ravens and Raiders play right now. Baltimore also lost the turnover battle with a pair of turnovers on offense.
Defense: F
Baltimore's defense is already beat up and piling up injuries, so it is acceptable to give some leniency when grading the Baltimore defense. That said, Oakland built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and scored 10 points in the second and third quarters each to keep the pressure on. This is something of a rarity for the Baltimore defense, which does not get run and thrown over regularly. The Ravens really struggled to get off the field, allowing Oakland to conver nine of 14 third downs and allowing 351 passing yards to Derek Carr. Carr threw three touchdown passes as well, including the game winner with 26 seconds to play in the game. Two different Oakland receivers, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, went over 100 yards and each had a touchdown.
There were opportunities for Baltimore's defense to make some plays to change the outcome, but the roughed up defense was unable to make it happen. From falling behind in the first quarter and out of halftime to giving up the game-winning score late in the game, there was not much for the defense to be proud of in their latest game out West.
Special Teams: B+
The Ravens got just 29 return yards on special teams off of one kickoff return by Michael Campanaro. The Ravens did not return a punt at all during the game, another fault on the defense to a certain extent. The kicking game from Baltimore was strong though. Justin Tucker was reliable with four field goals and three clean extra-point attempts for 15 points. Punter Sam Koch punted twice for an average of 46 yards per punt. Nobody will be blaming the Baltimore special teams for this loss.
Coaching: C-
Baltimore started the year with plenty of promise, but injuries have already played spoiler for John Harbaugh's team. The decision to stay out West was a wise one for the Ravens rather than flying from Baltimore to Denver back to Baltimore and then to Oakland in the first two weeks. The Ravens were loose and found their offense. The defense just was not able to overcome some injury concerns and slow down a growing passing game from Oakland. Every team in the NFL faces injury problems, so it is up to the coaches to find ways to work around them. Injuries or not, Baltimore's defense simply was not good enough for Carr and the Raiders.
The Ravens finally get to play a home game next week when they host the Cincinnati Bengals. Dropping to 0-3 would be a horrible start to the year, as the playoff odds for teams starting 0-3 are not favorable (neither are the odds for 0-2 teams). Three striaght division games are coming up for the Ravens, which should be a good opportunity to climb back into the division hunt before things get out of control.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
