Baltimore Ravens Grades Week Seven
By Brett Foote
Oct 19, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) reacts after a safety in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Defense: A
Last week against the Bucs, the Ravens defense put together a great game, but they were overshadowed by the offense’s historic performance. Not this week. The D put on a show against the Falcon’s prolific offense and nearly recorded the Ravens first shutout since 2009.
The pass rush shined for the second straight week as the lethal trio of Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, and Pernell McPhee set up camp in the Falcon’s backfield. Dumervil and McPhee recorded two sacks a piece and Suggs added another. The Ravens collectively racked up 17 hurries and 7 hits as they constantly harassed Matt Ryan.
Surprisingly and quietly, Daryl Smith recorded his best game of the season. Smith led the team in tackles with 10, including six defensive stops and a QB hit. Just as encouraging was the performance of Will Hill, who made his season debut and made an impact despite only playing 24 snaps.
Dominique Franks quietly had a good game as well, giving up only four receptions on nine targets for 23 yards. Unfortunately, Lardarius Webb didn’t fare so well, allowing 8 receptions on 10 targets for 83 yards. It was a big letdown after last week’s encouraging performance.
With Will Hill and Terrence Brooks beginning to eat into Matt Elam and Terrence Brooks’ snaps, the Raven’s coverage outlook is beginning to trend upward.
Next: Special Teams