Baltimore Ravens Grades Week Seven
By Brett Foote
Oct 19, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to the officials during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Coaching: B+
The Ravens defensive game plan worked flawlessly as the team brought consistent heat on Matt Ryan while Jimmy Smith essentially erased Julio Jones. This forced Ryan to target Roddy White relentlessly (15 times), but obviously White isn’t the caliber of receiver that Jones is at this point in their respective careers.
The uptick in carries for Justin Forsett is well deserved, even if his efficiency went down a notch. The continued love affair with Bernard Pierce, however, is baffling. They know what they have in Pierce at this point, and it is 3.0 yards per carry or less. Time to feed the rookie.
Nine penalties is bad, and will likely be a focus point this week as the Ravens prepare to hit the road for a pivotal two game divisional stretch. In all fairness, three of them came from Hurst, who will hopefully head back to the bench and continue to learn and develop.