Down 6-0 early on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens showed resilience and fight in their Week 8 win - traits they will need a lot of as they aim to be just the fourth team since 1990 to crawl out of a 1-5 start to make the playoffs.
Let's take a look at how the victorious Ravens looked through the lens of Pro Football Focus (PFF) and their grading.
Team Metrics
The Ravens had their best overall grade (69.9) since Week 2. Their offensive grade (70.1) and defensive grade (64.7) were their best marks since September.
Through eight weeks, the Ravens are 27th in team PFF grade, sandwiched between the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. Offensively, they are 20th. Defensively, they are 27th.
Best and Worst PFF Grades
Top Offensive Grade: Tyler Linderbaum (79.6)
Tyler Linderbaum had his most balanced game of the season. He had his best pass-blocking performance of the year, earning an 82.2 grade after allowing one pressure on 25 snaps.
In the run game, Linderbaum was his usual, reliable self, consistently working to the second level to cut off linebackers and provide lanes for Tyler Huntley and the running backs.
For the season, only the Kansas City Chiefs' Creed Humphrey has a better run-blocking grade among centers than Linderbaum's 87.4 mark.
Top Defensive Grade: Roquan Smith (90.7)
After missing two games, Smith had a sensational game against his former team. His 90.7 grade comes from a well-rounded performance. Smith earned an 84.7 run-defense grade, 83.2 tackling grade, and 89.6 coverage grade. His only down spot was his pass-rushing: a 46.0 grade.
Smith looked healthy and dialed in, flying sideline to sideline. The defense looked notably more cohesive, likely an artifact of Smith resuming green dot duties and his effective communication.
Bottom Offensive Grade: Isaiah Likely (46.4)
It was not a particularly strong performance for the tight end room as a whole, as far as PFF was concerned. Mark Andrews also graded in the 40s, and Charlie Kolar led the way with just a 67.8 grade.
Likely received a 51.6 receiving grade and 54.7 run-blocking grade. He was also penalized once, his fourth penalty since returning to the lineup.
Likely has been distinctly disappointing since returning from his offseason foot injury. In four games back, he has five catches for a measly 26 yards, gaining just one first down.
Bottom Defensive Grade: Taven Bryan (50.1)
Bryan was the worst of a clunky unit on Sunday afternoon. Four of Baltimore's five defensive tackles graded in the 50s, with just Travis Jones (60.6) escaping the "below-average" group. The veteran former first-round pick played 22 snaps, primarily as a pass rusher.
With three road games against shaky quarterbacks coming up, the Ravens' defensive line will need to be firing on all cylinders. Bryan will only serve a rotational role, but these are the matchups that Baltimore must dominate in the trenches to force the ball out early and often.
Quarterback Spotlight
Tyler Huntley guided the Ravens to their best passing grade of the season, a 67.7 mark. Huntley had one big-time throw and one turnover-worthy play. He had an overall 72.1 grade, buoyed by a 70.1 rushing grade and 78.6 fumbling grade.
After two weeks of rough Cooper Rush performances, the Ravens turned to Huntley and saw a refreshing level of competence. In particular, he looked slick as a rusher. Importantly, Huntley did not have a turnover on the day.
Hopefully, this will be Huntley's only start of the season, but "Snoop" guided the offense effectively.
Extraneous Stats
Missed Tackles Forced
As rushers, Zay Flowers (one) and Derrick Henry (one) forced missed tackles. In the receiving game, Tylan Wallace, Isaiah Likely, and Rashod Bateman each forced one missed tackle.
With Lamar Jackson (hopefully) returning Thursday night, look for this to be a point of emphasis as Jackson works back into the lineup. Every extra forced missed tackle is an explosive play opportunity.
Contested Catches
The Ravens only had one contested catch opportunity on the afternoon, with Bateman hauling in a 36-yard pass down the sideline.
With Jackson's impending return, look for the tight ends and DeAndre Hopkins to be weapons in this facet. Hopkins has caught six of eight contested catches this season.
Pressures Allowed
On 27 total dropbacks, neither Ronnie Stanley nor Daniel Faalele allowed any pressure. Tyler Linderbaum and Roger Rosengarten allowed one pressure each. Andrew Vorhees was the weak link of the group, allowing two pressures, including the only credited sack* of the day.
*Chicago had two sacks officially, but PFF only lists one as the fault of a Ravens blocker.
Defensive Pressures
The Ravens' pass rush struggled mightily on Sunday, posting a 49.2 pass-rush grade. On 42 dropbacks, the Ravens only pressured Caleb Williams 14 times with three hits and a sack.
Travis Jones led the way with four pressures. Kyle Van Noy followed with three pressures. Rookies Mike Green and Teddye Buchanan had two pressures each. Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, and Marlon Humphrey nabbed the other pressures as they came on blitzes. Green had his first NFL sack in the win.
With Jackson back to stabilize the offense, Baltimore's pass rush is now the unit with the most to prove down the stretch. Nnamdi Madubuike is out for the season, and Odafe Oweh is a Charger - who will make the leap and make Baltimore's pass rush formidable again?
Defensive Stops
The Ravens notched 22 defensive stops on the afternoon. Smith had a season-high seven in his dominant outing. Buchanan had a respectable five stops, the most of his career thus far. Humphrey and Hamilton had two each.
For three quarters, the Ravens defense looked like Ravens defenses of old. That will need to continue as the Ravens face a two-game deficit in the AFC North.
Forced Incompletions
Alohi Gilman and Chidobe Awuzie each had a forced incompletion on the afternoon. The Ravens had no official pass breakups, but Nate Wiggins nabbed an interception to set up the Ravens to take a two-score lead in the second half.
If the pass rush remains stagnant, the secondary must step up and force incompletions and interceptions in contested situations. Wiggins and Awuzie lead the team with three forced incompletions each. Gilman has five on the season, including his Chargers tenure.