The Baltimore Ravens (2-1) hosted the Indianapolis Colts (2-1) on Sunday and went on to lose for the first time this season after kicking off the year with back-to-back wins.
Even though the Flock had multiple chances to close the game early (as early as the first quarter when Kenyan Drake fumbled), they ultimately allowed the Colts to send the game to overtime and saw kicker Matt Gay put them to the sword on a 22-19 OT loss.
A loss is a loss, but that doesn't mean the Ravens didn't have a single player at least trying to earn the organization their third consecutive win in 2023. And oh, there surely were some duds inside the M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Here are the 10 best and 10 worst Ravens according to PFF grades on both sides of the ball, only accounting for performers with 50+ snaps on offense and 24+ snaps on defense.
Best 5 PFF Grades - Baltimore Ravens Defensive Studs
- ILB Roquan Smith - 89.9
- CB/S Kyle Hamilton - 80.4
- OLB Jadeveon Clowney - 80.2
- DT Michael Pierce - 71.3
- CB Brandon Stephens - 70.3
The secondary and the second line of the defense were the two main units that reasonably helped the Ravens keep the Colts moderately at bay on Sunday.
Roquan Smith was his usual self, which is to say a top-5 defender in the NFL without regard for position. He sacked Gardner Minshew once, completed 13 tackles, and only allowed one reception on three targeted passes.
Kyle Hamilton stepped up to the plate marvelously when put in the nickel corner position and had his best game ever sacking Minshew three times in the first half alone while tackling six foes and deflecting one pass.
Jadeveon Clowney was the best edge rusher on Sunday with Odafe Oweh ruled out and David Ojabo leaving early with an ankle injury. Clowney completed two tackles and logged six QB pressures to go with a sack.
Michael Pierce completed five tackles while applying six pressures and Brandon Stephens was second in total tackles with 11, 10 of them all by himself.
Worst 5 PFF Grades - Baltimore Ravens Defensive Duds
- DT Broderick Washington - 38.6
- OLB Tavius Robinson - 54.1
- OLB Jeremiah Moon - 57.2
- CB Rock Ya-Sin - 60.0
- DT Justin Madubuike - 61.0
The defensive line was gashed by Zack Moss, who had a career game against Baltimore in Jonathan Taylor's absence carrying the ball 30 times for 122 yards and grabbing a couple of passes for 23 yards and a score.
Broderick Washington and Justin Madubuike couldn't do a thing to stop Moss, and the same can be said about the couple of young/inexperienced outside linebacker pairing of Tavius Robinson and Jeremiah Moon, who were forced into action because of the multiple injuries affecting the Ravens early in the season.
Robinson and Moon combined for just four pressures and seven tackles while not getting to sack Minshew once between them.
Rock Ya-Sin was targeted once and allowed that pass to end in a nine-yard completion, all of those yards racked up after the catch.
Best 5 PFF Grades - Baltimore Ravens Offensive Studs
- QB Lamar Jackson - 71.2
- RT Morgan Moses - 69.2
- C Sam Mustipher - 68.3
- RG Kevin Zeitler - 66.0
- RB Gus Edwards - 65.1
Lamar Jackson completed 22 passes for 202 yards and added 101 more yards rushing on 14 carries. Yes, he fumbled twice (one lost) but even then PFF graded him as the best offensive player on the Ravens. Tells you all you need to know about his greatness.
The line held relatively well considering the many bodies missing, though it's also true that Moses and Zeitler are starters while Mustipher is a natural backup at the center position forced into starting the past couple of weeks.
Mustipher, mind you, fumbled a snap throwing it before Lamar was ready to handle it.
Gus Edwards earned a fantastic grade throughout his time active in the game, rushing for 51 yards on 11 carries but failing to log a single target before leaving early with a concussion.
Worst 5 PFF Grades - Baltimore Ravens Offensive Duds
- LG John Simpson - 50.0
- WR Rashod Bateman - 51.8
- LT Patrick Mekari - 53.3
- TE Mark Andrews - 57.2
- WR Nelson Agholor - 59.8
It's hard to argue against any of the five men listed above and handed the worst offensive grades by PFF in Week 3.
John Simpson had a nice debut in Week 1 but he's horrid since then with back-to-back subpar outings in the middle of the offensive line after winning the battle for the starting LG role through training camp.
Patrick Mekari, known for his multi-position skill set, struggled against the Colts and hurt the Ravens the most when trying to block for rushing gainings.
The trio of pass-catchers listed above needs not much explanation. Mark Edwards grabbed a 20-yard toss by Lamar Jackson but that was simply all he did, adding just 15 more yards on three more grabs.
Bateman was awful getting three targets and catching one for six yards before leaving with a hammy that (we hope) might have limited him a bit on Sunday.
Nelson Agholor exploded in Week 2 with a touchdown that ultimately helped Baltimore get the W against the Bengals and although he still finished with the second-most yards in Week 3 (39 on four grabs, including an 18-yard reception) the folks from PFF didn't rate him that highly.