The Baltimore Ravens came up just short of clinching a come-from-behind victory over the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in a 27-20 loss on Thursday night. With the whole world watching the prime-time rematch of last year’s AFC championship, there were several impressive performances by players on both sides of the ball and many left much to be desired.
Here is how each individual position group on offense fared on the weekly grade sheet.
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Quarterback: A+
The Ravens couldn’t have asked Lamar Jackson to play any better than he did in this game with the way he put the entire offense on his back at times throughout the night. He finished 26-of-41 for 273 passing yards, a touchdown, a passer rating of 90.8 and led the team with a game-high 122 rushing yards on 16 attempts for an average of 7.6 yards.
The reigning league MVP put it all out on the line as if it were the AFC title game with how decisive he was when he decided to take off on scrambles, buy more time to pass under constant duress and finish his runs with physicality—often embracing and taking on contact. Jackson also displayed a much stronger command of the offense with how he checked them in and out of certain plays at the line of scrimmage to account for and counter the blitzes and pressures Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up.
Running Backs: B+
While the Ravens running backs received more than double the amount of carries they got as a group in the AFC title game, it surprisingly wasn’t by much as veterans Derrick Henry and Justice Hill only received 14 combined carries between them. The Ravens established the run with their four-time Pro Bowl free agent acquisition on the first drive and it resulted in Henry scoring the first touchdown of the 2024 season but they didn’t consistently stick with it despite only trailing 13-10 at halftime.
Henry recorded nearly half of his 13 carries (five) and about a third of his total 46 rushing yards (17) on the opening drive of the game. If his tenure as the featured back and focal point of the Tennessee Titans offense proved anything, it was that he is the type of runner who gets stronger as the game goes along when opposing defenses grow tired of tackling him. The days of Lamar Jackson leading the team in rushing yards and attempts in at least the regular season were supposed to be over with his addition and they still can be moving forward if the Ravens just feed him more consistently and sprinkle in some more outside zone plays.
The only other Ravens running back to see the field on offense was fellow veteran Justice Hill who, got six more snaps than Henry because he is the preferred third-down and obvious passing situation player at the position. Not only did he not disappoint as pass catcher and protector but excelled in both areas, catching 6-of-8 targets for 52 receiving yards—third most on the team and actually kept Chiefs’ five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle away from Jackson on the final two plays of the game that could’ve won it had the passes been completed. As a runner, Hill carried the ball just once for three yards and veteran practice squad call-up John Kelly played exclusively on special teams for just six snaps.
Fullback: B+
Four-time Pro Bowler Patrick Ricard surprisingly only saw the field for 19 plays which was disappointing given all the hype about him and Henry sharing the same backfield early and often throughout the offseason and all summer. Nevertheless, he executed his job well when he was on the field especially while assisting both right tackles in pass protection when the Ravens tried to push the ball down the field.
Wide Receiver: B
Due to a lack of consistent pass protection and good open-field tackling by the Chiefs’ defensive backs, it was hard for wideouts to get much going down the field or after the catch until the final drive of the game when fourth-year pro Rashod Bateman hauled in a 38-yard bomb from Jackson to get the ball in the red zone.
Before that, the longest reception by a Ravens’ receiver was a 19-yarder which second-year pro Zay Flowers caught on the first drive of the game. It occurred on third and long and went for first down but also accounted for more than half of his 37 receiving yards on six receptions. Most of his other catches were either behind, at or barely beyond the line of scrimmage which largely contributed to Jackson’s average depth of target being so low for most of the game.
The only other receiver to catch a pass was veteran Nelson Agholor who hauled in his lone target for six yards but his most memorable play was the key block he forgot to make on fourth and short near midfield that would’ve sprung Flowers for a first down and then some he not gotten tackled immediately by Chiefs’ All Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Tight Ends: A+
Second-year pro Isaiah Likely was the Ravens second best offensive player in this game and the best non-quarterback skill position player in the entire game with all the plays he made. He led the team in targets (11), receptions (nine) and receiving yards (111), scored a touchdown on a 49-yard catch and run and nearly had the potential game-winner had his big toe not landed out of bounds. He also delivered some devastating blows as a lead blocker for Jackson when he kept the ball and got around the edge of the defense.
Most of Likely’s production and targets came on broken plays, underneath throws and targets to the boundary. Meanwhile, Jackson’s inability to step up into or even have a clean pocket for most of the game kept them from finding and connecting with three-time Pro Bowl veteran Mark Andrews over the middle of the field where he does his best work and is the most lethal. Even though Andrews played six more snaps than Likely, he was only targeted twice and caught both for just 14 receiving yards with a long of 11 that went for a first down.
Offensive Line: C
If it weren’t for the left side of the Ravens’ starting blocking unit playing so well, the entire group would’ve gotten a D+ at the highest due to the poor performance of their compatriots on the right. Outside of getting questionably called for several illegal formation penalties, left tackle Ronnie Stanley played exceptionally well, earning a pass blocking grade of 83.3 from Pro Football Focus. Second-year pro Andrew Vorhees was solid in his first career regular-season start which was made easier by playing between a pair of Pro Bowlers with Tyler Linderbaum at center who was the third-highest graded player on the team, according to PFF, with an overall of 73.8.
The experiment of third-year pro Daniel Faalele at right guard after he has been a career tackle continued to yield inconsistent and at times, horrendous results. He was targeted by the Chiefs on numerous occasions as a favorable matchup for Jones and gave up a team-high six pressures per Next Gen Stats.
Both right tackles struggled at times to block Jones and Karlaftis well. Veteran Patrick Mekari surrendered a team-high four pressures by PFF and second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten allowed a strip sack on his first snap of the game. The Ravens will need much better play and possibly even a different combination on the right side of their offensive line if they hope to find more sustainability and consistency on offense as the season goes along.
