Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Position by Position Grades
Secondary
Sep 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Markus Wheaton(11) breaks the tackle of Baltimore Ravens cornerback
Chykie Brown(23) in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, the secondary didn’t perform all that well, but given the circumstances, it wasn’t a bad performance. This week was more or less the same.
The one player that stood out was hard-hitting safety Matt Elam. He looked terrific, recording a team-leading ten tackles. The second-year safety, who was the Ravens first-round pick from a year ago, had high expectations put upon him over the last few years. His performance on Thursday night shows exactly why.
Jimmy Smith started the game off like a true number one cornerback, but struggled a bit in the second half. However, that was mostly because the Ravens were up by multiple possessions at the time, and they were playing a prevent defense. I really like how this guy has performed thus far, and I’m excited to see what he can do the rest of the season.
A note from this game is that second-string cornerback Asa Jackson left the game in third quarter after suffering a concussion and did not return. This could be quite a concern for Baltimore, as an already thin position for them just got thinner. But hopefully Lardarius Webb will return soon and they will get the needed boost at cornerback.
Grade: B