Baltimore Ravens: Week 3 Report Card

Admit it, you loved seeing former Raven Billy Cundiff miss a crucial 4th quarter kick against his old team. I know I did. But I can be petty sometimes. I still haven’t quite forgiven Cundiff for that last second miss in the 2011 AFC Championship game. I’d still be having nightmares about it if it wasn’t for the following year’s Super Bowl run.

As I expected, Sunday was no cakewalk for the Baltimore Ravens as they went on the road to beat division opponent Cleveland Browns 23-21. This was one of the best games of the week as we saw an even time of possession, six lead changes, and a score difference of only four points or less the entire game.

Joe Flacco looked great, meticulously breaking down Cleveland’s defense by completing 19 of 31 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown, while seven of those passes were for 20 yards or more. Justin Forsett seems to really be settling into his new role as Baltimore’s number one rusher averaging 5.7 yards per carry over 11 carries. The Ravens wisely are using Forsett along with Fullback Kyle Juszcyk in a two-back system instead of simply replacing one of the best running backs in the league in Ray Rice. I can’t say enough good things about Steve Smith Sr. The 35-year-old veteran seems to get better and better each week, reigning in five catches for 101 yards.

The defense put together a sound effort as well. Defensive leader, Terrell Suggs, with CJ Mosley and Courtney Upshaw, kept pressure on Brown’s quarterback Brian Hoyer all day by combining 14 tackles and one sack for a loss of six. We’ve all been waiting for  cornerback Lardarius Webb to make his return, and although a slow start, he and the Ravens’ secondary displayed a solid effort limiting the Browns to a 33% on third downs. And that’s ultimately I think where this game was won – third downs and getting the opposing offense off the field.

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Ultimately, the Baltimore Ravens put together a complete effort on both sides of the ball to defeat a tough opponent in a tough division, the Cleveland Browns. Although a B- grade from me with areas to improve, the team is not only getting things right on both sides of the ball accurately by balancing the pass and run, but they also seem to be improving every week on all fronts. And with Carolina coming into M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday, look for the Ravens to have a strong opening in 2014, pushing for 3-1.