12 Good Men
The Ravens had an unusual sequence of 3 plays to convert 4th and 2 from their own 33 (beginning Q1, 3:11). Let’s review:
- They initially lined up in punt formation and Anthony Levine took the snap and ran for 3 yards to convert. However, the snap preceded the whistle blowing the ball into play, so the play did not count.
- The Ravens then inserted their offense to run (or threaten to run) a 4th-down play. Patrick Ricard was sent in late and the Browns substituted (2 in, 1 out) leaving 12 on the field. To avoid a penalty, Stefanski called timeout at or just before the snap and adjusted down to 11 men.
- The Ravens again lined up in a heavy offensive formation with Ricard as the only back (sidecar) and a formation that screamed “QB power left”. The Browns again made a 2-for-1 substitution (not visible on the broadcast, but observable live) which left them with 12 defenders, all within easy view on the broadcast, and the officials blew the whistle as soon as the Ravens snapped the football.
Messing up a substitution happens occasionally in the NFL but messing up the same (or similar) substitution on consecutive plays is weird and memorable. Stefanski could not have called timeout to avoid the 2nd 12-man foul, because that would have been the 2nd consecutive timeout, which would have drawn a delay-of-game flag.
Perhaps the best part of the entire sequence was Jerome Boger holding back laughter as he announced the penalty.
It was the 2nd consecutive week the Ravens demonstrated better knowledge of the rules to gain a 1st down (the 15-yard pass to Bateman, Q2, 0:25, in Chicago).
Jackson Fails with ATS
Lamar Jackson had ATS on 11 plays resulting in a pass or sack (32%). That’s a solid total and I’d call it good facing the Browns pass rush.
Sadly, Lamar did not capitalize on those opportunities, completing 4 of 10 throws for 19 net yards, including a sack (1.7 YPP) with 3 INTs. His passer rating on those plays was 8.3. In 13 years of separating ATS throws, I’ve never recorded such an extreme negative result for a Ravens or opponent QB.
While Lamar had the worst game of his career, he still made special plays that ultimately helped the Ravens win the game.
Individual Scoring
The Ravens ran 77 scored snaps (excludes accepted penalties which result in no play, kneels, spikes, and special teams plays that result in a run or pass).
Villanueva: Alejandro had his highest adjusted score of the season vs. Myles Garrett. He allowed a solo pressure to Garrett by bullrush (Q2, 3:04). He received 2/3 of the charge for the QH when he missed a cut block on Garrett (Q2, 0:45). He had 2 other ½ pressures (Q1, 8:34; Q3, 11:34). He was called for holding Garrett (Q2, 0:32) which stalled the drive from 2nd and 2. He missed 6 blocks, of which 5 were losses at the LoS. He made 4 blocks in level 2 and delivered 1 pancake. He was credited with a pull on the back end of a counter. His highlight was a combination on DT Jordan Elliott then LB Anthony Walker in L2 (Q2, 8:28).
Scoring: 74 plays, 64 blocks, 6 missed, 2 (1 + 2*1/2) pressures, 2/3 QH, 1 offensive holding, 52 points (.70 per play). That’s a C+ with adjustment.
Powers: Ben had another solid but unspectacular effort. He was responsible for 1/2 of a sack when bulled then shed by DT Elliott (Q3, 10:39). He had a 1/3 share of a QH (Q2, 0:45) and a ½ share of a pressure (Q3, 11:34). His holding flag (Q4, 2:57) negated a 9-yard run by Freeman and stalled the Ravens drive when the game would have been all but sealed with 1 more yard. He missed 4 blocks of which only 1 was a loss at the LoS. He connected on 4 of 6 pulls, made 1 block in L2 and delivered 2 pancakes. For his highlight, he managed to block LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah then knock S Ronnie Harrison off track to prevent a sack (Q3, 3:21).
Scoring: 74 plays, 67 blocks, 4 missed, 1/2 pressure, 1/3 QH, 1/2 sack, 1 offensive holding, 56 points (.76 per play). That’s a C after adjustment.
Bozeman: Bradley had a solid outing and showed some mobility skills. His only negative score was a pressure when shed by DT Malik Jackson (Q3, 7:52). He had 7 missed blocks 5 of which were losses at the LoS. I also charged him with a miss when he was not flagged for being illegally downfield (Q3, 5:52). He made 7 blocks in level 2, but did not deliver a pancake, and made his only pull. His highlight was a combination block on DT Elliott then LB Walker (Q3, 11:19).
Scoring: 73 plays, 65 blocks, 7 missed, 1 pressure, 63 points (.86 per play). That’s a B with adjustment
Zeitler: Kevin extended his streak of fine games to 8. His only negative play was a costly false start on 4th/Goal at the 1 (Q2, 3:56) which forced a field goal. He missed 5 blocks, only 1 of which was a loss at the LoS. He did not make a level 2 block but delivered 2 pancakes. He connected on 9 of his 13 pulls. His highlight was an outstanding edge seal on DE Jadeveon Clowney (Q4, 5:49) to open the way for Freeman’s RR8.
Scoring: 74 plays, 69 blocks, 5 missed, 1 false start, 66 points (.89 per play). That’s an A with adjustment.
Mekari: Patrick rebounded well against DE Clowney. He surrendered 3 full pressures (bulled by Clowney Q2, 0:25; beaten outside by Clowney Q3, 0:39; and bulled by Clowney for batted pass Q4, 7:38). He allowed a half pressure when beaten outside by Clowney to flush Jackson on his touchdown pass (Q3, 9:56), but delivered a highlight block on DE Tak McKinley late on that same play. He missed 2 blocks, 1 of which was a loss at the LoS. He had 5 blocks in level 2 and delivered 1 pancake. He made both of his pulls.
Scoring: 74 plays, 68 blocks, 2 missed, 3.5 pressures, 61 points (.82 per play). That’s an A with adjustment.
Colon: Trystan played 1 snap at center and made his block.
If you’re interested in seeing scoring trends for the players this season, those charts will be posted in the Gallery section and updated weekly.
