Ravens Final Report Card

BALTIMORE — The Ravens entered the year with Super Bowl aspirations but finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The roster was decimated with injuries with 19 players finishing the season on IR. 

Here's the final Report Card

Offense

Quarterbacks — Lamar Jackson appeared in 12 games because of an illness and an ankle injury. He had an uneven season, completing 246 of 382 passes for 2,882 yards and 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He was sacked a career-high 38 times. Backup Tyler Huntley played effectively at times but finished 1-3 as the starter. He completed 122 of 188 passes for 1,081 yards and three touchdowns and four interceptions. Trace McSorley was snagged off the practice squad by the Cardinals. Grade: C

Running Backs — The Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill to season-ending injuries in training camp but still managed to finish third in the NFL with 145.8 yards per game. Devonta Freeman was signed prior to the season and had 576 yards and five touchdowns. Latavius Murray finished with 501 yards and six touchdowns. Ty’Son Williams (185 yards, one touchdown) was expected to embrace a bigger role but he struggled with blocking, did not play special teams, and fell out of favor with coach John Harbaugh. The running backs performed well despite the tough circumstances. Grade: C+

Receivers — Both wide receiver Marquise Brown and tight end Mark Andrews eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards on the season. It was just the second Baltimore tandem to reach the 1,000-yard mark in the same season, joining Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander accomplished that feat in 1996. Rookie Rashod Bateman showed potential but Sammy Watkins disappeared near the end of the season. The team needs to give James Proche more opportunities. Grade: B.

Offensive Line — Left tackle Ronnie Stanley went down with an ankle injury in the season opener and this unit never quite recovered. Alejandro Villanueva moved from right tackle to the left side but was inconsistent with his pass blocking. Guard Kevin Zeitler was the top free-agent signing. Bradley Bozeman switched to center from guard, played well but is a free agent this offseason. Pat Mekari played well at tackle when healthy.  Grade: C-

Defense

Defensive Line — Defensive Calais Campbell and nose tackle Brandon Williams made plays all season, which could have been their last in Baltimore. Second-year Justin Madubuike showed he can be a solid starter and finished with 36 tackles. Justin Ellis (18 tackles) and Broderick Washington (16 tackles) also made plays and could have played himself into a bigger role. Grade: B

Linebackers — Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser had 59 tackles and was a stout defender but suffered an Achilles injury in the finale against Pittsburgh, but the hope is that he will be back by training camp. Josh Bynes had 76 tackles. Second-year player Patrick Queen played much better when moved to the weakside and led the team with 97 tackles. Justin Houston gave the team some boost and fished with 4.5 sacks. Rookie Odafe Oweh played well early but hit the wall near the end of the season. This group had trouble getting to the quarterback. Grade: C-

Secondary — Safety Chuck Clark was the only starter left by the end of the season. Chris Westry and Kevon Seymour were forced into bigger roles and had some growing pains. Cornerback Jimmy Smith safety Anthony Levine Sr. offered a veteran presence in perhaps their last season for the Ravens. The team needs cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Anthony Averett to come back healthy. Safety DeShon Elliott was lost for the season and is a free agent. Grade: D

Special Teams

This unit was ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Kicker Justin Tucker and returner Devin Duvernay made the Pro Bowl, Punter Sam Kock was mostly solid despite some hiccups in the final game against Pittsburgh. Coverage was solid despite so many moving parts. Grade: A

Coaching

Baltimore ended the year with 19 players on injured reserve and also dealt with COVID issues.  The Ravens ended the season on a six-game losing streak but five of those losses were by a total of eight points. In short, the coaches did the best they could under difficult conditions. The team played hard every week and Harbaugh showed he was not afraid to gamble. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has taken some criticism for not progressing with the passing attack and making adjustments to a heavy blitz. Grade: C