Oakland Raiders 28, Baltimore Ravens 27
Here are the highest-graded players and top takeaways from the Raiders' 28-27 win over the Ravens on Sunday:
Quarterback grade: Derek Carr, 84.1
Carr's grades paint clearer picture than stat line
Derek Carr’s stats look significantly worse than his performance; in reality, he was accurate on 84.4 percent of his passes, as he threw two away and his receivers dropped three catchable targets. All four of his touchdown passes where thrown over 10 yards, and he was able to effectively beat the Ravens with precision and limited poor plays.
Top offensive grades:
WR Michael Crabtree, 85.1
QB Derek Carr, 84.1
LG Kelechi Osemele, 80.8
LT Donald Penn, 77.5
C Rodney Hudson, 71.4
Another big outing for WR Michael Crabtree
This season has largely been a disappointment for WR Amari Cooper, as he was expected to take a big leap in his second year. However, Michael Crabtree played well against the Ravens, catching seven of his 11 targets for 88 yards and three touchdowns; this connection is giving the Raiders huge hope that, once Cooper gets going, the Oakland passing game will be very difficult to slow down.
Top defensive grades:
CB Sean Smith, 85.1
OLB Khalil Mack 83.6
CB D.J. Hayden, 82.8
S Karl Joseph, 82.0
OLB Bruce Irvin, 81.9
Khalil Mack heats up after cool start to season
After an impressive 2015 campaign that saw him finish with PFF's highest edge-defender grade, Khalil Mack's slow start through Week was somewhat of a concern for the Oakland defense. In Week 4, however, he looked to be back to his impressive form, recording two sacks and five QB hurries, giving both Baltimore offensive tackles fits in the passing game.
Quarterback grade: Joe Flacco, 35.7
Ravens QB Joe Flacco takes a big step back from his early-season form
Joe Flacco’s raw numbers don’t look terrible, with 298 yards, a 61.5 completion percentage, and a 83.7 NFL QB rating. However, these numbers don't quite tell the whole story; Flacco struggled with turnover-worthy plays, as he threw an interception and another would-be pick that the defense dropped. He also fumbled, even with plenty of time to secure the ball. Before this week, Flacco had been performing well, especially considering that he was coming off of an ACL tear.
Top offensive grades:
RG Marshal Yanda, 88.8
FB Kyle Juszcyk, 83.8
C Jeremy Zuttah, 81.5
WR Steve Smith Sr., 77.9
TE Crockett Gillmore, 69.0
Marshal Yanda continues to set bar for NFL guard play
The Ravens' offensive line was missing both LG Alex Lewis and LT Ronnie Stanley, and their backups Ryan Jensen and Ryan Hurst had major issues in pass blocking, surrendering a combined 11 total pressures. On the positive side, Marshal Yanda continued to show why he has set the bar for guard play in the NFL. Yanda was a force in the running game, as he was able to open up running lanes consistently for new starting HB Terrance West.
Top defensive grades:
LB Zachary Orr, 86.8
S Eric Weddle, 80.7
CB Jimmy Smith, 76.4
CB Shareece Wright, 76.3
DE Timmy Jernigan, 74.8
Ravens defense successful against run, but lacks pass-rush
The Ravens' defense was put in some difficult spots, as the Raiders often had excellent field position; however, Baltimore shut down the Oakland run game with some good performances across the board in the run game. When the Raiders started to drop back and pass more, though, the Ravens had no pass-rush to scare Derek Carr and the Oakland offensive line, recording just nine total QB pressures.
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Ravens RG Marshal Yanda
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