Refocused: Baltimore Ravens 23, Houston Texans 16
BY PFF ANALYSIS TEAM • NOV 28, 2017
Nov 27, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Javorius Allen (37) rules during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Baltimore Ravens defended their home turf at M&T Bank Stadium Monday night, defeating the Houston Texans 23-16.
QB
Joe Flacco struggled statistically through the air, throwing for only 141 yards on 32 attempts. He had no turnovers but also no passing touchdowns, however he did have a 25-yard rush late in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for the Ravens.
QB
Tom Savage was more prolific through the air, going 22-of-37 for 252 yards, but he also threw two picks on the night, including one on the fourth-quarter drive that would ultimately cost the Texans the game. RB
Lamar Miller struggled to find room on the ground, rushing for 51 yards on 17 carries.
Defensively, both Baltimore’s
Terrell Suggs and Houston’s
Jadeveon Clowneyhad good nights, both coming away with at least one sack. With that, we give you our PFF-exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
TOP 5 GRADES:
DI
Willie Henry,
89.1 overall grade
Edge
Terrell Suggs,
88.2 overall grade
DI
Brandon Williams,
86.9 overall grade
S
Tony Jefferson,
83.4 overall grade
T
Austin Howard,
81.5 overall grade
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE:
QB JOE FLACCO, 75.0 OVERALL GRADE
Joe Flacco managed the game well for Baltimore. He didn’t turn the ball over, however he was
unable to connect with any passes over 20 yards through the air. Most of his passing yardage came from the short game, as he completed 18-of-22 passes that were under 10 yards in the air. He was granted decent protection throughout the night by his line, having been under pressure on only
seven of his 36 dropbacks.
T AUSTIN HOWARD, 81.5 OVERALL GRADE
Austin Howard was strong in pass protection and
did not allow a single pressure, leading to a grade of
84.7 in pass protection. Howard, like the Ravens offensive line, has had an up and down season, as he’s surrendered 21 pressures through 11 games. Baltimore’s lack of offensive weapons was obvious at times tonight as they struggled to push the ball downfield and sustain productive drives.
DI WILLIE HENRY, 89.1 OVERALL GRADE
Henry did it all for the Ravens defense up front on Monday night, finishing the game with mid-80 grades in both
run defense (86.9) and as a
pass-rusher (84.0). The former fourth-round pick out of Michigan tallied four pressures on 27 pass-rush snaps (
three hurries and a hit), batted a pass and
snagged one run stop on top of it all. Henry was disruptive on the interior of the line all night long and he’s in the midst of a nice three-game stretch in what has been a solid debut season for the second-year player (he didn’t play a regular season snap in 2016). Tonight marked his third consecutive game with an overall grade of at least 80.0.
EDGE TERRELL SUGGS, 88.2 OVERALL GRADE
The whole Ravens defensive front pretty much dominated the Texans offensive line tonight, with Suggs – and
Brandon Williams – leading the way along with Henry. The future hall of famer led all edge defenders in Week 12 with
eight pressures (six hurries and two sacks), with one of those being a strip sack to go with
one run stop. Suggs has bounced back nicely this season after a bit of a disappointing season, by his standards, in 2016, he’s currently ranked 21st among edge defenders with an
84.6 overall grade this season.
TOP 5 GRADES:
WR
DeAndre Hopkins,
88.0 overall grade
CB
Johnathan Joseph,
85.5 overall grade
S
Marcus Gilchrist,
85.1 overall grade
CB
Kareem Jackson,
84.2 overall grade
CB
Kevin Johnson,
81.8 overall grade
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE:
QB TOM SAVAGE, 51.5 OVERALL GRADE
Oh what pressure will do to a quarterback. Savage was sharp tonight when he was given time to throw,
completing 16-of-20 passes for 200 yards and a 108.3 passer rating when he didn’t have to deal with pressure. When the Ravens were able to get pressure though (something they were able to do on 19 of 39 dropbacks) he completely melted down, connecting on just
6-of-17 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions on pressured throws, good for a 4.7 passer rating.
WR DEANDRE HOPKINS, 88.0 OVERALL GRADE
Hopkins hauled in seven of eight targets and earned 39 of his 125 yards after the catch,
Tom Savage had a
118.8 passer rating when targeting his star receiver, he had a 45.1 passer rating when targeting anyone else on the Texans’ offense. Hopkins caught passes against three different coverage players tonight and five of his seven catches resulted in a Houston first down.
CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH, 85.5 OVERALL GRADE
The veteran cornerback was impressive in coverage and
limited opponents to only two receptions on eight targets. Joseph was matched up against the speedy
Mike Wallace often and effectively shut him down, allowing only one reception on four targets for 24 yards against him. All three corners for the Texans played well, as each had a
coverage grade above 80.0.
EDGE JADEVEON CLOWNEY, 81.0 OVERALL GRADE
Clowney was a menace in the first quarter for the Texans, recording a tackle for loss,
sack and hit on the quarterback. His play quieted down after that with credit due to the Ravens offensive line and coaching staff finding ways to neutralize him. When on his game, Clowney has shown flashes of being an impressive run defender and it was on display tonight. Clowney recorded a
run-defense grade of 86.7, which was tops on his team.
PFF GAME BALL: WILLIE HENRY, DI
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-baltimore-ravens-23-houston-texans-16
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@iwhoopedbatman you know what really encouraged me tonight? Jon Gruden's comments about the 2nd year players on the team REALLY standing out on defense: Willie Henry, Patrick Onwuasor, Matt Judon, (Zach Orr the year before was amazing but that congenital condition made him leave) etc. that were all virtually unknowns/late draft picks. Well, that's great news because the guys that will be showing up big next year are all HIGH draft picks and super well-regarded (plus, Tavon Young coming back, Maurice Canady, and Jaylen Hill, another undrafted rookie). Humphrey has already shown he's gonna be great, but I think I underestimated how long it takes to learn to play linebacker in the NFL.. and I read from a no-BS coach that Tyus Bowser will be a star, and Tim Williams might have had the most pass-rush potential of anyone in the draft. They just have to learn to play.
The one thing I wish we would have done as a team is just let Timmy Jernigan play out his rookie contract, because all we did was move up in the 6th round for him, but he is a GREAT run stopper and he got paid huge money in philly. That's why our run defense isn't as stout, he's basically just a little bit lesser than Brandon Williams, and we could have kept him for nothing for one more year. Oh well, Michael Piece is playing good and Willie Henry is, too.
I think the chances are high that we win out the season. We'll see. I just think things are clicking well enough on offense and the defense will get those turnovers every single game. I am a little disappointed to see the same dumbass 2 yd out plays with a fucking tight-end and I'm surprised that Danny Woodhead isn't being used better, but maybe that'll take time. I thought with him coming back we'd be throwing it to someone skilled and quick on those plays instead of Ben Watson, who I like, but isn't out-running anyone, those plays never work unless there is misdirection in the backfield to start with.
The offense looks too simple and then it looks too complicated and they run when they should pass and pass when they should run, but I think they're gonna keep winning. We'll get in the playoffs and the defense will continue to improve. SUPERBOWL! HERE WE COME!!
/fanmodeoff