The Baltimore Ravens lost the AFC North lead with a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. As usual, there is plenty of blame to go around, though several positives still stood out in the losing effort.
Winners
Nnamdi Madubuike: After a year of uncertainty about whether Madubuike would play football again due to his neck injury, the former All-Pro defensive tackle is back and performing like he never left. Madubuike was officially credited with just half a sack on Deshaun Watson, but he was wreaking havoc in the backfield throughout the game. The 28-year-old finished with five pressures and a pass rush win rate of 15.2% on 22 pass-rushing snaps.
Trey Hendrickson: Hendrickson was a consistent force of pressure in his first game back from hand surgery with a pass rush win rate of 13.3%. He recorded one sack officially, but finished with a team-high six pressures on 20 pass snaps.
Kyle Hamilton: Hamilton makes his presence felt every week, and he did so on Sunday with a number of hard hits, including one that blew up a screen. The All-Pro safety finished with seven total tackles, three being tackles for loss, while allowing just seven yards on four targets.
Calais Campbell: Campbell had the first of the team’s five sacks on Watson when he brought him down on third down on Cleveland’s first drive, resulting in a three-and-out. Campbell finished with five pressures on 16 pass snaps, according to PFF.
Trenton Simpson: Simpson continues to stack strong games in a contract year. He finished with eight total tackles on Sunday while earning a team-high 90.2 PFF grade.
Keyon Martin: Martin replaced rookie Chandler Rivers in the slot this week and made the most of his opportunities. The second-year undrafted cornerback single-handedly ended a Browns’ drive with a pass breakup on second down and a sack on the ensuing third down. He finished with a 71.2 PFF grade, good for fourth on the defense. Martin was flagged for a questionable pass interference that extended Cleveland’s drive on third down, leading to a game-tying touchdown, but that does not wipe away his strong day.
Ja’Kobi Lane: The preseason darling made his long-awaited return to the field after a broken wrist suffered in Week 1 landed him on injured reserve. Lane did not disappoint in his first game back, catching four passes for 40 yards, with all four receptions being first downs. Lane also had a nice block to spring a 17-yard run on the opening drive. His 79.7 PFF grade was the highest among offensive players.
Josh Cuevas: Cuevas was another rookie with a strong showing in Week 6. The fifth-round tight end had his best game of the season so far, catching four passes for 44 yards and the first touchdown of his career on the opening drive. With Mark Andrews in a slump and Durham Smythe out for the season with an Achilles tear, Declan Doyle may need to rely on his pair of rookie tight ends more as the season progresses.
Ryan Eckley: The highlight of the day for the rookie punter was a punt that was downed at the one-yard line. Eckley averaged 49.4 yards on seven punts, with three landing inside the 20 and a long of 64.
Keondre Jackson: Jackson seems to show up on special teams every week, and he did so again with an impressive play to keep a punt out of the end zone, downing it at the one-yard line instead.
Marlon Humphrey: Humphrey had a strong game on Sunday, allowing just one catch for 17 yards and a passer rating of 53.5 on three targets, according to PFF.
Nate Wiggins: Wiggins had a solid game as well on the other side of the defense, allowing two catches for 24 yards and a passer rating of 68.8 on four targets. Rookie Denzel Boston entered the game averaging a league-high 20.6 yards per reception, but the combination of Humphrey and Wiggins held the promising receiver to just one catch for 15 yards on five targets.
Losers
Derrick Henry: It was an uncharacteristically rough day for the future Hall-of-Fame back on Sunday. Henry’s fumble in the fourth quarter gave the Browns the ball at the 35-yard line, leading to their lone touchdown of the day to tie the game. Aside from the backbreaking turnover, Henry struggled to get anything going after a strong first quarter. He finished the game with just 58 yards on 17 carries for 3.4 yards per carry. While much of the run game’s failures could be attributed to other factors, it was still a game that Henry would like to forget.
Offensive line: The offensive line struggled to give Henry much running room on Sunday as he was consistently hit behind or near the line of scrimmage. Henry averaged less than one yard before contact while being tackled for a loss on four of his 17 carries. Rookie Vega Ioane also had a poor snap that resulted in a fumble, effectively killing the drive despite being recovered by the offense. Tyler Huntley was sacked three times while being pressured 17 times per PFF, with one of the sacks and 12 pressures being credited to the line.
Tyler Huntley: Huntley was the hero of the week after a magnicifent final two drives to win the game against the Falcons in Week 5, but that momentum sadly did not last long for the backup quarterback. Huntley struggled to move the ball through the air against Cleveland’s defense while putting the ball in harm’s way multiple times despite not ending up with an interception. Huntley’s limitations as a passer were on full display Sunday as he failed to push the ball down the field, ending the game with 5.3 yards per attempt.
Mark Andrews: Andrews needed a bounce-back performance after a poor display in primetime against Atlanta, but it looks like he will be waiting at least another week to do so. The veteran tight end caught just one pass for four yards while also dropping a ball on three targets. Andrews also had a false start penalty that helped stall a drive.
Tyler Loop: Loop failed to extend the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter with a 49-yard missed field goal in a game that was later lost by three points. Loop’s leash appears to be rather short, as kicker Jake Moody has re-signed to Baltimore’s practice squad since Sunday’s game.
Rasheen Ali: After a fumble recovery and touchdown drive to tie the game seemed to finally swing momemtum Cleveland’s way in the fourth quarter, Ali made matters worse by muffing the ensuing kickoff, setting the Ravens up at the 16-yard line.
Mike Green: Green failed to build off his previous pair of strong performances once Hendrickson rejoined the lineup. Green had just one pressure on 13 pass snaps, according to PFF. Both Green and Hendrickson appear to be most effective rushing on the right side of the defense, which is a puzzle Jesse Minter and Anthony Weaver will have to figure out in order to get the most from the pass rush.