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Week 7: Defense Comes Up Big In Win
Bills find a way to finish a win.
by Steve Saslow
Here are our position by position grades:
Quarterback:
Trent Edwards didn't have a big game as he finished with a QB rating of 56.2 as he threw one bad interception deep in his own territory and completed one long pass to Lee Evans on the team's lone touchdown drive. He finished 11 of 21 for 153 yards. Grade C-: The defense won this game not the quarterback.
Running Backs:
Marshawn Lynch had a nice 23 yard run against a tough Ravens defense and scored from one yard out but didn't do too much besides those two plays. He finished with 84 yards on 27 carries and three catches for 14 yards including a nice nine yard screen pass. Anthony Thomas and Dwayne Wright had three carries apiece for minimal gain. Grade C: Average day for an average unit.
Receivers:
Lee Evans finally made a big play with his 54 yard reception on the team's lone touchdown drive. He finished with five catches for 98 yards. Roscoe Parrish had just one catch for nine yards but it did give the team a first down. He also drew a 34 yard pass interference penalty on a field goal drive. Josh Reed had one catch for 25 yards. Michael Gaines had the lone catch from the tight ends and it went for 7 yards, he also dropped a pass. Grade C: Average performance from a less then average offense.
Offensive Line:
The line had its troubles against a formidable defense in Baltimore. They allowed two sacks and averaged just over three yards per rush. Grade C: Not a great day but no glaring issues.
Defensive Line:
With the Ravens offensive line banged up you would think it would be a big day from the front four. They didn't get too much pressure however and finished with one sack, Anthony Hargrove had half of that sack as he played most of the second half for a banged up Chris Kelsay who had three tackles before going out. Aaron Schobel also had three tackle and a quarterback hit. He got pressure on Boller on the final offensive play for the Ravens, an incomplete pass on fourth and one late in the game. John McCargo was in on two tackles and helped stop McGahee behind the line of scrimmage on one play. Larry Tripplett was in on two tackles as was Kyle Williams. Grade C+: Held the running game in tact except for the one big play by McGahee. Could have had more pressure.
Linebackers:
John DiGiorgio had a half of sack and a fumble recovery as he continues to be all of the place. He was also in on five tackles and had a QB hit. Keith Ellison was in on four tackles. Angelo Crowell forced a fumble and led the way with nine tackles. Grade B: Very active day for this unit.
Secondary:
Terrence McGee was active as he was in on eight tackles. Jabari Greer had a quiet day as he was solid in coverage. Donte Whitner was also in on eight tackles. George Wilson was in on three tackles. Kiwaukee Thomas had an assist before leaving with an injury. Grade A: Held the Ravens to under 200 yards in the air.
Special Teams:
Brian Moorman averaged almost 46 yards per punt on his five punts. Terrence McGee averaged 22 yards on his three kickoff returns. Rian Lindell was 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts. Roscoe Parrish averaged 14.3 yards on his four punt returns. The coverage units were outstanding in the win. Grade A: Nice effort again from the special teams.
Coaching:
Dick Jauron had the team ready to play after the bye week and they were no lingering effects from the loss to the Cowboys. Interesting move to use the no-huddle most of the day on offense. It seemed to keep the Ravens off balance but didn't lead to too many points. Perry Fewell had the defense ready to go and they played solidly. They finally got smart late in the game by running the clock down by running the football. Grade A: A Nice win.
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