Grading the Baltimore Ravens in their 34-27 win at the New Orleans Saints:
Quarterback: Joe Flacco showed poise against the blitz and proved quite efficient in extending drives. Six of his seven completions on third downs led to first downs. Flacco stretched the field (his 40-yard strike to Steve Smith was perfect) and hit Torrey Smith in stride on underneath routes. Yes, he should've been picked off linebacker David Hawthorne, and it could've been returned for a touchdown. But that was a small smudge on an otherwise strong outing. Grade: B-plus.
Running backs: Justin Forsett broke a 38-yard run on the Ravens' first play of the game and finished of the Saints with a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:53 left in the game. His 182 yards rushing were 52 more than he had ever gained in his previous 97 career games. He ran hard in between the tackles and showed decisiveness in hitting the openings, which led to runs of 20, 24, 35 and 38 yards. Even backup Bernard Pierce had a 26-yard run, his longest one in 19 games. The only negative was fullback Kyle Juszczyk's fumble at the Saints' 1-yard line. Grade: A-minus.
Wide receivers/tight ends: For one of the few times this season, the Ravens were able to get the ball to Steve Smith and Torrey Smith in the same game. They combined for 187 yards receiving. Steve Smith made a fantastic touchdown grab while falling back and getting interfered with to cap the Ravens' opening drive. Torrey Smith was physical in going over the middle to make the intermediate catches. Marlon Brown converted a third down-and-12 with a 14-yard catch. Grade: A.
Offensive line: The right side was dominant with guard Marshal Yanda getting to the second level and tackle Rick Wagner sealing off the backside. Forsett gained 104 yards on the right side and averaged 10.4 yards per carry behind Yanda and Wagner. Left guard Kelechi Osemele and center Jeremy Zuttah also had solid games. Left tackle Eugene Monroe hasn't been the same since he returned from injury, and he was the team's worst lineman Monday. He allowed too much pressure on Flacco's blind side. Grade: B-plus.
Defensive line: The Ravens forced the Saints to stop running the ball, especially in between the tackles. Haloti Ngata set the tone when he stuffed running back Mark Ingram on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to end the opening drive. Nose tackle Brandon Williams made four tackles and forced a fumble. Chris Canty somehow convinced the officials that Saints left tackle Terron Armstead moved when he didn't, and that pushed back the Saints to the 6-yard line. Grade: B-plus.
Linebackers: All four sacks came from the Ravens' linebackers. Elvis Dumervil had his sixth multi-sack game of the season, and Terrell Suggs cracked 100 sacks for his career. C.J. Mosley led the Ravens with nine tackles and made his first career sack. Pernell McPhee topped the Ravens with three quarterback hits. Courtney Upshaw made a couple of outstanding open-field tackles. Grade: A.
Secondary: Will Hill made the play of the game with a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. He negated tight end Jimmy Graham with his physical play. The rest of the secondary was extremely shaky. The Ravens gave up five passes over 20 yards, and there were players in position to make plays. Cornerback Danny Gorrer had an interception ripped out of his hands along the sideline, and rookie safety Terrence Brooks gave up a long touchdown because he didn't attack the ball. Lardarius Webb saved a touchdown with an illegal horse-collar tackle, which is important to point out because the Ravens kept the Saints out of the end zone. Grade: C-minus.
Special teams: Sam Koch changed field position with a career-high 59.5-yard net average. Justin Tucker hit a clutch 55-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Jacoby Jones made a couple of bad decisions when fielding kicks. Kamar Aiken caught the onside kick to end the game. Grade: B-plus.