Quarterback
A
Joe Flacco struggled early, as usual, and he took some vicious hits. By the second half, he was reading the defense extremely well. He was not rattled by the Vikings' all-out blitzes in the last quarter, and he made some strong throws over the middle.
Running backs
B
The Ravens' running backs had it tough in the first half because of poor field position, but this group started wearing down the Vikings' defense in the second half. Ray Rice is becoming one of the best all-around backs in the NFL.
Receivers
C+
The receivers were ineffective in the first half because Flacco didn't have time to throw. Derrick Mason had seven receptions but two key drops. Mark Clayton, Kelley Washington and Todd Heap each had three catches.
Offensive line
C
This group struggled early in the first half. But like the rest of the offense, the line started wearing the Vikings down. Tackles Michael Oher and Marshal Yanda had less-than-solid performances, but they faced a strong defensive line.
Defensive line
C
Tackles Kelly Gregg and Justin Bannan combined for seven tackles, and end Terrell Suggs was solid in containment. But the Vikings still rushed for 167 yards, and the Ravens had problems maintaining lane integrity.
Linebackers
C-
Linebackers Tavares Gooden and Ray Lewis combined for 15 tackles, but most of Gooden's came yards downfield. Lewis, as usual, had a couple of outstanding plays. This wasn't one of outside linebacker Jarret Johnson's better games.
Secondary
F
Coach John Harbaugh has tried just about everything, but the cornerbacks are average at best. Strong safety Dawan Landry has no presence inside or outside the box. None of these guys break on the ball, and they miss a lot of tackles.
Special teams
C-
Punter Sam Koch averaged 48.9 yards on seven kicks, and Lardarius Webb was excellent returning kicks. But the Ravens got very little out of their punt-return game, and Steve Hauschka has to make that game-winning field goal.
