It can be a difficult task deciding what kind of grade to give each position. Especially when the scoreboard seems to imply a rather close game. Yesterday’s game wasn’t that close however. While Sports Illustrated’s Michael Lombardi gives Flacco a ‘C’ and Harbaugh ‘B’, I gave them both higher grades.

Quarterback: B
Joe Flacco managed the game well, and played within himself. For a rookie starting in his first game, Flacco was cool, calm and collected through the game. All traits that have been missing from the Ravens offense for quite some time. He made a few rookie mistakes, and threw some balls just short. While his passer rating was in the low-60’s, he ran for a touchdown and was betrayed often by his receivers.

Running Backs: B+
The combination of Le’Ron McClain and Ray Rice made the abscene of veteran starter Willis McGahee a distant memory. Both backs ran hard and found holes. The contribution of Lorenzo Neal was also exciting to watch. This was an ‘A’ performance, but Rice coughed up the ball that resulted in a Bengals touchdown, and also dropped a pass.

Receivers: C
The receivers raked up a lot of rushing yards, but the constent drops were a major disappointment. Todd Heap dropped a few catchable passes, as the rookie QB took only a few shots down the field.

Offensive Line: A
Where did this line come from? The offensive line protected their quarterback, and gave him ample opportunity to make his reads and throw. They completly shut down any defensive attack the Bengals had and opened up running lanes for their running backs.

Defense: A
The Ravens shut down the high-powered offense of Cincinnati by playing smash mouth football. The defensive line dominated the Bengals’ running game, while linebackers reinforced the attack. The secondary held up so well, that Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco and TJ Houshmandzadeh were complete non-factors, sans one drive.

Special Teams: C
Yamon Figurs’ ran for a touchdown, but it was called by because of a penalty. A wasted effort that could have demoralized the Bengals for good. Matt Stover badly missed a 47-yard field goal. It wasn’t even close, but it was very ugly. The Bengals had better-than-normal field position throughout the game, and espesically in the first half. Better teams will make the Ravens pay for that kind of position.

Coaching: A
Reversing the reversing, and an even-handed attack of running the ball and throwing the ball, John Harbaugh, Cam Cameron and Rex Ryan managed a heck of a game.

How would you rank the Ravens?