Adam Bonaccorsi
The starters looked up to the task tonight but the second they stepped off the field and the backups stepped in? You could feel the stadium deflate pretty quickly. I have a particularly high concern for the depth on the defense. There’s a lack of pressure, lack of efficient coverage in the secondary, and it almost feels like nobody wants to step up and earn a spot on the roster. Where’s the Ravens annual ‘diamond in the rough?’
Needless to say, the coaching staff should be praying daily for a healthy squad all year. One injury on the D-line or the DB’s could spell huge trouble for this unit.
Nadeem Kureishy
Really liked the way that the first team offense and defense played overall. Steve Smith Sr and Flacco have great chemistry and will do very well this year. What is concerning is the rest of the wide receivers. Marlon Brown was absent a majority of the game. Kamar Aiken played ok with two catches. On defense, Timmy Jernigan’s injury is very concerning. The Ravens aren’t required to report injuries in the preseason, but the silence on Timmy’s injury may tell us how bad it is. Some highlights on defense were Suggs’ interception and a great stop by Upshaw
The second and third teams played very poorly. Historically the Ravens have always played preseason games well due to the strength of their roster. I don’t feel that to be the case this year. There should be no surprises on the first cut day.
The Kick Returner and Punt Returner position is still up in the air. Asa Jackson didn’t do anything to solidify his position as a returner. He negates a beautiful Kick Return with a poor decision on a Punt Return by fumbling the ball.
Not much to say about the ejections. Keenan Robinson of the Redskins deserves to be fined.
Ryan Jones
The Ravens starters played well and built some much needed confidence heading into the regular season. Beyond that, it got pretty ugly.
Typically one of the Ravens biggest strengths is their depth, especially on defense. But outside of the starters the Ravens look really vulnerable. Injuries are a part of football, and the Ravens reserves play is a concern. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ozzie sign a veteran or two this week.
Hopefully the injuries along the defensive line aren’t too serious.
Brian Bower
Not exactly the performance I expected to see after struggling against the Eagles last week, but the Ravens had some positives. Steve Smith Sr. and Joe Flacco seemed to be in mid-season form. The first team defense fared well including a huge stop on 4th &1 by C.J. Mosley. The second team offense and defense struggled mightily. The Ravens need another wide receiver to step up opposite of Smith Sr. Injuries again took a toll with Jernigan, Tyson and Lawrence Guy all leaving the game without returning. Once the deepest unit on the team, the defensive line is getting shallow. Once again, Asa Jackson shows he doesn’t deserve to stay on the roster after the first cut day on Tuesday.
Kyle Casey
Well, things started off positively with a 13-0 lead, but the lacking depth of this roster has become excruciatingly obvious throughout the preseason. Backup cornerbacks Asa Jackson and Tray Walker were tough to watch, and the backup offensive linemen yet again turned in an ugly performance. Overall, very few backups performed well. Some bright spots included: the first-team offense, rookie tight end Nick Boyle and the fact that second-year safety Terrence Brooks is back in action.
Brian McFarland
What happened to the great depth that the Ravens have usually had and that we expected this team to have?
Ken McKusick
It’s nice to see a solid performance from the first string, but that was overshadowed by injuries on the defensive line. Jernigan, Guy, and Tyson all left with injuries, which will challenge the front office to refill the depth chart. I thought Asa Jackson made a play for himself with the kickoff return and the fact he got more snaps on defense, but then he failed to field a punt and when given a mulligan by the Redskins penalty, fumbled the ensuing punt. Uggh.
Tyler Lombardi
It looked like this game was going to be a laugher from the beginning. Steve Smith Sr. and Joe Flacco have quite the connection. I’m looking forward to watching that all year.
What I didn’t like was the pass rush from the front-seven depth. It was putrid. On one play in the second half, Colt McCoy looked like he had enough time to write a doctoral dissertation and completed a touchdown pass to the back of the endzone. Another thing that is particularly concerning is Matt Schaub. He is awful. I was a fan of the signing when it happened, but I don’t think this team could win a game with him under center. Hopefully, they can stash Renner on the practice squad and turn him into a serviceable backup.
