The Ravens beat the Lions 30-9 in their third preseason game. RSR staff react to what we saw below…
Brian Bower
The return of Joe Flacco and Terrell Suggs was overshadowed by the loss of Benjamin Watson for the season and a knee injury to rookie Kenneth Dixon. Flacco looked sharp both in and out of the pocket and his arm strength was solid. Suggs played well in his 11 defensive snaps and set the edge well in run defense.
Anthony Levine and Jeremy Butler cemented their place on the roster tonight as each player continues to make plays under the lights.
Joe Polek
The defense looked good, no matter what unit it was. The movement that has been talked about this week was a real plus, and it wass nice to see Suggs doing his thing again.
Offensively, things look good. The O-line held up nicely and opened up some holes. The backs continue to show that will be a big part of this offense.
Flacco played well in his first real action. The WRs showed that they could mesh with their QB.
The two injuries hurt. Watson was going to be a major part of this team, on and off the field. Dixon will be back, so that is good, but it is never good to see a player laying in the field in pain.
Ryan Jones
The loss of Ben Watson for the year and the injury to Kenneth Dixon are both tough pills to swallow. Fortunately for the Ravens, they came at two of the deepest positions on the team.
Yes, Dennis Pitta is out but he will return soon. We still don’t know what’s wrong with Maxx Williams but from what we can tell his injury is considered minor. The Ravens still have three good tight ends and three good running backs.
Baltimore will still enter the season with the most playmakers Flacco has ever had.
Adam Bonaccorsi
So the Watson loss is no Bueno, and the Dixon injury ended up being (at least initially) the best case scenario given the way his knee was hit.
But let’s focus on positives!
Matt Judon’s value continues to climb. Yes, he struggled in coverage a bit, but his relentless motor in the pass rush is that of a true pro.
Flacco looked solid, and is showing some good rapport with Mike Wallace. And while the offense looked ‘good not great,’ knowing Smitty, Perriman, Gillmore AND Maxx Williams didn’t dress but will likely do so come Week 1? You kinda feel that ‘great’ level isn’t too far out of reach…
While the talk will be about the injuries, Flacco, Sizzle…Anthony Levine stole the show for me with another big interception. While he’s not the ‘sexy’ name on this defense, his value remains highly underestimated.
And now for the first round of pink slips…
Derek Arnold
It was nice to see Flacco step up in the pocket on a couple of throws where I was afraid the ol’ “back-foot floater” was coming. He looked comfortable, moved well, and showed some nice chemistry with Mike Wallace.
The injuries to Watson and Dixon will unfortunately overshadow what was otherwise a nice confidence-building night heading into the opener.
Ken McKusick
Likes:
Suggs play vs. run
Brent Urban continuing to use height well
Yards After Contact by West and Dixon
Flacco’s quick releases
Butler 2 TDs with 1 negated by unnecessary hold
Dislikes:
Injuries: I hope they are being square about Dixon. Watson loss is costly and may change scheme given shortages, but TEs returning midseason from suspension will help.
Terrence Brooks played the entire game and had 2 bad missed tackles, the second of which allowed 28 Yards after contact (YACo). He also had an easy INT drop.
Matt Judon’s edge setting and coverage skills
