The Ravens closed out the preseason with a 30-20 victory over the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. RSR staff react to the win here…
Todd Karpovich
— Lamar Jackson showed improvement once again. He was much more poised in the pocket.
— The Ravens suffered another significant injury with cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste possibly sustaining a broken arm. The team does have depth in the secondary, but needs Maurice Canady to get healthy.
— The RGIII saga continues. Do the Ravens keep three quarterbacks?
— A pair of young running backs — DeLance Turner and Mark Thompson — shined, but there is simply no room on the roster for either.
Carey Stevenson
Lamar Jackson showed promise from the pocket in this one. His arm talent and pocket poise is impressive and could make him a potentially special player. His growth from the beginning of the preseason to now should be cause for excitement.
Do the Ravens have to keep a 6th WR? It’s probably the responsible thing to do but man, it sure doesn’t feel good.
Speaking of WR, Mark Andrews could essentially be that 6th guy should they go that route…good to see him make a few plays tonigh.
Are the Ravens botching this Center situation by not getting more talented guys like Alex Lewis and Nico Siragusa game reps there? Matt Skura and Bradley Bozeman don’t give me that warm and fuzzy feeling
That 28-yard run from De’Lance Turner did though. He made a couple defenders look silly in the hole on that one. Don’t think he makes it, but should get through waivers and would be a prime practice squad candidat.Â
Nothing happened in this game that is of great importance to the final 53-man roster. I think at least one and maybe two offensive lineman will be added before game 1. I don’t expect many other surprises.
Adam Bonaccorsi
— Maxx Williams and Bob Griffin both in street clothes likely means they made the 53. I get why for Bob. Not for Maxx. But it also likely means that he’s the last TE, along with Hurst, Andrews, and Boyle. Darren Waller gets shafted. I hate everything.
— Gus Edwards missed tonight with an injury, so expect IR as he joins Jaleel Scott in those secret stashing games. Gus is not a guy the Ravens should let walk.
— Kenneth Dixon didn’t impress again tonight. Is he safe? Or did Mark Thompson’s solid performance (again) give the young buck the edge over the oft injured/suspended/but mostly injured Dixon? I sure hope so…
— Lamar looked better again. 9/15 with a pair of easy drops in there and his legs once again were electric. It’s still hard to judge his ceiling behind an OL that’s makeshift and sieve-like. One day we’ll see LJ play with a full array of starters, but it won’t be til this time next year at the earliest.
— Kai Nacua has a nice pick six… but it’s too late.
— Chris Board should make the team.
— I’m still pulling for Bronson Kaufusi. He’s shown up in spots throughout the preseason and played well again today. If there’s one high(er) pick the Ravens shouldn’t give up on yet? This is my guy (obviously not Maxx or Perriman).
-Also its been real Perriman, but deuces!! ✌
Chad Racine
If I were to play tackle football with my 13-year-old son and all the neighborhood kids, it would look like Patrick Ricard did tonight. Not only is he quality depth, he could be a starter and very good one.
Kai Nacua could’ve played his way onto the roster with that impressive pick 6. I had him not making it but that was the play of the night.
Mark Andrews showed why he was Baker Mayfield‘s favorite target. As he gets more comfortable he could be a playmaker later in the season.
RG3 will be on the roster to start the season or he would have played in this game. I sense there will be offers but as injuries stack up his value rises.
Bronson Kaufusi was on fire. I think I saw smoke coming off of his mullet. It’s probably too little too late. He probably hasn’t shown enough for trade value but good enough that he would get plucked from the practice squad.
The Ravens have given fans good reason to be excited for this year.
Mitchell Wolfman
— How nice is it to see how much Lamar Jackson has improved over these last two preseason games? LJ looks a lot more calm and collected delivering the ball and has really upped his pocket awareness. He can evade pressure effortlessly by rolling outside and has a knack at hitting short strikes on the run. That naked bootleg TD run of his was effortless, not sure what the Redskins defense was thinking there. REALLY like how LJ waits to pass a lot more before taking off to run. Two of this throws caught my attention…He threw a strike to Breshad Perriman in a tight window to pick up a first. But that laser over the middle to Mark Andrews on a seam was by far his best throw of the night. Consistency remains an issue for LJ, as some of his deeper passes were off the mark. But it’s safe to say LJ looks so much more poised and is trending in all the right directions.
— Speaking of that pass to Andrews, what a beauty run after catch it was too! Strong hands and balance allowed him to fight off contact and break away for a massive run (including a sweet stutter step at the end). What I like about Andrews is that he’s fast and has a RAC ability that he was known for in college. After a handful of nice grabs tonight, it was very uplifting to see the young TE flash after Hayden Hurst‘s injury.
— Patrick Ricard was a human wrecking ball last night. That man kept bull rushing his way into the backfield and at times looked unblock-able. His nicest play consisted of a massive bull rush right off the snap where he was held, brought to his knees but somehow managed to punch the ball out and fall on the fumble recovery. Brian Billick referred to it on air as the trifecta (strip, recovery, and drawing a hold). Ricard is a legitimate two-way player.
— A few players on the defensive line stood out throughout the game but the run defense in the first half was pretty trash if you ask me. Rob Kelly kept breaking tackles…not want you want to see when so many defensive lineman are fighting for their jobs. The Redskins had a rushing TD on an outside run that was called back for holding but to me the call looked generous. Tyus Bowser was beaten bad off the edge, really hoped he would have had a better game.
— Chris Wormley had a nice night as well. He got into the QBs face a few times and also had a very nice solo backfield tackle for a loss. After all the hype Zach Sieler has been receiving, it was nice to see Wormley step up in the 5T spot.
— Bronson Kaufusi REALLY improved as the game went on, which included a couple of sacks and a handful of pressures. I guess he’s found his calling off the edge but it seems too little to late for Kaufusi at this point. Besides, the dude really missed on some tackles to start the game – not the guy I want defending the edge.
— Mark Thompson had some NICE runs this game. He fights through contact well and displayed some beauty cuts on two nice runs, including one where he completely changed direction, ran to the opposite side of the line, found blockers and ran for a long gain. DeLance Turner flashed at times last night as well. Seems as if every Ravens RB is showing off except Kenneth Dixon…but chill out, he’s still making the roster. It would be nice to have Thompson and Turner on the practice squad.
— And WHAT A BEAUTIFUL INTERCEPTION by Kai Nacua. He anticipated the pass, tore that mofo out of the receiver’s hands and had stellar run back down the sideline for a pick-6. He probably won’t make the roster but this was a really cool moment nonetheless. Especially the reaction he received from the bench (and Coach Weddle).
— Another week, another new injury…or two. Stanley Jean-Baptiste likely broke his arm and Kenny Young might have suffered a relatively serious injury. Two players that have recently become fan favorites, pretty unlucky…
