It’s difficult to discern the Ravens’ performance after the first preseason game against the Saints.
The defense that had most of its starters was dominant in the 17-14 victory.
The offense, however, will look completely different when the regular season starts.
But it was not pretty.
“[There are] a lot of things to work on; so many things to work on, [and] so many little things that can cost you games,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We made some mistakes, so we’ll go to work the next couple of days before we go to Carolina and try to clean all those issues up. [We’ll] take a good hard look at the tape and just try to improve. [We’ll] evaluate the guys and see where we go from there.”
Justin Tucker got the first points on the board with a 56-yard field goal with 14:16 left in the half. The Ravens managed four plays for minus-3 yards on that scoring drive.
Lamar Jackson did not play after missing the first week of training camp because of COVID-19.
Backup quarterback Trace McSorley struggled over his first half of action, and Tyler Huntley was much better in the second half. Huntley managed a game-winning 7-yard touchdown run with 6:35 left in the game. McSorley struggled and was 10 of 17 for 71 yards with an interception (49.8 rating). He also ran for 25 yards on four carries. Huntley was 12 of 16 for 79 yards (85.2 rating) and the aforementioned rushing TD.
“I thought they both operated really well. Trace, he was dealing with a little back spasm issue,” Harbaugh said. “So, I think that limited his ability to move around in the pocket and run around, but he made some good throws. Then Tyler [Huntley] came in and just played tremendous football. [He] made plays running and throwing. [He] just did a great job. He won us the game.”
Running back J.K. Dobbins was stuffed for a one-yard loss on a 4th-and-1 midway through the first quarter. Overall, though, the Ravens ran for 190 yards. Ty’son Williams had 10 carries for 42, while Ty’Son Williams ran the ball 10 times for 41 yards.
The wide receivers did not get many opportunities. The Ravens were without wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin and Deon Cain. Jaylon Moore had two receptions for 32 yards. Devin Duvernay made four receptions for 28 yards. James Proche caught one pass for eight yards.
The defense was another story.
The Ravens forced six turnovers and had three sacks.
Safety Geno Stone had a pair of interceptions, inside linebacker Malik Harrison forced a fumble and Patrick Queen was stellar in coverage and had a tackle for a loss on a screenplay. He then managed a sack for a 12-yard loss.
“When I get in the backfield, I’ve just got to keep my feet,” Queen said. “I’m getting in the backfield like I needed to; I’ve just got to keep my feet once I get back there.”
Undrafted rookie Ar’Darius Washington forced a fumble.
The Ravens will have to make up some ground in the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
The starters might have to play significant minutes in the finale against Washington. Jackson needs to get back in the lineup against a live defense and continue to develop a rapport with his wide receivers, namely Sammy Watkins, who didn’t play against the Saints.
The regular season is right around the corner and the Ravens need to correct some of the issues with the offense, mainly in the passing game.
“You just kind of have to do what you have to do. If we don’t get them together because of circumstances, it’s not like we’re not going to play,” Harbaugh said. “I can’t say we’re not going to play, so it’ll be what it is. Hopefully, we can get them out there for the last [preseason] game. There’s a lot of time and a lot of circumstances between now and then.
“So, I think everybody … If you look at the Saints, they didn’t have everyone out there, either. It’s just the way it works in the NFL in training camp.”
