Last night, we got to feel the true nature of the NFL pre-season: the FIRE OF COMPETITION!
Most tense preseason game ever?
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) August 22, 2023
No, not the game itself. The only thing I cared about in this game was the players coming out unscathed, and it looks like that was mostly accomplished.
No serious injuries for the Ravens, per John Harbaugh. That includes RB Keaton Mitchell.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 22, 2023
I will concede, for a preseason matchup, it was a tense, back-and-forth game, with Washington besting the Ravens at the buzzer. Solid game, Commanders, put her there!
GG @Ravens 🤝 pic.twitter.com/X70iOyIC7q
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 22, 2023
What we learned about the state of the roster makes for a much more interesting conversation. In case you didn’t feel like staying up for a Monday Night preseason contest, not to worry, the dark circles under my eyes have you covered. Let’s hit some of what we learned.
Some quick notes before we get into the nitty-gritty:
— Zay Flowers was *chef’s kiss* good on his first and only drive with two catches, one of which went for a beautiful touchdown.
TOUCHDOWN @ZayFlowers!!!
There's something special starting here!! 😈
Tune in on ESPN and @wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/9NcRMIyg4k
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
Fantastic. 10 out of 10, no notes. The coaches had seen enough and took my precious baby boy out of the game following that play.
— Elsewhere, Tylan Wallace added a touchdown, while a missed catch from James Proche unfortunately gave Commanders rookie Jartavis Martin an opportunity to make a pick.
WOW @JartaviusM_ 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
📺 #BALvsWAS ESPN pic.twitter.com/7lrlWfY4Eu
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 22, 2023
The position of the throw didn’t do Proche any favors, but combined with the rest of what we’ve seen in his portfolio of work, I feel like the writing is on the wall. With Wallace putting up another solid game in what has been a pretty good preseason for him, the top six receivers in my mind today are Zay, Rashod Bateman, OBJ, Nelson Agholor, Devin Duvernay and Tylan Wallace.
— Travis Vokolek showed just how deep this tight end room goes, as the undrafted rookie from Nebraska hauled in not one, but two touchdowns.
TOUCHDOWN RAVENS! @anthonybrown_2 finds @tvokolek2 for the score!! Tune in on ESPN/@wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/D3tcT2Q7qr
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
✌️ touchdown night for @tvokolek2!!
📺: ESPN and @wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/tNucVYz366
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
Charlie Kolar also had a nice night with a couple of long receptions, but I fear that may end up being too much of a good thing. If Vokolek ends up becoming too hot a commodity to keep in town, I wouldn’t put it past EDC to try to parlay him into some draft capital.
Now let’s dive a little deeper, starting with running backs. Justice Hill certainly didn’t hurt his case for a roster spot, with a couple of solid runs in a limited slate of work. His appearance looked more like a formality to keep his legs loose. The more interesting backs to watch going into the game were the rookie and the vet: Melvin Gordon and Keaton Mitchell. As a guy who watches a lot of Wisconsin football, I’ll always have a soft spot for Melvin Gordon, but he looked… pedestrian. Normally, having a running back who looks just OK is acceptable in the regular season, but you certainly don’t want to look like that against a 2nd– or 3rd-team defense. Mitchell, on the other hand, looked very solid.
Big run for @_KeatonMitchell!!
Tune in on ESPN and @wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/5LgEjgexVd
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
The straight-line speed on that play showcases why Baltimore likes Mitchell, and the younger option with roster control certainly doesn’t hurt from a front office standpoint. Unfortunately, following a pretty good kickoff return, Mitchell appeared to sustain a shoulder injury and didn’t return to the game.
Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell came up in pain after that kickoff return. He sat out that drive while working on his shoulder and headed to the locker room.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 22, 2023
Bubble-wrap him, boys. I’ve seen enough.
Speaking of rookies, I’m going to pick on some of them who looked like they could use some polish. For the second week in a row, Tavius Robinson showed difficulty disengaging from blocks and over-pursuing. Trenton Simpson had a very rough series toward the end of the game when the Commanders scored a touchdown but failed to convert the two-point try.
Rough series for Trenton Simpson. Missed at least three tackles on that drive.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 22, 2023
BIG STOP BY @Kbk1Kyu ON THE 2-POINT CONVERSION!!
Tune in on ESPN/@wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/DLMZ7xQEdN
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
Kyu Kelly redeemed himself a bit on that defensive stand, where otherwise he’d had a bit of a rough night.
Too many times I had to ask myself who No. 17 is on defense because he was getting beat and drew a flag. Turns out, fifth-round rookie Kyu Kelly. Had some welcome to the NFL moments.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) August 22, 2023
Trying desperately to redeem the defensive rookies was Malik Hamm, who continued an impressive preseason campaign by generating a pressure that forced a throwaway, and later forcing a fumble.
FUMBLE!! OUR BALL!!
Tune in in ESPN and @wbaltv11 pic.twitter.com/t9omucCEN0
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
The competition for the third-string QB role remains open based on what I saw as well. If I had to lean one way or the other, I probably favor Anthony Brown over Josh Johnson. As much as Johnson’s veteran experience means something in the locker room, Brown’s use of the legs seems like it fits Baltimore’s offense better. Fortunately, we have one preseason contest before the coaches have to decide.
Finally, something that stuck in my craw all night: Baltimore’s secondary gave up way too many easy yards. Obviously with your 2nd and 3rd team CBs and safeties in, it’s not going to look super polished against a 1st-team offense, but it seems like it was a schematic issue with too many players shifted deep. David Ojabo still seemed to be misfiring on his approach, and Washington’s OTs seemed to be containing edge pressure too easily for my liking. Fingers crossed that this was Mike McDonald trying to experiment with some coverage and rush schemes, but after so many situations where Baltimore’s defense gave up chunk yardage on third down last year, it certainly makes me grimace.
We’ve got one more preseason week before we can finally set our sights on the real thing. Until then, time to start the next preseason winning streak!!
(An author’s note: that last line is a joke. Seriously, no one cares.)
One Response
Finally the silly streak ends!