Report Card: Ravens’ Preseason Losing Streak Hits Two

The Ravens’ streak ended on Monday Night Football against the Commanders. Now, it seems they’ve started a new streak, losing two straight preseason games!

Let’s get into the gradebook after a game that doesn’t count. The last game that doesn’t count until next summer, to be exact.

Offense 

Overall: C

The Ravens started the game with a quick touchdown drive, one where they made it look easy. This despite the Ravens backups going against many of Tampa’s starters.

Then, they were reminded that nothing is easy. They left points on the field. Drops were a problem, and Sean Ryan failed to make an easy catch while he was comfortably open in the end zone. Third downs were a problem.

The positives meshed evenly with the negatives to my eye, but in the end, the Ravens didn’t put up enough points to win the game.

Quarterback: B-

Josh Johnson made a compelling case to be the backup quarterback. He went 6-for-9 passing and led a criminally smooth touchdown drive against the Tampa Bay starters. He hit a couple of passes under pressure and made the right decisions with the football. If the grades were just for him I’d be handing out an A- for his efforts.

Anthony Brown was okay, but he didn’t get much help. When they had to settle for Justin Tucker’s first-half field goal, it followed back-to-back drops by Charlie Kolar and Sean Ryan. Brown hit Ryan in the end zone and it should have been an easy catch. Brown had a bad fumble fighting for extra yards on a scramble. You have to give Brown credit though, he had a decent second-half performance. You know he came away wishing he’d gotten it done on that final drive.

Tyler Huntley didn’t play but he is relevant to the conversation. Whoever the backup quarterback is in September, Brown won’t factor into the equation. The very experienced Johnson is clearly steps ahead of Brown. On the post-game show, Rod Woodson made a compelling case for Brown as the potential backup over Huntley. We’ll have to see.

Running Back: B+

Owen Wright came alive in the fourth quarter, as the main character in the early fourth-quarter touchdown drive. He had a 38-yard scamper, caught a pass to get inside the 5-yard line, and he finished the drive with a touchdown. Wright took advantage of his heavy workload. Other than a dropped pass, he impressed, and made one final plea for a job in September. If not in Baltimore, somewhere.

Melvin Gordon had a forgettable evening. It’s looking more and more like he won’t make the 53-man roster.

Wide Receivers: B-

Welcome to the 53-man roster, Tylan Wallace. He continued to look like a playmaker, wrapping up his preseason with two flashy receptions. Laquan Treadwell had a touchdown. Dontay Demus Jr. had an impressive 39-yard reception in heavy traffic, and an important reception late in the fourth quarter. It may be too late for James Proche, but when his number was called he had two receptions for 28 yards. The grade for the receivers is dragged down by drops by Sean Ryan and Tarik Black.

Tight Ends: A-

Charlie Kolar had one drop, but everything else he did was exciting, including four receptions for 45 yards. He has a Dennis Pitta-like style about his game and he could be a sneaky weapon for the offense. Travis Vokolek got everybody in the Flock excited against the Commanders, but Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Kolar should be the crew at this position.

Offensive Line: D

The offensive line was horrible for most of this game. Johnson was successful at quarterback in spite of the shaky pass protection in front of him. Brown was forced to use his legs in first-half action and got sacked on the first possession of the second half. Ben Cleveland had a bad false start penalty. It was almost understandable why he would want a head start though, as the Bucs had players running right by him. The rookie conveniently known as “Sala” gave up a sack in the third quarter, and had trouble staying in front of pass rushers in general.

It may have been a night for the backups, but the concerns about the offensive line will remain concerns.  There weren’t many standouts here, and this unit was hard to watch.

Defense

Overall: C

Things started out perfectly for the defense. They forced Baker Mayfield and the starting Buccaneers offense to go three and out on their first possession, but the defense had a more difficult night than the first drive foreshadowed. The Bucs had over 70 plays on offense, converted on almost half of their third downs, and put up 26 points. They also won the time of possession battle. Credit the Ravens for getting the key stops and having their opponent settle for field goals, but it wasn’t a fantastic night for the defense.

Defensive Line: C-

The defensive line didn’t have a huge impact on this game. Trey Botts had a sack, and that was the biggest highlight. The pass rush wasn’t great. Travis Jones got some action and had a couple of tackles. Kyle Trask was a little too comfortable in the pocket tonight. Part of his efficiency against the Ravens was that the pressure was not getting there.

Linebackers: B

I thought there were some strong performances from the linebackers, specifically Josh Ross and Del’Shawn Phillips, who made a strong push to show why he should be on the 53-man roster. He’s physical and intense. Jeremiah Moon didn’t make an impact as a pass rusher yet he did well in playing assignment football. He looks sharp. Malik Harrison took a bad angle on a play in pass coverage, and his inability to play in space still scares me. There were some plays that got too far down the field. It wasn’t a perfect night, but the linebackers had some strong moments.

Defensive Backs: C-

The two cornerbacks you came into this game with your eyes on were Kyu Kelly and Jaylon Armour Davis. Kelly had another rough night, including allowing the touchdown to Chris Godwin on the Buccaneers’ second drive. He also made a mistake on special teams which helped the Buccaneers have a good kick return. Armour-Davis had one negative play, but I thought tonight was his best showing all summer.

The Buccaneers quarterbacks had a handful of throws they are going to want back. This is a nice way of saying that it could have been worse if Mayfield and Trask hadn’t missed some wide-open throws. Tae Hayes looked sharp in coverage. That’s a positive.

Special Teams: C

The Ravens lost some yardage due to special teams. Justin Tucker and the long snapper shouldn’t be the ones making plays down the field. The Ravens looked sloppier than you would like to see in a third preseason game where players are trying to make the team through special teams. This was troubling.

Enough of the fake football. Let’s tee it up against the Texans on September 10!

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