The Ravens won what looked like Preseason Game 4, beating the Houston Texans by the score of 25-9 in a rather sloppily played game that barely held the attention of the viewing audience. And for those with a ticket to the sold-out game (on paper), there was little compelling drama on the field to keep them in their seats. Assuming they showed up at all.
But there are no style points in the NFL. Ugliness ran rampant during Week 1 of the NFL season. One only has to look towards the Giants, Bengals, Bills and several other teams for proof. That said, an ugly win is still a win and that, along with the lessons learned during this ho-hum affair, are the best takeaways. Oh, and then there are the injuries to some big-name players, the effects of which will reverberate in weeks to come.
THE GOOD
After a sluggish first half the Ravens offense engineered two touchdown scoring drives in the third quarter to essentially put the game away 22-6. It provided a glimpse of what the Ravens offense is capable of but it didn’t last very long…Zay Flowers had 9 catches for 78 yards, adding another 9 yards of offense on jet sweeps. It will be exciting to see how OC Todd Monken uses this dynamic playmaker moving forward – hopefully in more creative ways than the rather redundant bubble screen…Odell Beckham made a nice adjustment and clutch catch on a 3rd-and-6 from the Houston 38-yard-line with 7:31 to go in the fourth quarter. He also drew a couple of key DPI’s to keep drives alive…Rashod Bateman looked explosive in limited opportunities. There’s no reason that this trio of receivers can’t be menacing to opponents.
Just getting started. 😈@obj | #DontBlink
We're back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS and @ParamountPlus.
🎟️: https://t.co/qGePcZnBTF pic.twitter.com/PF1njCaTQF
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 11, 2023
"574 days I waited for this moment. I really want to say its an honor and a privilege to share the field with y'all." @obj pic.twitter.com/4EQjFfdxBE
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 11, 2023
You had to walk away impressed by the tackling of Mike Macdonald’s defensive unit, particularly considering they played very little in the preseason. Patrick Queen was quick to the ball and tackled with authority. Odafe Oweh played fast and with great technique along the edge. He was menacing despite not registering a sack. Sidekick David Ojabo looked powerful while strip-sacking C.J. Stroud on the heels of an impressive bull-rush…Brandon Stephens had a productive afternoon tackling in space…Ronald Darby was tight in coverage and had a solid debut as a Raven…The Ravens had 5 sacks but it should have been more…Jordan Stout averaged 49.5 yards per punt.
THE BAD
Lamar Jackson was 17 of 22 for 169 yards and a pick in the red zone. Add it up and his passer rating was a rather pedestrian 79.5. He also gave up another turnover via fumble. He didn’t look comfortable at all and was very indecisive, particularly as a runner. It’s as if Lamar is trying to show the world he can be a pocket passer and opts not to tuck it and run when even when there’s plenty of daylight ahead. The Texans certainly noticed:
“He wanted to sit in the pocket as much as he could, more than he wanted to run. It kind of worked to our advantage at times. We wanted to attack him going into the game, and him staying in the pocket, it made our job easier.” ~ Texans DE Jonathan Greenard
SIDEBAR: I don’t know about you all, but when a new offense is being implemented, run at game speed for the first time, and the results are as piss-pour as they were, it bothers me to see Lamar sitting on the bench, joking around with Josh Johnson and QB coach Tee Martin. I prefer to see Martin and Jackson studying the tablet, looking for missed opportunities and/or ways to improve. It was a bad look.
In Lamar’s defense, it’s hard to be a pocket passer when there is no pocket. The Texans threw all kinds of blitz packages at the Ravens and Lamar could never get comfortable. Before he left the game, All Pro LT Ronnie Stanley hardly played to the level of his resume and W-2. He was pushed walked back into the pocket, was flagged for a couple of penalties, one being a hands-to-the-face foul and he got away with another similar penalty prior to being flagged for the repeat offense. The injuries to Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum could prove daunting in Cincinnati this weekend. The Ravens are 3 ½ point underdogs. O-line Coach Joe D’Alessandris’ unit better wake up for the Bengals.
PASS PRO EXPERIMENT#Ravens fans – who is at fault for this sack?
3rd and 2 on the first drive.#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/IdDogl3iAH
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) September 11, 2023
Justin Madubuike continues to be an inconsistent player capable of bone-headed mistakes. This game was no exception…The game plan by both coordinators was suspect at best. Monken had little in the way of answers for the heat delivered by the Texans front seven. An over-reliance upon the bubble screen made me long for Greg Roman’s vault. And why Macdonald didn’t come at Stroud with more pressure – you know, like that which DeMeco Ryans dialed up for Lamar, was a total head-scratcher. Perhaps the Ravens on both sides of the ball didn’t want to put too much on film for the Bengals to exploit or be prepared for. We can only hope.
THE UGLY
The injury bug is STILL alive and well in Baltimore. Are these injuries a coincidence? Or are they the byproduct of the lowly-regarded Ravens strength and conditioning staff that sports a very suspect track-record? Let us not forget that despite the fact that the team finally replaced Steve Saunders, a strength coach that was loathed by players, his replacement was from the staff that Saunders assembled…J.K. Dobbins is lost for the year and unless he’s willing to accept a team-friendly, incentive-based contract in 2024, he has probably played his last down in Baltimore. That’s unfortunate given the skill-set that Dobbins brings to the field…Marcus Williams is out for an unknown but substantive amount of time while Stanley and Linderbaum are week-to-week per ball coach. I’m not banking on what Harbs is selling when it comes to injury news. You?
"J.K. texted me and said not to worry, that he'll be back better and stronger than before." pic.twitter.com/fOnad709Zm
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 11, 2023
Coach Harbaugh provides injury updates on Tyler Linderbaum and Ronnie Stanley: pic.twitter.com/FyiNh1iRIr
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 11, 2023
THE MEGAN FOX
Roquan Smith was on fire and I hate to put this on him, but his pre-snap adjustments and moving his teammates around was SO reminiscent of No. 52. He played fast, diagnosed well, took great angles to ball carriers, influenced in large part by outstanding technique. Roquan looked to be in mid-season form while relatively speaking, opposing players were seemingly in preseason mode. Sixteen tackles, two for losses and a sack – that’s a great day at the office for an ILB.
Whatever you wanna call him, Roquan Smith is lethal 😤@Ravens | @InsideTheNFL pic.twitter.com/d4rUMUjKm1
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 11, 2023
And in Other News
The Ravens weren’t the only team with unsettling injury news. Word from New York is that Aaron Rodgers is likely lost for the season. That’s a huge blow to the Jets for sure, but also a shot to the league outlook for 2023. You have to hate seeing any player, particularly a marquee player go down.
Robert Saleh’s update on Aaron Rodgers:
“It’s not good” pic.twitter.com/reOVUrqnxU
— JM Football (@JomboyMediaFB) September 12, 2023
“I said my prayer for Aaron Rodgers. It’s just the reality of the game that we play, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t lingering in the back of my head the whole time. As soon as I came in for halftime I made sure to check on my dawg. To see him go down in his 1st game, so… pic.twitter.com/JwhOGHcmZf
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) September 12, 2023
Slow motion of the injury for Aaron Rodgers
—You can see a recoil of the Achilles up the calf
—Fear is complete rupture pic.twitter.com/z2VcmP6dHV— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) September 12, 2023
In the AFC the Browns got off to a winning start, something that you don’t hear often. And clearly the organization isn’t used to such success given the juvenile message sent to the Bengals and their fans from their verified team Twitter account. That season finale in Cincinnati should be a doozy given this bulletin board material and the previous spouting off by Ja’Marr Chase.
safe travels, @Bengals pic.twitter.com/XoekzTYQMU
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 10, 2023
“It’s frustrating because I called they ass elves and we just lost to some elves.”
Ja’Marr Chase after losing to the Browns. 😂pic.twitter.com/DFAYE7VCdB
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 10, 2023
6 Responses
EXACTLY:
I don’t know about you all, but when a new offense is being implemented, run at game speed for the first time, and the results are as piss-pour as they were, it bothers me to see Lamar sitting on the bench, joking around with Josh Johnson and QB coach Tee Martin. I prefer to see Martin and Jackson studying the tablet, looking for missed opportunities and/or ways to improve. It was a bad look.
It was week 1 after a long off season of hype.Every fan was amped, expectations probably unrealistic but it is a long season and things constantly change from week to week. I will watch the games in September to see what improvement they make and who steps up. By mid October there should be some telling signs of how good this team really is but until then I won’t get too excited or panic.
Serious injuries in the NFL have become ubiquitous and may be related to the fact that players keep getting bigger and heavier and are placing enormous strain on body parts not designed for it, i.e., feet, ankles and knees! It may also be a byproduct of year round practicing that only exacerbates that stress! As for Lamar, for all of his genuine and unique skill sets, pocket passing is not one of them! He holds the ball too long waiting for receivers to get open instead of anticipating and throwing them open! He has trouble reading defenses, is tenuous in the pocket, always looking to run and notorious for not protecting the ball! So, despite all the changes in personnel and new OC, he is what he is! Ultimately, time will tell, but it will come as no surprise if the FO lives to regret the huge contract! Just one fan’s opinion…..
Your sidebar regarding Lamar sitting on the bench and laughing despite the offensive struggles shouldn’t be a surprise. Unfortunately too many Ravens fans and media members like to put Lamar on a pedestal and portray him as a player who is beyond dedicated. However, he had plenty of opportunities to play in the preseason in order to not only get some of the rust off but also work with his new offensive coordinator and new wide receivers. But yet Lamar didn’t think that he needed to do so.
Wrong he said he wanted to play in the last preseason game but Harbaugh said no. Quit whining
How is going 17/22 for 169 yards bad?? That’s a 77% completion rate and practically a 1st down every throw.