Ravens Over Falcons, 13-12

Johnson Bounces Back

Kevin McNelis

-You can’t ask Josh Johnson to bounce back a whole lot better than he did in this game. It looked like the plan was to get him in a rhythm with some short passes first, then try the downfield shots, and it worked to perfection. He took what the defense gave him, to the tune of 11/11 for 120 yards and a TD. We didn’t see much of Devin Leary out there, and my sense is that the coaches wanted to give Emory Jones more time after his ill-fated one-play appearance vs. the Eagles. QB3 is anyone’s guess, and time will tell if the Ravens shop at the position in the second wave of free agency.

-I love the depth in the secondary. You enter this game without Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins and Sanoussi Kane, and you still had guys making plays all over the place. Sure, you had a couple of breakdowns, but seeing guys like JAD, Pepe Williams and Ar’Darius Washington continue to put together great preseasons does the heart good. The only downside is that a player talented enough to start might not end up making the final roster, putting them at risk of getting poached on their way to the practice squad.

-Inside LB was a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that Trenton Simpson is the real deal, spending last season developing behind the starters to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. He was a PROBLEM at Clemson, and it looks like he’s going to continue to be one now. I can’t wait to see him out there next to Roquan and Kyle Hamilton. The bad news is that, behind that starting pairing, the run defense looks sparse over the middle. Granted, Zach Orr acknowledged at camp that he’s showing you next to nothing with these defensive schemes in preseason, so that could help, but I shudder to think of what could happen if either Roquan or Simpson goes down for any extended period.

-Apropos of nothing: where was this luck against kickers last season, any why did it have to come in preseason? If memory serves, the Ravens went more than halfway into the regular season last year without an opponent missing a kick, and now they’ve gotten multiple kicks missed by Jake Elliot and Younghoe Koo, two of the best kickers in the league not named Justin Tucker. Here’s hoping that good fortune carries over into the games that count!

Chris Schisler

The quarterback play was clearly better in the second preseason game. Josh Johnson didn’t throw an incomplete pass and had a touchdown pass. Emory Jones took advantage of his time on the field with a perfect pass to a wide open Dayton Wade. Wade has a chance to make the roster as a special teams guy who has speed at the receiver position.

Trenton Simpson showed he could play in coverage. He got some good reps in and looked the part. Jalyn Armour-Davis was impressive – it seems like the light is on for him this preseason. Pepe Williams continues to flash the signs of a playmaker.

Defensively you’re seeing what you want to see. David Ojabo got a little work in and had a nice pressure. The pressure the Ravens got throughout the game, and the stinginess they had at the line of scrimmage was a big deal. We know the secondary is deep. The front seven had plenty of hungry performers today. Adisa Isaac looked stout before leaving the game with a mild injury concern. Travis Robinson is a known commodity now. He’s a role player who can do some damage.

The bad snap from Ben Cleveland was a bit concerning. Hopefully, this gets figured out. While Johnson did take a snap the offensive line was fairly solid overall. I don’t think the preseason has changed the position battles up front too dramatically.

Preseason game number two was mostly positive.

Chad Racine

Josh Johnson should put to rest the immediate concerns for the backup quarterback position after an excellent day. I’m not a fan of putting too much money into that position when considering what Lamar is being paid. If he goes down for any length of time, the team is going to be in trouble anyway.

Keith Kirkwood and Anthony Miller both look like viable candidates for either depth roster spots or the practice squad that could become call ups if injuries arise.

Andrew Vorhees has been regarded as the starter by all accounts but he’s struggled in pass protection for the 2nd week in a row. That sack he gave up concerns me that he’s not ready yet. Hopefully he makes some strides in the next few weeks.

I’ve had a hunch about Trenton Simpson ever since last year’s game against the Steelers. Call me crazy but I think he’s going to be better than Patrick Queen this year. Sure he’ll make some mistakes but that open field tackle reminded me of what Queen looked like so many times in those situations. Simpson is not scared to tackle and his pass coverage is already very impressive for an inside linebacker. I’m glad Queen’s happy in Pittsburgh because we’re going to be happier with Simpson.