Ravens mix and match more than usual in “dress rehearsal.”
M&T BANK STADIUM, BALTIMORE — In the not-so-distant past, the third preseason game has been thought of as the “dress rehearsal.” These days, it’s more like a slightly-intense practice.
The usual Week Three template — starters playing deeper in the third preseason game, while running a few more exotic plays — no longer seems to exist. On top of that, teams are more cautious than ever with slightly banged-up stars and more protective of healthy ones, reducing the third week to a status not that different from the first two.
Courtesy: 98 Rock Baltimore
By necessity, the injury-riddled Ravens have had to go with the changing flow. But when it comes to establishing a winning atmosphere, it doesn’t seem to have hurt them so far.
On a picture-perfect, 78-degree evening, Baltimore continued its near-perfect preseason with a 13-9 win over the visiting Buffalo Bills before partisan fans that took in the team’s last home appearance until Week Two of the regular season. It was the Ravens’ seventh straight preseason win.
“I’m very happy with the way we played, very happy with the win,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “… Guys are flying around and giving their effort.”
Harbaugh expressed satisfaction with his team’s mostly-plodding offense. But with exactly one week to go before the cut down deadline — Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. — it was the defense that once again set the tempo for the home team, authors of the league’s best defense through the first two preseason weeks.
Under starting quarterback and former Ravens sixth-round pick Tyrod Taylor, the Bills’ first unit could manage just minus-1 yard of total offense in two drives. Taylor’s night ended early when his head was slammed against the turf on a Matt Judon sack. Taylor suffered a concussion and was ruled out for the game.
The Ravens (3-0), for a third straight week going with a 20-snap formula head coach John Harbaugh borrowed from his brother Jim, the University of Michigan head coach, removed a few of their first-string defenders, such as linebackers Kamalei Correra and Terrell Suggs and safety Eric Weddle, but reinserted them to get them looks against various offenses.
Most of the first-string defense’s night was over by the middle of the second quarter after having forced four punts in as many possessions and allowing a mere 36 total yards.
The Ravens have allowed only 19 points in three preseason games; the team-record-low for an entire preseason is 26 in 1998.
But the Bills (0-3)–the team with the league’s best running attack last year at over 160 yards per game–could not sustain much consistency against the backups, who forced punts on their first two series and helped knock down four first-half passes.
What was notable was that second-year defenders Correa and Judon played deep into the game, the better to get more repetitions. Correa’s main competition at weak-side linebacker was second-year player Patrick Onwuasor, who recovered a Bills’ fumble with 1:05 remaining to preserve the win.
Standout back LeSean McCoy was held to just two first-quarter yards and Buffalo ran for only 16 yards before halftime.
As a result, Buffalo — stripped of its wide-receiver weapons due to the Sammy Watkins trade and Anquan Boldin’s retirement — could not test the Ravens’ revamped secondary downfield, one that didn’t feature the first-round pick Marlon Humphrey, but was, for the most part, healthy.
Undrafted corner Jaylen Hill — a mere tryout body at rookie camp who has snagged the Ravens’ only two interceptions this month — picked off a Bills’ pass in the third quarter, one that set up Taquan Mizzell’s 15-yard touchdown catch that gave the hosts a 10-7 lead after he broke a goal-line tackle.
Taquan Mizzell, filling a dual-threat role in relief of the absent Danny Woodhead, caught six passes for 54 yards.
Through two weeks, Hill — showing great ball awareness and fundamental placement — had allowed a 24.7 passer rating on throws targeting him, fourth-lowest in the league. He made his pickoff at the same north sideline where he recorded an interception against Washington.
For its part, the Ravens’ offense showed a bit more life than against Washington or Buffalo, taking advantage of good field position to get an early Justin Tucker 40-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately, Tucker–seen as a key part of the Ravens’ offense this year–was involved in a kickoff-coverage tackle just after the field goal and left the game to go into concussion protocol, which he later cleared. Safety Anthony Levine, Sr. would also pass the same test later in the game.
Backup punter Kenny Allen booted a 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter in relief of Tucker.
“What I was thinking was that I needed to put my head across, go low and get him down on the ground,” Tucker said of his tackle. “I think he just came across with a knee pad or a thigh pad right in the neck. It was about trying to make a play.”
While it wasn’t a drastic improvement (209 total yards), the Ravens saw a bit more success with the ball by fielding an offensive line that had three likely starters on the field from the start of the game: center Ryan Jensen, right guard Marshal Yanda (in his preseason debut) and right tackle Austin Howard.
“It felt good to get back out there and knock the rust off,” Marshal Yanda said. “I felt good and strong. My shoulder felt great, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be ready to roll going into Week One.”
Second-year left tackle Ronnie Stanley (undisclosed injury) and sophomore left guard Alex Lewis (out for the year, shoulder) did not play.
As with the defense, the Ravens’ offense began to work in backups earlier than would be expected in the third week, with running backs Buck Allen and Taquan Mizzell supplanting Terrance West late in the first quarter, but West did re-appear before halftime.
Yanda was also removed after only a few series in favor of rookie fifth-round pick Jermaine Eluemunor, and recently re-signed center Jeremy Zuttah replaced Jensen midway through the second quarter, as the latter moved to left guard to replace Matt Skura.
Courtesy: WTOP,com
Even in the wake of the fans’ week-long clamor for third-stringer Josh Woodrum, quarterback Ryan Mallett (6-for-10, 58 yards) appeared to be more comfortable throwing the ball a bit further downfield, not plagued by the skittishness and inaccuracy that marred his first two outings.
Still, Woodrum relieved Mallett in the second quarter, having earned the chance to go against first- and second-string defenders.
Woodrum will likely see even more playing time in the preseason finale at New Orleans (Thursday, Aug. 31; 8 p.m.; WBAL-TV, WIYY-FM) when starters usually don’t play at all.
Woodrum (8-for-13, 55 yards, touchdown) appeared rattled for the first time all month when called for intentional grounding on a fourth-down play, but the self-destructive Bills — who committed 15 penalties last week and nine in Baltimore — could not take advantage of great field position and had to punt.
But the Ravens’ eagerness to shuttle through younger players led to a preseason-high 13 penalties — ten before halftime — including a pass-interference call on Sheldon Price that set up Mike Tolbert’s touchdown six seconds before halftime that gave the visitors a 7-3 lead.
So far this month, the Ravens have shown they know how to win. But, especially on offense, they have yet to show if they know how to truly play. And, for that matter, who will be doing the playing.
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Joe Platania, a Baltimore native, was the 1998 Maryland Sportscaster of the Year, a 2010 Maryland Sportswriter of the Year finalist and has covered the Ravens throughout their entire history. He has spent 38 years in Baltimore sports media.
