Baltimore records its most lopsided home preseason shutout win.
Thursday, August 8, 2019, M&T BANK STADIUM, BALTIMORE – Usually, the Ravens don’t like to play against AFC brethren during the preseason. And, luckily, it hasn’t happened all that often–only 18 times in 93 preseason games, including Thursday night’s opener against visiting Jacksonville.
But when one considers the fact that these two teams engaged in joint practices at the Ravens’ facility earlier this week, a few cats had been let out of the bag. Naturally, neither team was going to empty its playbook. Instead, they focused on testing the bottoms of their rosters to see how team depth is shaping up.
In the wake of the Ravens’ 29-0 win, it appears that Baltimore’s depth is rounding into form much more quickly.
The win was the Ravens’ 14th straight preseason win–the longest by any NFL team over the last 25 years–according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Baltimore came into this contest 60-32 lifetime in August games, and the team is 33-12 in the preseason under 12th-year head coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh has been the head coach for exactly half of the Ravens’ 24 seasons.
The Ravens hadn’t lost a preseason game since 2015 when they lost the final game of that preseason to the Atlanta Falcons. They recorded a 5-0 exhibition slate last year, including their first-ever Hall of Fame Game appearance against the Chicago Bears.
The Ravens’ preseason continues next Thursday when they entertain the Green Bay Packers (7:30 p.m.; WBAL-TV; WIYY-FM) in what will be the first preseason meeting of the teams since 1996, the Ravens’ debut season. Baltimore dropped a last-second, 17-15 decision at Memorial Stadium in the previous meeting–a squad that included Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.
Thursday night’s game against Jacksonville (0-1) wasn’t nearly as exciting. The Ravens dominated in all three phases of the game. The Ravens did not dress any of their top seven defensive backs, running back Mark Ingram or guard Marshal Yanda, among other absences. The Jags sat quarterback Nick Foles, running back Leonard Fournette, and many of their defensive standouts.
The Ravens did give quarterback Lamar Jackson three first-quarter series before sitting him down. He responded by completing four of six passes for 59 yards for a 138.2 passer rating. Best of all, he did not feel the need to scramble or run with the ball at all. Instead, Jackson showed off newfound accuracy.
“It’s all about hitting my receivers, hitting my targets, moving the ball downfield, trying not to be stopped and scoring touchdowns,” Jackson said. “We were just driving the ball downfield,” he continued. “We did a lot of good things. We have to punch it in.”
Early on, Jackson found Chris Moore for a 26-yard gain to set up Justin Tucker’s 52-yard field goal, and it held up as the Ravens’ special teams downed a Jags’ punt at the two-yard line and held the visitors deep in their own territory.
Jackson ended his quarter by directing a 57-yard, six-play drive, which included throwing a ten-yard touchdown pass to slot receiver Willie Snead. Snead broke three tackles and dove across the goal line for a 10-0 lead.
“Lamar was calm, collected, poised and had great leadership out there,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “Just directing the offense, he knows what to do. He has full confidence in himself and our teammates. There are a lot of things we can improve on, but overall, it was a good start for us.”
The Ravens’ defense, which gave up the fewest yards in the league last year, kept the Jags at bay. Defensive end Chris Wormley stuffed a third-and-1 run. Then, linebacker Kenny Young blew up backup quarterback Gardner Minshew back at the 2, nearly getting a safety.
On offense, Trace McSorley (9-for-22, 85 yards, interception, no sacks, 33.3 rating) took over for Jackson and directed a no-frills offense with little of the pistol formations and run-pass options that usually mark a Jackson series. Still, though, McSorley led a 47-yard, 12-play drive later in the second quarter that ended in Kaare Vedvik’s 55-yard field goal.
The sixth-round signal-caller from Penn State led another good drive until a staredown of receiver Miles Boykin (39 yards, four catches) resulted in an interception. Boykin, a rookie third-round pick from Notre Dame, recovered to catch three straight throws, including a touchdown wiped out by a penalty. McSorley recovered, too, by getting the team into scoring position just before halftime. Vedvik drilled a 45-yard kick for a 16-0 lead.
The Ravens played a near-perfect first half, outgaining the Jags, 184-83. For the game, the margin was 288-112, as the team committed just two penalties to Jacksonville’s six.
Defensive lineman and do-everything reserve Patrick Ricard was in on at least three sacks–he was credited with only two–including one that immediately preceded Cyrus Jones’ 19-yard interception return for a touchdown. That score stretched the lead to 26-0 late in the third quarter. Later in the half, backup safety Bennett Jackson recorded another pickoff.
When fourth quarterback and camp arm Joe Callahan entered the game in the fourth quarter, nothing changed. He found 2018 mid-round draft pick Jaleel Scott for a 20-yard gain, a catch that set up Vedvik for a 29-yard field goal and a 29-point lead with just under seven minutes to go.
Vedvik converted all four field-goal attempts on the night and had two long punts as he continued building up his trade value. He could be following in the footsteps of other kickers that have landed NFL jobs after breaking in with Baltimore. That list includes Robbie Gould, Stephen Hauschka, Wil Lutz, and Graham Gano.
And no matter how different the Ravens’ offense looks under Jackson–or how the defense looks without some of last year’s starters–the feel of winning, especially in August, doesn’t ever seem to change.
