Baltimore romps as Rodgers was sidelined and Tavon Young could miss the year.
M&T BANK STADIUM, BALTIMORE, Thursday, August 15, 2019 – It seems like yesterday when the Ravens debuted in Baltimore after moving from Cleveland. The year was 1996, and it was the last time (before Thursday night) that the Green Bay Packers visited Charm City for a preseason game.
And while some things have changed since then (a new home stadium and winning two Super Bowls), one thing hasn’t: Baltimore put on yet another stellar preseason performance.
The Ravens turned back the Packers, 26-13, before 69,822 fans, for Baltimore’s 15th straight preseason win.
The win, which was the team’s 19th win in the last 22 August home games, raised the Ravens’ all-time preseason mark to 62-32. It was also Baltimore’s 35th preseason win in 47 games under 12th-year head coach John Harbaugh.
On this night, the Ravens took a run-first, blue-collar approach led by free-agent pickup and ex-New Orleans Saints running back, Mark Ingram. Ingram had 18 yards on four carries in his first action of the preseason. “It was good to be able to get in(to a game),” Ingram said. “I saw some run, saw some action, and just tried to make the most of it.”
In that long-ago preseason meeting with the Packers on 33rd Street, the Brett Favre-led Packers won on a last-minute field goal from a kicker named Richie Cunningham. This year’s meeting contained none of the pseudo-tension of that one, and it didn’t end in happily for the Packers, either.
The Ravens outgained Green Bay, 343-226, and committed only four penalties for a second straight week. To make matters worse for the Packers, the Ravens recorded three second-half sacks and dominated field position.
Those images will need to last for Ravens’ home fans. Thursday’s game was Baltimore’s last home action until the Week 2 opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Not everything about the game was positive, though. Starting weak-side linebacker Chris Board incurred a concussion. That left 2018 fourth-round pick Kenny Young the de factor leader in that position competition. Running back Kenneth Dixon suffered a slight knee hyperextension in the first half but returned to the game. The worst news of the night came after the game when it was revealed that slot corner Tavon Young has a neck disk issue that could sideline him for the season.
Back on the field, the Ravens (2-0) have now produced back-to-back impressive performances, scoring in all eight quarters of the preseason to date.
But home fans didn’t get a chance to see Aaron Rodgers, who was scratched about 40 minutes before kickoff with back tightness. Ex-Cleveland signal-caller DeShone Kizer played instead.
Despite Rodgers’ unexpected absence, Baltimore’s rush could only record three second-half sacks, two of them by players not rated highly on the depth chart. The exception was strong-side starter Matt Judon.
Several members of the Ravens’ highly-touted secondary, including perennial Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas, played against the Packers after the team’s top seven defensive backs were idled last week. Only cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Young were held out Thursday night.
“(We try to) create fear in people,” linebacker Pernell McPhee said. “That’s how I was raised in this game. Just make sure people know when they come to play my boys or me; they had better come with everything.”
As for the Baltimore offense, the troublesome revolving door at left guard almost got another candidate. Undrafted rookie free agent Patrick Mekari, a 6-foot-4, 308-pounder from California, was slated to get his turn to start ahead of Jermaine Eluemunor and James Hurst, who filled in at right guard for the injured Marshal Yanda (foot, ankle). But despite a few spotty practices, Eluemunor started anyway and moved to left tackle with the second unit in a pair of surprising moves. Mekari, who turned 22 earlier this week, played left tackle, right guard, and right tackle in college, so he brings plenty of line experience to a new spot.
As for Jackson, his most spectacular run of the night–an 18-yard touchdown run that included a leap over a defender–didn’t count (nullified by penalty). But in Jackson’s mind, it did. “It’s always good to score a touchdown,” Jackson said.” I saw a drop coverage on one half, and the four-man rush gave me a lane. Our receivers were covered, and I just did what I do best.” For the night Jackson was 6-for-10, 58 yards, no sacks, with a 76.2 rating.
Jackson played a quarter on the night and drove the team to two Justin Tucker field goals. The highly-dependable kicker would add two more before game’s end. But even though the Ravens have had trouble finishing drives with touchdowns, they showed good balance with 38 runs and 26 passes, bettering last week’s ratio (35 runs, 33 passes).
Trace McSorley showed well in his customary backup role, completing eight of 13 passes for 74 yards with no sacks and a 70.7 rating. He had an interception, but also through a laser-accurate touchdown to Chris Moore on a slant pass. It was one of Moore’s four catches for 54 yards on the night. Hill would later contribute a bruising one-yard run for the Ravens’ only other touchdown.
The two-way threat, Patrick Ricard, carried the ball for two first-half short-yardage carries that earned first downs on both occasions. He then returned to his customary defensive line role and contributed a swarming presence for the rest of the night.
Overall, Thursday night’s results will serve the Ravens well as the team goes into a pair of joint practices on Monday and Tuesday in Philadelphia. Those experiences will be a prelude to next Thursday’s preseason meeting with the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly (7:30 p.m.; WBAL-TV; WIYY-FM).
The game will be the Ravens’ 14th preseason meeting with Philadelphia, the team that’s Baltimore’s most frequent August opponent.
