BALTIMORE — The Ravens thought they had a last-second chance to win their preseason opener after Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott slammed a 50-yard field goal attempt into the post with 16 seconds left in a tied game.
But on the Ravens’ next play, quarterback Emory Jones was sacked – on his first snap – and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered the ball, essentially giving Elliott a second chance. This time, the kicker managed a 49-yard run as time expired, giving the Eagles a 16-13 victory on August 9 at M&T Bank Stadium.
As expected, the Ravens left all of their skill position starters on the bench, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the offense struggled. And just like the first week of training camp when Jackson was sidelined with an illness, the offense struggled to get into a rhythm.
The Ravens’ best drive of the first half went 61 yards in 10 plays, but they could only manage a field goal despite a first-and-goal at the Eagles’ 8-yard line. Justin Tucker caught a 21-yard pass to cap that drive, and he had previously scored from 46 yards at the end of the Ravens’ first drive.
Running back Owen Wright was responsible for all 29 yards of offense on this drive with a 12-yard run and a 17-yard catch.
The Eagles, who left starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and most of their other regular players on the bench, took a 6-3 lead late in the first quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from reserve Kenny Pickett to running back Will Shipley. However, Elliott hit the post and missed the converted point after the conversion pass.
Trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens managed a 61-yard touchdown drive that ended when rookie quarterback Devin Leary crossed the goal line on fourth-and-1 with 5:46 left. However, the Ravens needed four plays to gain four yards in that sequence, with rookie running back Rasheen Ali stopping three times short of the goal line.
The Eagles then took the lead and essentially kept the ball for the rest of the game, with the exception of a disastrous fumble by Jones.
“The great thing about a first game is you get a chance to see where you are,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “You see some good things and see where you are vulnerable and what you need to work on. Sometimes it’s hard to see that in practice.”
Here are five quick takeaways from the Ravens’ season opener, as they return to preseason play next Saturday with an unusual noon kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium against Atlanta:
1. This team desperately needs Lamar Jackson to stay healthy.
Losing a starting quarterback is a big problem for almost every NFL team, but this game showed how big the gap is between reigning Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ other playmakers.
To be fair, Johnson and Leary were playing without all of their top players on offense. No Mark Andrews, no Zay Flowers, no Rashod Bateman, no Derrick Henry, no Isaiah Likely, no Justice Hill. It’s fair to wonder what Jackson’s offense would have looked like without all of those players, but it probably would have looked better.
Johnson, who played in the first half, made some nice throws early on but completed just 4 of 12 passes for 62 yards and missed his final six passes. Leary, the sixth-round rookie, took over and also struggled to get much done through the air. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 37 yards, although Harbaugh noted that receivers weren’t always running the right routes.
Harbaugh praised some shots from Johnson and Leary and said the inconsistent play in Week 1 of the preseason was not unique to his team.
“I think if you watch all the preseason games, you’ll see the same thing,” Harbaugh said. “I thought (Johnson) handled it well and made some really good shots. The timing and things like that, yeah, it’s hard to judge because the guys aren’t all on the court.”
2. The concern about edge rush has not gone away.
John Harbaugh announced after the game that David Ojabo was still not cleared to play due to medical reasons. With Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy sitting out, the Ravens relied on second-year linebacker Tavius Robinson and undrafted rookie Joe Evans to do a lot of work as an edge rusher.
Evans finished the game with six tackles, but neither he nor Robinson recorded a quarterback hit. The Ravens finished the game with two sacks, one by Damarion “Pepe” Williams on a slot corner blitz and one by interior linemen CJ Ravenell and Tramel Walthour.
With Ojabo not yet ready for the future, third-round rookie Adisa Isaac not quite up to scratch – he was only activated from the non-football injured list a few days ago – Malik Hamm on the injured list and his backup Quincy Roche also injured, the Ravens are short on reserves.
Last season, the signings of Clowney in late July and Van Noy in September paid off tremendously. It’s probably unrealistic to think the Ravens could pull off a coup like these two signings, but it appears the Ravens will have to look closely at the waiver wire for edge rushers to get some proven players to complement their thin group.
3. Nate Wiggins’ impressive debut ended with a worrying injury.
Fans wanting a good look at rookie first-round pick Nate Wiggins didn’t have to wait long. With starters Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens sitting out, Wiggins started at a cornerback position, and Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett — who started in place of starter Jalen Hurts — immediately put Wiggins to the test.
Wiggins was up to the task.
In a series of four plays on the Eagles’ opening series, Wiggins intercepted three passes, including a pass on fourth down intended for Joseph Ngata. On a long pass, Wiggins stayed with John Ross on the right sideline and might have intercepted the ball had he turned and seen the ball thrown short. But Wiggins thwarted the Eagles’ opening drive.
Wiggins’ night took an ominous turn, however, when he was taken to the blue medical tent after a tackle early in the third quarter. He then went straight to the locker room with what the Ravens said was a shoulder injury.
Harbaugh had no update on Wiggins immediately after the game.
The depth of the Ravens’ secondary was considered a strength of the team, but it is suddenly being tested. Top slot corner Arthur Maulet underwent arthroscopic knee surgery that will likely keep him out of action for the regular season, rookie TJ Tampa (athlete’s hernia) remains on the physically unable to perform list, and Travyon Mullen suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks ago and has not returned to practice.
The Ravens still have almost a month to go until their season opener, but Wiggins’ absence for an extended period of time would be another major burden for the reserve team.
4. Trenton Simpson looks like this.
From the night he was drafted, Trenton Simpson seemed on track to succeed Patrick Queen as the starter in 2024. And in his first real experience in that role, he seemed ready.
Simpson finished the game with 11 tackles and played about three full quarters. That may have been more than the Ravens hoped for, but inside linebacker Chris Board had to leave the game early with a concussion, leaving Simpson to man the middle of the field for most of the game.
“As a young linebacker, I feel like it’s a blessing to get as many reps (as possible),” Simpson said. “The more you see at that position, the more you learn and the faster you can play.”
With Roquan Smith sidelined, Simpson wore the “green dot” headset helmet as the de facto leader of the defense on the field. He got the calls from new defensive coordinator Zach Orr and had to relay them to the rest of the defense, and he looked poised and composed.
“I really enjoyed that because I have to send that message to the other 10 guys out there on the field, but just getting that green dot for the first time gave me a lot of confidence,” Simpson said. “…After the game, I asked, ‘Could everyone hear me?’ and I got good comments. So I just continue to grow and learn with every practice – every game.”
As he did on the practice courts, Simpson’s speed was on display. He was usually quick to get downhill and into attack mode. Simpson acknowledged that he missed a few assignments or made a few misjudgments that put him out of position, but overall he seemed ready to step in alongside Smith in crucial games.
5. The new kickoff format looks silly, but the NFL will achieve what it wants.
There’s no denying that the new kickoff setup takes some getting used to. Justin Tucker or the opposing kicker is essentially on an island at his own 35-yard line while all other players are on the other side of the field and two players stand back for a return.
The whole thing seems a bit gimmicky, but the league will accomplish its mission. Last year, NFL kickoffs were returned at a rate of 22 percent, the lowest in league history. To bring returns back into play, the league essentially created a harsher penalty for a touchback than before (ball placed at the 30-yard line) and offered teams an incentive to land the kick in what they call a “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line to generate returns.
Tucker’s first kick went into the end zone and resulted in a touchback, but all other kicks were returned. Rasheen Ali had the longest return of the game at 31 yards, and Dayton Wade (26 yards) and Chris Collier (24 yards) also had returns for the Ravens.
On the Ravens’ three returned kickoffs, the Eagles began possession at the 25-, 25- and 33-yard lines.
“It is what it is,” Harbaugh said. “You all saw it. So we’re just going to try to get as good as we can at it. We’re going to take a good look at it and try to continue to improve there.”
Photo credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
