There are many times in life where the journey is way better than the destination. I feel like the lead up to the pre-season opener vs the actual watching of the first pre-season game fits that analogy to perfection. There was certainly some buzz for the Ravens to take the field at M&T Bank Stadium for the first game action since the playoff ouster on that windy Buffalo night in January but it became evidently clear that this going to be less than aesthetically pleasing. The NFL pre-season has become what amounts to a necessary evil. Starters see limited action, while a cavalcade of backups and camp bodies get a taste of what it’s like to play in the league. For that it’s worth, there are some things to glean from the Ravens’ 17-14 victory at The Bank.
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One of the best things to happen on Saturday evening, also coincided with the worst thing to happen. The decision to keep former MVP Lamar Jackson on the sideline for the pre-season opener was indeed the right call. Reason being, the offense would feature a mostly makeshift offensive line with the only projected week 1 starters being center Bradley Bozeman and right tackle Alejandro Villanueva. Even those two saw limited action, as Villanueva left after a few series and Bozeman limped off with minor ankle injury. This leaves the Ravens with 4 of their 5 projected starting offensive linemen dealing with an injury in some shape, form or fashion. What became abundantly clear last night was that offensive line depth is the one thing sorely lacking for the 2021 Ravens.
The final stat line of 4.6 yards per carry would be solid for most NFL teams but for a Ravens team that has averaged well over 5 yards per carry the last couple of seasons, that’s a disappointing number. In pre-season cameos, JK Dobbins was held to -1 yards on 3 carries and Justice Hill had 8 yards on 5 carries. The bright spots from the rushing game came mostly in the 2nd half, where roster long shots Ty’Son Williams and Nate McCrary combined for 82 yards and 15 carries. Also, quarterback Tyler Huntley chipped in with 7 carries for 41 yards. It appeared that Huntley took a big step forward in securing the backup quarterback job. Albeit, his evening was marred by a red zone fumble on all advised attempt to get back to the line of scrimmage, when he could’ve thrown the ball away instead. That turnover drew the ire of Coach Harbaugh. At least Huntley was able to bounce back from that mistake and, on the ensuing Ravens drive, he rushed for the Ravens lone touchdown on the evening.
Regardless of what Huntley was able to do against the Saints backups, the overarching theme was the failure of the offensive line to keep New Orleans defenders out of the offensive backfield. It will be interesting to see if DeCosta and company look to bring in some help from outside of the organization. For as much as they would like to give their homegrown offensive lineman every opportunity to secure backup jobs, the team cannot risk being this thin at the position group. During his post-game press conference, Harbaugh did allude to the starters potentially seeing action together in the 3rd pre-season contest. We can only hope this comes to fruition. At this point, it looks as if the offensive line could be the Achilles Heel of the 2021 Ravens.
To juxtapose the offensive struggles, the defense turned in a nice effort that was highlighted by 6 turnovers. The standout performance of the evening was turned in by 2nd year linebacker Patrick Queen. He had 4 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss and quarterback sack. In the latter stages of the 1st quarter, Queen beautifully diagnosed a screen play to the offense’s left, slipped in between blockers and dropped De’Vonta Freeman for a 4 yard loss. On the subsequent play, veteran defensive lineman Chris Smith beat his blocker to force Taysom Hill from the pocket. Queen quickly closed on the Saints quarterback and dropped him for a 12 yard loss.
To see that anticipation and speed from Queen was arguably the most exciting portion of the game on Saturday. Perhaps, last night’s effort will quiet some of Queen’s critics in the fan base and serve as a harbinger of things to come. I have a feeling that the young inside linebacker is just scratching the surface of his ability.
The other noteworthy individual defensive performance was from backup safety Geno Stone, who collected 2 interceptions. The team is looking for depth behind starters Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott, so it was encouraging to see Stone flash some playmaking prowess.
You always want to temper any reactions during the pre-season; either positive or negative. Every team has certain things they’re trying to accomplish during pre-season games. From seeing certain players, to protecting starters, to being careful not to put too much on film, etc. With that said, anytime there’s a game played, you would prefer to win as opposed to lose, which the Ravens did for the 18th consecutive time in the pre-season.
The biggest positive takeaway is that there were no major injuries on Saturday. Reports indicate that Bozeman’s ankle injury is relatively minor and, outside of that incident, the Ravens emerged from the game with their health relatively intact.
How Coach Harbaugh handles next week’s game in Landover will depend a lot on how practice goes throughout the week. Questions abound this week…….Will Kevin Zeitler and Ben Cleveland be ready to suit up for game action after getting nicked up in camp? How many snaps will Lamar Jackson see? Or, do you potentially hold him out until Game 3 when the starting offensive line could potentially be ready? Will Justin Houston be ready to don the purple for his first game action as a Raven?
Needless to say, as we head into pre-season Week 2, there are plenty of questions to be answered for a Ravens team with championship aspirations in 2021.
Jamie has been a Baltimore sports fan since he can remember. He grew up in Gwynn Oak and currently resides in Hampstead with his wife and 2 kids. He graduated from UMBC with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He’s currently employed at Verizon Communications in Hunt Valley.