The Baltimore Ravens took their preseason winning streak to a perfect 16-0 with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles. On the road for the first time this season, Baltimore learned a great deal about themselves along the way.
While wins are great, preseason is all about building up live reps and getting more game film to sort out the 53-man roster. The Ravens put themselves in a bunch of different positions, ran some new things and even got their first glimpse of an important rookie.
But after their 26-15 win over Philadelphia, what can they take away from the game and apply to the regular season? We’ve got you covered with the five biggest takeaways:
Marquise Brown is going to be dangerous
On the very first play for the Ravens offense, Brown got the call on a seven-yard comeback. It might not be the huge play everyone was expecting, but it pointed to great stuff ahead for Baltimore’s rookie wide receiver. Brown got a ton of cushion from the defensive back, which opened up the easy catch underneath. Had Brown not slipped trying to turn upfield, he should have been able to easily pick up the first down, if not significantly more.
While Brown didn’t get any deep work in this game, he was efficient, got open and caught everything thrown his way. He finished the game with three receptions on three targets for 17 yards.
If that’s the type of attention Brown is going to get and the way Baltimore is going to utilize him this season, he’s going to lead the team in yards after the catch by a wide margin. Regardless of his stat sheet tonight, Brown’s debut was a huge success.
Ravens offense showed pizzaz
Baltimore’s offense ran out of some unusual formations early and often. On the first drive, they broke out a variation of the “duck” formation. On the second series, they ran out of the wishbone. While neither play worked out, it was the Ravens’ second- or third-string players starting in some spots, so the execution was far from perfect to begin with.
What makes it interesting is Baltimore showed a little of their playbook. Whether either of those plays makes their way into the regular season will need to be seen, but it plays into the notion the Ravens are going to show some completely different looks in an effort to put their skill players on the field together and create chaos. At the very least, it’s a more dynamic look than we’ve seen Baltimore ever have on offense.
Trace McSorley stepped up
I said before the game that McSorley needed to have a solid performance as a quarterback to put himself on the 53-man roster. He answered that with an outstanding night both through the air and on the ground to turn some heads.
Through three quarters, McSorley went 19-of-29 for 205 yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a passer rating of 112.6. But McSorley wasn’t done there — he also added a rushing touchdown to his total for the night and looked lively with his legs, avoiding pressure and creating plays.
While it’s only one game and the Eagles did their part to make Baltimore’s offense look like a world-beater, it’s exactly what McSorley had to do to force the Ravens’ hand. If there was any question in the coaching staff’s mind about trying to slip him to the practice squad, his showing tonight made sure someone else would sign him before he ever cleared waivers.
It’ll be interesting to see if McSorley can show further development next week against the Washington Redskins and stack a second positive game up. If he can, Baltimore might be able to put him on the field on offense in the regular season in a Taysom Hill-type role as an option quarterback to save Lamar Jackson from taking too much punishment over the year.
This defense is fast and plays aggressively
There were serious questions as to whether the defense could sustain their high level of play after losing so many impact players in free agency. But for the third consecutive game this preseason, Baltimore showed they might have actually gotten a little better overall while getting significantly younger in the process.
There still remains a bit of a hole over the middle of the defense where the linebackers and defensive backs transition coverage. Opponents found success there last season, and it looks to be just as much of a problem now. But the Ravens defense is playing fast, passionate and aggressive football, especially when they have a little momentum on their side.
Young linebackers Patrick Onwuasor and Kenny Young were around the football on each play. Safety DeShon Elliott was a cruise missile all night long, flying into the play to deliver punishing hits (including an incorrectly called penalty). Defensive lineman Patrick Ricard continued his excellent play all around.
The pass rush was far from excellent, and it looks as though coordinator Don Martindale will have to manufacture pressure like he did last season. But when they find a weak spot, Martindale knows how to attack it from different angles and formations to pummel the quarterback all night long, even if it doesn’t result in actual sacks.
It’s preseason, so all performances need to be taken with a grain of salt, but Baltimore’s defense looks like they’re starting off in midseason form and should only get better as their young players become a little savvier over the season.
The offensive line is a problem
I previously wrote about how the offensive line is in shambles with preseason ticking down. But we got a real-life glimpse at what that could mean come the regular season unless Baltimore figures it out immediately.
With most of the offensive starters out with injuries or as a precaution, the Ravens generated absolutely no push up front. On 19 rushing attempts, Baltimore got just 41 yards. The running backs were often met at the line of scrimmage by multiple defenders and had no room to make things happen.
In the passing game, McSorley did an excellent job of making the offensive line look better than they were, keeping the unit to no sacks allowed. But he saw pressure in his face all night long, often having to run to avoid it or throw dump-off passes and rarely having enough time to let deep routes develop.
That’s not the recipe for a successful offense, no matter the playmakers or scheme. Had this been a regular-season game against a starting defense for four quarters, it would have been far uglier.
While starters should be healthy and return to the lineup in time for the regular season, the question marks the Ravens started this offseason with are still there. And now they have even more questions about the health of their depth and the dropoff in talent they’ll see if a starter goes down. The hope is the group can stay healthy throughout the season and Baltimore can figure out their starting lineup now in order to give them all time to jell around one another before Week 1.
