GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers followed their unofficial victory in a joint practice with the Ravens with an official 30-7 victory in a preseason game Saturday.
The Ravens’ issues that were evident at the joint practice, namely the offensive line, were highlighted in the game as they struggled to run the ball and gave up a big sack.
Very few Ravens starters played, but the offense featured more potential starters. There are three offensive line positions that need to be filled, along with a potential wide receiver spot, based on the uncertain health of some of the starters. Only two potential defensive starters played: linebacker Trenton Simpson and cornerback Nate Wiggins.
The Ravens defense struggled at times with the pass and the run. Packers running backs repeatedly got past the first line of defense, and a linebacker or safety had to fill the gap. Packers receivers also beat some of the defensive backs to 50-50 balls, and the pass rush was not as disruptive as usual.
“Some things to clean up on, but we’ve got some time to get it right before the [Kansas City] Chiefs,” Simpson said. “We’ve got some sharpening up [to do]. ... It’s just one game. We’ve got another game, a big game, against the Chiefs. Just going to continue to get ready and prepare for that.”
Last season, the Ravens allowed yardage but often made stops in the red zone. Against the Packers, the Ravens went 2-for-4 in the red zone. They gave up three field goals, plus a fourth that was missed, and one touchdown. The Packers’ other touchdown was scored on a turnover by the Ravens offense.
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The Ravens finished with just nine first downs to the Packers’ 20.
The missed field goal prevented the worst preseason loss of the coach John Harbaugh era. Instead, the result tied the 40-17 defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.
The Ravens’ next game is their season opener, a rematch of the AFC championship game against the Chiefs. It kicks off the entire NFL season and is on the road.
“The bottom line is, we play the Chiefs in 12 days,” Harbaugh said. “So that’s our focus. We have to get ready for the game against the Chiefs, and that’s what we’re doing. We’ll look at the tape and see if it tells us anything we didn’t know about our guys, as far as who makes it [and] who’s on the practice squad. There [are] going to be important evaluations; I think they’re more individual evaluations than any kind of team evaluations at this point, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Risers
S Ar’Darius Washington: Washington didn’t have to do anything to rise. In fact, by being on the sidelines, he automatically rose. Washington had played the previous two preseason games as he was competing for the third safety spot. He played 49% of the defensive snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles and 40% against the Atlanta Falcons. By sitting him for the final game, the Ravens indicated they’ve seen what they need to see of him. It’s hard to believe this could be anything but good based on Washington’s play in camp. He’s had numerous big plays, from interceptions to pass breakups, that highlighted his aggressiveness and athleticism. Eddie Jackson also hasn’t played in the preseason, but he’s a veteran with lots of NFL experience. He will probably have a role, as well, but his camp has been less impressive.
WR Tylan Wallace: With Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor in and out of camp, Wallace has had a lot of opportunities. He’s proven consistent and, against the Packers, showed he can be explosive. Ravens fans got an introduction to that when Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams last year. Now Wallace showed he can do it as part of the offense, as well. He found an opening in the middle of the field, made the catch and outran three Packers to the end zone. He reached for the pylon but did so in a way that didn’t endanger the ball (something that might bring back bad memories for Ravens fans)
QB Josh Johnson: It would be hard for Johnson’s stock to go up after he went 11-for-11 against the Falcons. And certainly his performance wasn’t quite as good. He had a great touchdown pass to Wallace, but he also struggled to get the offense moving. Johnson’s stock went up not from what he did but from what his backups did. Rookie Devin Leary threw two interceptions, although one bounced out of his receiver’s hands. The Ravens have already made it clear Johnson has the backup spot, but his competition is ensuring it.
Fallers
Offensive line: It’s hard to choose just one. The only lineman who stood out for good, Nick Samac, left on a cart following a lower-body injury. Andrew Vorhees and Roger Rosengarten didn’t stand out for bad. But the Ravens struggled, again, to generate an interior push for their run game. Daniel Faalele was called for a false start early. And Josh Jones completely missed a block, which led to a strip sack of the unsuspecting Leary. Sure, it’s preseason. And, sure, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry can make up for some of it. But at least three of the guys who played Saturday will start. And they struggled against the Packers’ backups.
“I feel like we have a lot more work to do, but also I feel like we’re in a good spot just with all the moving pieces. I feel like we’ve done a good job at adapting to new people and new plays,” Faalele said. Harbaugh said Linderbaum should be back for Week 1, and Faalele said that will make a big difference.
RB Owen Wright: Wright should be in the Risers section. He had good runs and good returns to start the game, building on a solid preseason. He had a really good chance to snag that third running back spot. But that was all ruined in one play when he took a hit by the sidelines. He was then carted off the field. Rasheen Ali, his top competitor, has also been sidelined by injury. After the game, Harbaugh said Wright broke his foot. The Athletic reported he will need surgery.
QB Devin Leary: The strip sack was not Leary’s fault. He was left unprotected with little time to react. But the almost interception and the actual interception soon after certainly were. When Leary was drafted, he came with accolades of a strong arm and concerns about his ability to take care of the ball. He proved those concerns valid. He also struggled to balance them with anything good. He finished 6-for-13 for 34 yards with two interceptions and no scoring drives.
“Putting the ball in jeopardy is not winning football, so that’s something I need to improve, watch the tape, learn from it,” Leary said. “Little room for error, playing at a level like this.”
CB Damarion “Pepe” Williams: The Ravens had just pulled ahead for the first time. The Packers were looking toward the end zone. Williams was given an opportunity to make a big play in coverage against wide receiver Bo Melton. He stuck with him all the way to the end zone. Melton still made the play over him for the 18-yard touchdown catch. Williams also missed a tackle on a third-down pass that resulted in a first down and failed to set the edge on multiple occasions.
The defensive front: In addition to struggling against the run, the Ravens had difficulty pressuring the quarterback after the first few plays of the game. Granted, their best pass rushers weren’t playing. But David Ojabo was coming off good performances in camp and against the Falcons. Tavius Robinson, who has had good practices, missed tackles and hesitated on a would-be pressure. He had two quarterback hits but, like Odafe Oweh last year, needs to finish.
