The Ravens quarterbacks put on a show, with two throwing for 100 or more yards, as they carried the team to a 13-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons, improving to 1-1 in the preseason Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Veteran Josh Johnson, who has been named backup quarterback, started the game with 11 straight completions. Fifth-round draft pick Devin Leary went 1-for-3 before the Ravens pivoted to undrafted rookie Emory Jones. Jones built the lead and finished 7-for-9 for 100 yards and one touchdown before they pivoted back to Leary.
Help also came from an unlikely source: Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo. The fourth-best field goal kicker in NFL history, Koo missed three of five attempts. Two were under 50 yards — he missed from 35, 47 and 58 yards out. He also hit a 55-yard field goal.
The defense kept Atlanta out of the end zone until the final seconds. The Falcons put together an 80-yard scoring drive for their only touchdown. They went for two, which would have won the game. The defense held firm, preserving a one-point win and snapping a three-game preseason losing streak.
Risers
QB Josh Johnson: After Johnson’s less than stellar performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, concerns about the backup quarterback situation were on the rise. Should Lamar Jackson get knocked out for two games, would Johnson hold it together and at least go 1-1? The answer, based on preseason, is currently yes. Johnson’s stock rebounded in a big way against the Falcons. The Ravens saw enough and pulled him before the first half was over. He finished 11-for-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown. In addition to making nice throws in narrow windows, Johnson showed off his legs, extending plays and running twice for 8 yards.
“Josh did a great job, had some great plays here and there,” Harbaugh said.
LB Trenton Simpson: At this point, Trenton Simpson has shown just about everything he can without playing in a game. Following a strong camp and an impressive showing against the Eagles, Simpson dominated against the Falcons. He demonstrated his open-field tackling to stifle a run around the outside. He pressured the quarterback, busting past the offensive line for a big quarterback hit. He even showed off against the tight ends, a relative weak point in the Ravens’ defense last year, when he swatted a pass out of John FitzPatrick’s hands. Simpson looks ready for that starting job. The Ravens pulled him after halftime. Now, all he has left to do this preseason is to get a sack, he said with a big smile. Beyond that, Simpson said he needs to prove he can do this with consistency — especially once he’s facing starters, something he’ll be able to do in the joint practice with the Green Bay Packers.
“I’m learning, I’m getting better, and I’m getting more confident,” Simpson said. “Like man, I’m ready for Week 1.”
OLB David Ojabo: The Ravens did not announce ahead of the Eagles game that David Ojabo hadn’t been cleared to play, so his absence was concerning at first. Why was a guy who is fighting to prove he’s back not on the field? He had been participating in team drills, albeit not in a way that would convince someone he had regained his pre-injury form. Coach John Harbaugh announced postgame that Ojabo hadn’t been cleared. Then Ojabo returned to practice after the Eagles game. There was a marked difference. He looked explosive and was consistently beating the offensive line. When he started against the Falcons, Ojabo carried over the momentum with a big quarterback hit.
“He was out there, and he was a factor,” Harbaugh said. “Looked like he was really stout against the run. Thought he set some edges really well. Had his eyes back inside, falling back with the ball, trying to get into the C-gap a few times. And then pass rush was a factor out there. Had some pressures. He looked good.”
WR Dayton Wade: For the second game in a row, undrafted rookie Dayton Wade was the leading receiver. The Ravens’ top receivers have not played, but he is topping veterans and draft picks for the spot. Wade went out with the third team (the second team in the game), quarterbacked by Leary. While two of his targets were incompletions, the other two catches were good for first downs. Wade’s highlight came when he caught a deep ball from Jones for a 46-yard touchdown. Wade earned a shoutout from his coach after the game.
Fallers
OL Ben Cleveland: Johnson was looking to the side, still directing his teammates, when the ball went flying past his head. Ben Cleveland, who Harbaugh said might be meant to be a center, let the ball fly well before Johnson was ready. And, even if Johnson had called for it, the ball would have been a hard one to collect. In his postgame press conference, Harbaugh said “unfortunate” is the nicest word he could come up with for the snap.
Not long after, Cleveland sent another wild snap to the quarterback, although Johnson gathered it in time to hand it off. Maybe Cleveland is not meant to be a center. He went into the offseason as a possibility at guard but started taking reps as the second-team center. When Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum was injured, he slid up to the first team. But, in the past week, Patrick Mekari has also been playing first-team center.
Both guards: While Daniel Faalele had some questionable reps at right guard against the Eagles, Andrew Vorhees looked solid as the left guard, where he has practiced all training camp. Neither guard looked good against the Falcons. On the first third down of the game, Vorhees let defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro blow right by him for an easy sack. Faalele struggled to keep up on quicker plays again. On one toss, he couldn’t get in front of the play. And the run game had difficulties gaining yardage up the middle. Yes, neither of the top two running backs played, but the offensive line on the field had three potential starters, and they failed to get interior push. For the second preseason game in a row, the Ravens, who rushed for the most yards in the NFL last season, finished with less than 100 rushing yards.
Play-action passing defense: The Falcons started their second drive with an easy 21-yard pass. There were no Ravens nearby. That wasn’t the only blown coverage, either. The Falcons advanced on several passes to wide-open receivers. In other areas, the players in the secondary looked good. They made tackles, made three pass defenses (plus one from Simpson) and almost picked off John Paddock. But they need to iron out their communication so that they’re not giving up easy yardage.
This story was updated to reflect that Younghoe Koo is the fourth-most-accurate kicker in NFL history.
