There are several revealing takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens’ 13-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday afternoon in Week 2 of the 2024 preseason.
With a handful of starting spots and several key roles up for grabs, the team got more indications of who the front runners should be, who can be relied upon and who perhaps can’t be counted on to fill their needs.
Here are seven of the main things that can be learned from Saturday’s decisive victory.
Backup quarterbacks bounce back in a big way
For the past week, national media pundits lamented and voiced concerns about the status of the Ravens depth chart behind reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. They were uninspired by the collective performance in the preseason opener by journeyman veteran Josh Johnson and rookies Devin Leary and Emory Jones.
Fast forward a week and those same pundits will likely be singing a different tune after the group rebounded with a very impressive outing against the Falcons. Their collective showing was highlighted by Johnson’s perfect passing performance in which he went 11-of-11 for 120 passing yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and only one sack taken.
With the Ravens’ ground game struggling to gain any consistent traction, the 38-year-old matriculated the ball down the field with decisive and accurate passes. He would’ve led a pair of scoring drives had it not been for a lost fumble on an aborted snap that killed a nine-play drive that looked destined to finish with the team’s first points of the game.
After only getting one snap in the opener with disastrous results, Jones got to open the third quarter under center and made the most of his extended opportunity. He didn’t three and out once, picking up first downs on all three of the drive he led including the four-play scoring possession where he connected with fellow undrafted rookie, wide receiver Dayton Wade, on a 56-yard bomb for a touchdown.
Leary played most of the fourth quarter and while he was the only Ravens quarterback who didn’t lead a scoring drive, he chewed up over five minutes of clock and finished 3-of-5 for 24 passing yards and scrambled his way out of some sacks.
Undrafted rookies continue to stack good games
While this game marked the first standout performance for Jones, it was yet another feather in the cap for some of his fellow rookie free-agent signees who helped their cause with a second week of impressive play. Wade finished as the Ravens leader in receiving yards yet again with 67 and did so on half as many catches with his first catch going for 11 yards and first down and his second coming after he executed a fifthly double move on a cornerback to get himself wide open down the left sideline where he was able to stride into the end zone.
Elsewhere on offense, after showing some nice traits on just five offensive snaps and three on special teams in the opener, running back Chris Collier saw the field early and often against the Falcons. He got the bulk of the snaps and carries with 12 attempts for a team-leading 29 rushing yards and caught both of his targets for 22 yards with a long of yards that he picked up after weaving his way through traffic on a halfback screen. On special teams, he returned the opening kick-off 30 yards and covered kicks as well.
On defense, University of Maryland product Beau Brade followed up his impressive debut by leading the team in total tackles with eight including a couple touchdown saving takedowns. He nearly recorded his first career interception but it was questionably overturned after it was ruled that the ball touched the ground before he caught it.
Linebacker Yvandy Rigby led the team in solo tackles with seven after finishing second last week and fellow first-year linebacker Deion Jennings wasn’t too far behind with five total tackles including four solos. Outside linebacker Joe Evans wasn’t on the field as often as he was in the opener when the team was lighter on the edge but he still generated some nice pressures, played with a lot of effort and recorded a pair of tackles including one in the open field to prevent a first down.
Trenton Simpson is ready to start
The second-year pro didn’t play as long in this game as he did last week, yet he still managed to be every bit as impactful. Simpson showed just how ready he is to becoming Patrick Queen’s replacement beside Roquan Smith. Against the Falcons, he made clutch plays behind the line of scrimmage, in open space and in coverage, all of which came on the Falcons’ first three possessions of the game.
On Atlanta’s first drive, he pressured veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke into a rushed throw on third down that wound up getting broken up by cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and forced a three-and-out as a result. Simpson recorded both of his tackles on back-to-back plays on the second drive to force a 54-yard field goal attempt with the first being an assist for a loss on one yard and the second, a great open field tackle on Heinicke to bring him down after a short two-yard gain.
Simpson’s clutch pass breakup in tight one-on-one coverage with Falcons’ tight end John Fitzpatrick came on third and long thwarted a drive that eventually led to a missed field goal. Any questions or concerns fans and pundits had about whether or not Simpson is ready to seize this opportunity for an expanded role on defense should be quelled after his performance in the preseason and he shouldn’t be expected to play in the exhibition finale as his roster spot was never in question and now his role as a starter should be cemented.
Young edge depth flashes
The Ravens got a lot of good play from the young outside linebackers who they will be looking to provide quality depth and contribute in rotational roles behind veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pro Odafe Oweh this upcoming season.
Fans and coaches alike should be very encouraged by what they saw from both third-year pro David Ojabo and second-round rookie Adisa Isaac who made their preseason debuts against the Falcons. Both players generated some good pressure with Ojabo in particular recording multiple pressure events including one where he executed a beautiful spin move to gain inside leverage on the right tackle to record a quarterback hit and force Heinicke to throw the ball away early for an incompletion.
“He was a factor,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “It looked like he was really stout against the run. I thought he set some edges really well. He had his eyes back inside – falling back on the ball – trying to get in the C gap a few times, and then, [his] pass rush was a factor out there. He had some pressures. He looked good.”
This marked the first NFL action of any kind for Isaac and he also played very well both as a run defender and pass rusher, recording four total tackles including two solos and one assist for a loss. He also made several nice hustle plays tracking plays down in space or from behind.
Second-year pro Tavius Robinson played well from start to finish including making the game-winning play to prevent the Falcons from successfully converting a two-point conversion that would’ve put them ahead 14-12 with 39 seconds left in the game. He came crashing down off the edge and stopped the running back short of the goal line and after the game received the highest form of praise from Harbaugh.
“He [has] the kind of mindset [and] the kind of style of play that we like,” Harbaugh said. “So if you want to talk about playing like a Raven, that’s a term that you want to use. Just tag it right next to his name. He’s that kind of guy.”
Offensive line had up and own performance
After overall encouraging performances in the preseason opener, several of the offensive linemen competing for starting roles and the unit as a whole weren’t as consistent or efficient against the Falcons, leaving more questions and potential concerns than clarity.
The most disappointing aspect of their collective game wasn’t so much in pass protection as two of the three quarterbacks were able to throw for 100-plus yards. However, in the run game, they left much to be desired as they struggled to get much traction, push or establish any kind of rhythm. More often than not, running backs were getting contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage for losses, minimal gains or had to fight just to try not to lose yards.
Despite rushing the ball 29 times not including the final kneel down, the Ravens just 73 yards and averaged a measly 2.4 yards per attempt. No player had an attempt to reach or go over 10 yards with the longest being a pair of eight-yarders recorded by Johnson on a scramble and newcomer running back John Kelly Jr. in the second half.
On the two sacks that were given up, the first ended the opening drive when second-year pro Andrew Vorhees who is the frontrunner to win claim the starting left guard vacancy got beat swiftly by Falcons rookie three-technique Ruke Orhorhoro. The second was more of a coverage sack and occurred as Jones was smarmed trying to escape a crumbling pocket.
Fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland was responsible for the aborted snap that killed what looked like what was going to be the Ravens’ first scoring drive of the game. He snapped the ball past Johnson as he was still making pre-snap adjustments and getting players lined up. The ball flew past his head and bounced 21 yards behind the line of scrimmage before being recovered by a Falcons defender. While center is not his natural position, he played well last week executing those duties, displaying solid positional versatility and he remains in the running for the starting right guard spot as third-year pro Daniel Faalele didn’t do much to separate himself in this game either.
Second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten got the starting nod at right tackle for the first time this preseason, looked solid once again and didn’t do anything to discourage the Ravens from feeling any less comfortable with starting him in Week 1.
Veteran wide receivers stood out early
As exciting as the Ravens’ younger players on both sides of the ball, they got impactful contributions from a trio of experienced wide who had their numbers called early and often to deserve to be recognized. All three of Keith Kirkwood, Anthony Miller and Tylan Wallace caught passes in the first half during Johnson’s perfect passing performance.
Kirkwood reeled in both of his targets for double-digit yardage gains that moved the chains including a long of 26 yards. Wallace only caught one pass on his lone target but ripped off a 31-yard gain that took the ball to the Atlanta five-yard line. All three of Miller’s receptions came in succession in the same drive as the aborted snap when the Ravens were matriculating the ball down the field and he made some nice adjustments to the ball on a couple of them.
Even though he isn’t a veteran, second-year pro Malik Cunningham had a solid outing as well with some nice snags and moves in the open field as well as on the boundary to move the chains. He caught all three of his targets for 28 receiving yards which was the fourth-highest total on the team and his trio of receptions tied Miller for the most on the team.
Owen Wright continues to make a strong case
The second-year pro didn’t lead the team in scrimmage yards for the second week in a row and had more negative runs than he had positive but was still impressive nonetheless for how he contributed in other ways. As a pass catcher out of the backfield, he hauled in his lone target and stretched the ball across the right front pylon for his first touchdown at the NFL.
On special teams, he tied Collier for the longest kick return with a 30-yarder he nearly broke for a bigger gain and he recorded an assisted tackle on coverage as time expired in the first half. If he already wasn’t in the driver’s seat to win the Ravens’ No. 3 running back spot on the depth chart to start the 2024 season while fellow second-year pro Keaton Mitchell continues to recover from a torn ACL, he certainly should be now heading into the preseason finale.
There are several revealing takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens’ 13-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday afternoon in Week 2 of the 2024 preseason.
With a handful of starting spots and several key roles up for grabs, the team got more indications of who the front runners should be, who can be relied upon and who perhaps can’t be counted on to fill their needs.
Here are seven of the main things that can be learned from Saturday’s decisive victory.
Backup quarterbacks bounce back in a big way
For the past week, national media pundits lamented and voiced concerns about the status of the Ravens depth chart behind reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. They were uninspired by the collective performance in the preseason opener by journeyman veteran Josh Johnson and rookies Devin Leary and Emory Jones.
Fast forward a week and those same pundits will likely be singing a different tune after the group rebounded with a very impressive outing against the Falcons. Their collective showing was highlighted by Johnson’s perfect passing performance in which he went 11-of-11 for 120 passing yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and only one sack taken.
With the Ravens’ ground game struggling to gain any consistent traction, the 38-year-old matriculated the ball down the field with decisive and accurate passes. He would’ve led a pair of scoring drives had it not been for a lost fumble on an aborted snap that killed a nine-play drive that looked destined to finish with the team’s first points of the game.
After only getting one snap in the opener with disastrous results, Jones got to open the third quarter under center and made the most of his extended opportunity. He didn’t three and out once, picking up first downs on all three of the drive he led including the four-play scoring possession where he connected with fellow undrafted rookie, wide receiver Dayton Wade, on a 56-yard bomb for a touchdown.
Leary played most of the fourth quarter and while he was the only Ravens quarterback who didn’t lead a scoring drive, he chewed up over five minutes of clock and finished 3-of-5 for 24 passing yards and scrambled his way out of some sacks.
Undrafted rookies continue to stack good games
While this game marked the first standout performance for Jones, it was yet another feather in the cap for some of his fellow rookie free-agent signees who helped their cause with a second week of impressive play. Wade finished as the Ravens leader in receiving yards yet again with 67 and did so on half as many catches with his first catch going for 11 yards and first down and his second coming after he executed a fifthly double move on a cornerback to get himself wide open down the left sideline where he was able to stride into the end zone.
Elsewhere on offense, after showing some nice traits on just five offensive snaps and three on special teams in the opener, running back Chris Collier saw the field early and often against the Falcons. He got the bulk of the snaps and carries with 12 attempts for a team-leading 29 rushing yards and caught both of his targets for 22 yards with a long of yards that he picked up after weaving his way through traffic on a halfback screen. On special teams, he returned the opening kick-off 30 yards and covered kicks as well.
On defense, University of Maryland product Beau Brade followed up his impressive debut by leading the team in total tackles with eight including a couple touchdown saving takedowns. He nearly recorded his first career interception but it was questionably overturned after it was ruled that the ball touched the ground before he caught it.
Linebacker Yvandy Rigby led the team in solo tackles with seven after finishing second last week and fellow first-year linebacker Deion Jennings wasn’t too far behind with five total tackles including four solos. Outside linebacker Joe Evans wasn’t on the field as often as he was in the opener when the team was lighter on the edge but he still generated some nice pressures, played with a lot of effort and recorded a pair of tackles including one in the open field to prevent a first down.
Trenton Simpson is ready to start
The second-year pro didn’t play as long in this game as he did last week, yet he still managed to be every bit as impactful. Simpson showed just how ready he is to becoming Patrick Queen’s replacement beside Roquan Smith. Against the Falcons, he made clutch plays behind the line of scrimmage, in open space and in coverage, all of which came on the Falcons’ first three possessions of the game.
On Atlanta’s first drive, he pressured veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke into a rushed throw on third down that wound up getting broken up by cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and forced a three-and-out as a result. Simpson recorded both of his tackles on back-to-back plays on the second drive to force a 54-yard field goal attempt with the first being an assist for a loss on one yard and the second, a great open field tackle on Heinicke to bring him down after a short two-yard gain.
Simpson’s clutch pass breakup in tight one-on-one coverage with Falcons’ tight end John Fitzpatrick came on third and long thwarted a drive that eventually led to a missed field goal. Any questions or concerns fans and pundits had about whether or not Simpson is ready to seize this opportunity for an expanded role on defense should be quelled after his performance in the preseason and he shouldn’t be expected to play in the exhibition finale as his roster spot was never in question and now his role as a starter should be cemented.
Young edge depth flashes
The Ravens got a lot of good play from the young outside linebackers who they will be looking to provide quality depth and contribute in rotational roles behind veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pro Odafe Oweh this upcoming season.
Fans and coaches alike should be very encouraged by what they saw from both third-year pro David Ojabo and second-round rookie Adisa Isaac who made their preseason debuts against the Falcons. Both players generated some good pressure with Ojabo in particular recording multiple pressure events including one where he executed a beautiful spin move to gain inside leverage on the right tackle to record a quarterback hit and force Heinicke to throw the ball away early for an incompletion.
“He was a factor,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “It looked like he was really stout against the run. I thought he set some edges really well. He had his eyes back inside – falling back on the ball – trying to get in the C gap a few times, and then, [his] pass rush was a factor out there. He had some pressures. He looked good.”
This marked the first NFL action of any kind for Isaac and he also played very well both as a run defender and pass rusher, recording four total tackles including two solos and one assist for a loss. He also made several nice hustle plays tracking plays down in space or from behind.
Second-year pro Tavius Robinson played well from start to finish including making the game-winning play to prevent the Falcons from successfully converting a two-point conversion that would’ve put them ahead 14-12 with 39 seconds left in the game. He came crashing down off the edge and stopped the running back short of the goal line and after the game received the highest form of praise from Harbaugh.
“He [has] the kind of mindset [and] the kind of style of play that we like,” Harbaugh said. “So if you want to talk about playing like a Raven, that’s a term that you want to use. Just tag it right next to his name. He’s that kind of guy.”
Offensive line had up and own performance
After overall encouraging performances in the preseason opener, several of the offensive linemen competing for starting roles and the unit as a whole weren’t as consistent or efficient against the Falcons, leaving more questions and potential concerns than clarity.
The most disappointing aspect of their collective game wasn’t so much in pass protection as two of the three quarterbacks were able to throw for 100-plus yards. However, in the run game, they left much to be desired as they struggled to get much traction, push or establish any kind of rhythm. More often than not, running backs were getting contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage for losses, minimal gains or had to fight just to try not to lose yards.
Despite rushing the ball 29 times not including the final kneel down, the Ravens just 73 yards and averaged a measly 2.4 yards per attempt. No player had an attempt to reach or go over 10 yards with the longest being a pair of eight-yarders recorded by Johnson on a scramble and newcomer running back John Kelly Jr. in the second half.
On the two sacks that were given up, the first ended the opening drive when second-year pro Andrew Vorhees who is the frontrunner to win claim the starting left guard vacancy got beat swiftly by Falcons rookie three-technique Ruke Orhorhoro. The second was more of a coverage sack and occurred as Jones was smarmed trying to escape a crumbling pocket.
Fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland was responsible for the aborted snap that killed what looked like what was going to be the Ravens’ first scoring drive of the game. He snapped the ball past Johnson as he was still making pre-snap adjustments and getting players lined up. The ball flew past his head and bounced 21 yards behind the line of scrimmage before being recovered by a Falcons defender. While center is not his natural position, he played well last week executing those duties, displaying solid positional versatility and he remains in the running for the starting right guard spot as third-year pro Daniel Faalele didn’t do much to separate himself in this game either.
Second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten got the starting nod at right tackle for the first time this preseason, looked solid once again and didn’t do anything to discourage the Ravens from feeling any less comfortable with starting him in Week 1.
Veteran wide receivers stood out early
As exciting as the Ravens’ younger players on both sides of the ball, they got impactful contributions from a trio of experienced wide who had their numbers called early and often to deserve to be recognized. All three of Keith Kirkwood, Anthony Miller and Tylan Wallace caught passes in the first half during Johnson’s perfect passing performance.
Kirkwood reeled in both of his targets for double-digit yardage gains that moved the chains including a long of 26 yards. Wallace only caught one pass on his lone target but ripped off a 31-yard gain that took the ball to the Atlanta five-yard line. All three of Miller’s receptions came in succession in the same drive as the aborted snap when the Ravens were matriculating the ball down the field and he made some nice adjustments to the ball on a couple of them.
Even though he isn’t a veteran, second-year pro Malik Cunningham had a solid outing as well with some nice snags and moves in the open field as well as on the boundary to move the chains. He caught all three of his targets for 28 receiving yards which was the fourth-highest total on the team and his trio of receptions tied Miller for the most on the team.
Owen Wright continues to make a strong case
The second-year pro didn’t lead the team in scrimmage yards for the second week in a row and had more negative runs than he had positive but was still impressive nonetheless for how he contributed in other ways. As a pass catcher out of the backfield, he hauled in his lone target and stretched the ball across the right front pylon for his first touchdown at the NFL.
On special teams, he tied Collier for the longest kick return with a 30-yarder he nearly broke for a bigger gain and he recorded an assisted tackle on coverage as time expired in the first half. If he already wasn’t in the driver’s seat to win the Ravens’ No. 3 running back spot on the depth chart to start the 2024 season while fellow second-year pro Keaton Mitchell continues to recover from a torn ACL, he certainly should be now heading into the preseason finale.