Saints vs. Ravens: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens played host to the New Orleans Saints for their preseason opener on Thursday night.
While it was the first live game the Ravens had played in seven months, you wouldn't have thought that watching the starting first-team offense in the first quarter.
Joe Flacco and the offense methodically drove right down the field to open the game through a series of short-to-medium passes and quality runs that kept the Saints on their heels.
The drive ended with backup running back Lorenzo Taliaferro running into the end zone for a one-yard score to help give Baltimore a 7-0 lead. It was as beautiful a drive as you could ask of a team in its first preseason game.
After the defense forced a Saints three-and-out, backup quarterback Matt Schaub started the next drive and kept up the red-hot pace of Baltimore's offense.
Schaub did so by throwing a 45-yard touchdown to receiver Michael Campanaro and giving Baltimore a 14-0 lead before the first quarter ended.
After the defense forced another three-and-out, Schaub led the offense right back down the field before stalling and having to settle for a field goal. Kicker Justin Tucker came in and booted a 42-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.
At that point, the Ravens had more points (17) than the Saints had total yards (11). It was sheer domination early on by the Ravens, but that changed on New Orleans' next offensive series.
Backup quarterback Luke McCown finally found his rhythm and began picking apart the Ravens' thin secondary. He completed six passes on the drive, including a 28-yard touchdown to receiver Brandin Cooks to put the score at 17-7.
The Ravens would respond with another long drive that stalled and saw Tucker kick a 25-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 20-7 lead.
However, the Saints would respond with another touchdown drive that ended with Ryan Griffin hitting running back Khiry Robinson for a 21-yard score and and Dustin Hopkins kicking the extra point to put the score at 20-14.
It was clear there was a big gap between the Ravens starters and backups in this game. The momentum swing would continue into the third after the Saints marched back down the field again, but Baltimore's defense made a stand to force a field goal and put the game at 20-17.
The Saints would continue their run with a fourth-quarter drive that ended in a field goal to tie the game with 11 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game.
That's when third-string QB Bryn Renner came in the game and actually had a solid drive. He helped get the offense into field-goal range before Tucker hit a 51-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 23-20 lead.
However, the Saints would respond, as third-string QB Garrett Grayson led the offense down the field before backup running back Marcus Murphy reached the end zone from two yards out to help give New Orleans a 27-23 lead with 1:56 left in the game.
With one final possession, the Ravens offense put the ball in the hands of Renner, and he answered the call. He guided Baltimore right down the field with several nice passes before running the ball in for a one-yard score with two seconds left to give the Ravens a 30-27 victory.
It was a thrilling way for the Ravens to open the preseason. Here's a look at our grades and other notes from the win.
Position Grades for Ravens
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | C+ |
| WR | B+ |
| TE | C- |
| OL | B- |
| DL | B |
| LB | B+ |
| DB | C- |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | B+ |
As mentioned in the previous slide, the starting offense was outstanding in the limited time it saw on Thursday night, which is why most of the offensive units get a good grade.
Flacco was especially sharp at quarterback, completing five of six passes for 33 yards to go with a 17-yard run to put Baltimore in the red zone. The offensive line did a good job of protecting him but did have a couple of plays in which it allowed Flacco to get pressured and forced out of the pocket.
Once Flacco went out, Schaub kept up the pace by throwing a 45-yard touchdown to Campanaro. He finished the game having completed 11 of 18 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and one pick while leading Baltimore on three scoring drives.
While the offense was fairly balanced, the ground game did underperform a bit. The first drive saw starter Justin Forsett run two times for a mere three yards.
Backup Taliaferro did a little better with 36 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk caught two passes for 13 yards on the opening drive.
By night's end, Baltimore had rushed for a mere 105 yards on 39 attempts (2.7 YPC).
The tight ends didn't do much in this game. That was highlighted by rookie Maxx Williams dropping a would-be touchdown in the second quarter on a good pass from Schaub in the back of the end zone.
As for the defense, it caught a break with Saints quarterback Drew Brees not playing in this game. McCown got the start, and the Ravens easily shut him and the rest of the Saints offense down.
That continued throughout the first half, as the front seven was constantly in the Saints backfield disrupting the offense.
However, as more backups were inserted, the defense would fall off drastically as the Saints offense found its rhythm. Saints quarterbacks would combine for 266 passing yards and two scores with no picks against Baltimore's secondary.
That helped the Saints go on a 27-3 run after falling behind 17-0. Most of the damage came through the air after the starters and key backups were already out of the game, so you can't penalize those positions too much.
Important Note No. 1: Matt Schaub Looks Very Sharp
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One of the biggest storylines coming into training camp and the preseason for Baltimore was if Schaub was a capable backup behind Flacco.
Schaub hasn't done much to impress this offseason after signing with the Ravens once backup Tyrod Taylor left to sign with the Buffalo Bills.
After a poor showing in OTAs, Schaub needed to have a good showing in this preseason game after failing to do much in training camp thus far.
As Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun put it, Schaub looked better against the Saints than he has in camp to this point. Schaub was on fire to open the game, as he threw a 45-yard touchdown to Campanaro on his first series.
Schaub then went on to lead Baltimore to a pair of field-goal drives and helped give the Ravens a 17-0 lead early on. While it's just one preseason game, it's great to see Schaub is still a capable NFL QB.
He simply wasn't showing a lot to suggest that was still the case this offseason.
Important Note No. 2: Kyle Arrington Used at Safety
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Baltimore's secondary is dangerously thin right now with several players banged up.
Safety Matt Elam was already lost for the year after tearing his biceps in the first week of training camp. Also missing this game were starting cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb.
With a mix of the first- and second-team defense on the field for much of the first half, Kyle Arrington was used at free safety instead of his natural cornerback spot.
Arrington was signed this offseason after the New England Patriots cut him. He's a ball-hawking corner who led the NFL in interceptions (seven) in 2011. He could push for a starting role after he started 56 games in New England.
This will be something to watch going forward with the Ravens hurting in the secondary. It also may be a way for Arrington to make it onto the field more while utilizing his ball skills.
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Important Note 3: Asa Jackson Opens as Primary Returner
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Another key storyline this offseason that has yet to be solved is who steps up to return punts and kickoffs.
The Ravens cut wide receiver Jacoby Jones this offseason after he was the team's primary return man for much of the past three years. With him gone, there was no clear replacement on the roster, and several different players have gotten their chance to win this job in OTAs and training camp.
Judging by how this game went, cornerback Asa Jackson is the early leader for these duties. He opened the game as the starting punt and kickoff returner and looked decent in the process.
He didn't get a chance to return any kickoffs, as all of his chances ended up being touchbacks. Jackson did manage to return two punts for 17 yards.
While he didn't do anything to lock this job up, Jackson didn't do anything to hurt his candidacy for it either. Going forward, Jackson looks like a slight favorite to open the year as the primary return man.
Quote No. 1: Terrell Suggs on Starting Defense's Dominance
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As mentioned earlier, the Ravens defense was dominant to open this game.
For much of the first frame and early in the second quarter, the starting defense was suffocating the Saints offense. At one point, Baltimore had more points (17) than New Orleans had total yards (11).
Much of that success came from the pass rush, as Baltimore defenders were constantly in the faces of Saints quarterbacks.
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was part of that dominance. He offered up a great quote on the starting unit's performance, via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com: "It's hard to start the season any better than that. The only thing we could have done better is to have some turnovers."
It's great to see that even when his defense is playing great, a true pro like Suggs is more concerned with how it can be even better. That kind of mentality is part of why Suggs has had a Hall of Fame type of career, and it will only help the Ravens defense continue to be great under his watch.
Quote No. 2: Joe Flacco on Training Camp Work Finally Paying off
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The dog days of summer are especially rough for NFL players.
That's because they're having to endure OTAs and training camp practices as they look to get their bodies back into football shape to prepare for the upcoming season.
For Baltimore, it's been even more challenging for the offense, as it's had to get used to a new offense now that Marc Trestman is the offensive coordinator. Learning a new offensive system is never easy, but it's very rewarding to see your hard work pay off like it did against the Saints in the preseason opener.
Flacco and the rest of the offense looked as sharp as you could ask for on the game's opening drive, going 80 yards on 16 plays before Taliaferro scored on a one-yard run.
As Flacco told Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com, it was very rewarding to see his team's hard work showing itself on the field. "It makes you feel so much better mentally because you feel like everything you've been doing during TC [training camp] is paying off," he said.
It's only one drive in a preseason game, but it really was a thing of beauty for Baltimore. It has to make Flacco and the rest of the Ravens feel good about the hard work they've put in this offseason.
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