Ravens vs. Falcons: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons faced off in each team's fourth and final preseason game of 2015 on Thursday night.
As is the case for most teams in Week 4 of the preseason, neither club played its starters, and the backups got all the snaps. That meant no Joe Flacco, Jimmy Smith, Justin Forsett, Maxx Williams, Marshal Yanda or Elvis Dumervil for Baltimore.
While the guys who will make up the strength of the Ravens roster in 2015 did not play, many key backups fighting for roster spots did. This was their night, as they looked to make their final bids to secure spots on the final 53-man roster, which must be set Saturday.
Baltimore's defense struggled mightily in the first half, as the Ravens allowed the Falcons to score on their opening possession, with most of the yards coming on the ground.
On offense, quarterback Matt Schaub opened the game red-hot, as he completed seven straight passes, but the offense mustered only one field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
Third-string QB Bryn Renner came in after Schaub got just two series in. Despite a 53-yard return by cornerback Asa Jackson, Renner could not help the offense get a first down on his first possession.
That led to Baltimore settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-6. The defense would continue to struggle, as Atlanta's offense gashed them for big plays on the ground before tacking on two more field goals to take a 13-6 lead.
The defense would end the first half on a high note, as they notched consecutive sacks to end the second quarter. The second half was much of the same, as Atlanta's ground game controlled this game.
After the Falcons punted on their first possession of the second half, Jackson fumbled the punt and gave the ball back to Atlanta. The Falcons would capitalize with a 25-yard passing score from QB Sean Renfree to receiver Carlton Mitchell to give them a 20-6 lead.
That score would hold up through the rest of the third quarter and well into the fourth quarter before Renner helped spark a late rally by Baltimore.
It started with Renner hitting receiver Daniel Brown for a 10-yard score to cut the lead to 20-13 with one minute, 13 seconds left in the game. After Baltimore blocked the ensuing Falcons punt, Renner hit Brown for another 10-yard score to cut the lead to 20-19.
Instead of playing for the tie, Baltimore opted to go for a two-pointer and the win, but Renner's pass fell incomplete when he tried to hit fullback Kiero Small coming across the middle.
Atlanta would recover the ensuing onside kick before running out the clock to pick up the 20-19 win over Baltimore. Here's a look at our postgame grades and notes.
Position Grades for Ravens
1 of 4
| Position | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B- |
| WR/TE | B- |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | C- |
| LB | B+ |
| DB | B+ |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | B- |
The Ravens played mostly backups to open the game, as most of the starters got the night off. Schaub looked sharp to open the game, locking up the backup spot behind Flacco.
Schaub played in only two series before Renner came in. He also played well and almost led Baltimore to a late come-from-behind win.
The running backs didn't do much in this one, but Terrence Magee did look sharp in his small number of snaps. The undrafted free agent out of LSU rushed for 97 yards on nine attempts, as he looks to win the fourth and final running back spot on the 53-man roster.
The wide receivers and tight ends had a decent showing in this game, highlighted by Daniel Brown's two touchdowns. He caught both of them in the final two minutes to help Baltimore almost rally for the win.
The defense got off to a slow start, allowing Atlanta to score a touchdown on its first drive. Most of the Falcons' yards came on the ground, as Baltimore's normally stout run defense was anything but with the starters sitting out.
The defensive line was getting little penetration. The linebackers were doing a poor job of getting off their blocks but did have several plays in which they got good pressure on the QB.
Adding to that, Baltimore shut down the Falcons passing game for much of the night while allowing just 116 yards through the air. The defensive backs played well and held Falcons receivers to just 10 catches for 87 yards.
The special teams coverage units performed poorly in this one, as they allowed several big returns. The biggest was a 70-yard punt return by Falcons receiver Justin Hardy.
Baltimore's penalty woes continued, as they committed 10 for 134 yards. The Ravens coaches can't seem to find a way to get their players to stop committing so many dumb infractions.
Important Note No. 1: Young WRs Step Up
2 of 4
As the Ravens try to finalize their final 53-man roster, they'll have some tough decisions to make. At this point, only three receiver spots are locked up: Kamar Aiken, Breshad Perriman and Steve Smith Sr.
Several guys are fighting for the final two or three receiver spots on the roster. Among those in contention are Jeremy Butler, Daniel Brown, Michael Campanaro, Marlon Brown and Darren Waller.
Those were the guys getting the bulk of the snaps Thursday, as Aiken and Smith Sr. were sitting, while Perriman was out injured. They made the most of their extra playing time by leaving their marks on the game.
Marlon Brown caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 42-yard bomb that set up a field goal. He was already likely to earn a roster spot, so his performance only solidified that.
As for Daniel Brown, he caught three passes for 30 yards and two scores, both of which came in the final two minutes and helped the Ravens almost rally for the win. His chances of making the final roster were slim, but he made as strong of a case as he could in his final preseason game.
Important Note No. 2: Matt Schaub Looks Sharp
3 of 4
One of the biggest storylines coming into the preseason was whether Schaub could be a serviceable backup quarterback.
The good news is Flacco has not missed a start since becoming the full-time starter in the 2008 season. However, Baltimore doesn't want to take the chance that this is the year Flacco misses time with an injury and doesn't have a capable backup to take over.
After Shaub's poor showing in offseason workouts, questions arose about whether he was worth keeping as the backup behind Flacco. Through three preseason games, Schaub looked decent, completing 25 of 43 passes and one score. However, he had also thrown two interceptions and taken five sacks.
Against the Falcons in the third and final preseason game, Schaub finally looked like a capable backup, as he looked much sharper and more comfortable in the offense.
He completed all seven of his passes, including a 42-yard bomb to Marlon Brown that led to a field goal. He played only a few series before giving way to third-stringer Renner.
Still, this was as good of a game as you could have asked for from Schaub, who will likely be the only QB on the final roster behind Flacco.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Important Note No. 3: Asa Jackson Shines and Blunders as Returner
4 of 4
One of the biggest position battles of training camp and the preseason has been at both returner spots on special teams.
After Baltimore cut Jacoby Jones this offseason, the Ravens lost their primary punt and kickoff returner of the past three seasons. They got rid of Jones thinking they had several capable returners already on the roster, but that wasn't materializing in camp and the early parts of the preseason.
However, Jackson began emerging at this spot last week after notching a 103-yard kickoff return before he was tripped up at the 2-yard line against the Washington Redskins.
Against the Falcons, it was an up-and-down performance for Jackson. He did return one punt for 53 yards to set up a drive that ended in a field goal.
However, Jackson also had a punt return in which he fumbled the ball. As Ravens coach John Harbaugh told ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley after the game, Jackson has to be more consistent if he's going to be trusted with that job:
"You’ve got to be consistent. Asa has got all the tools and has all of the ability. You can tell he’s a dangerous, dangerous returner. But you’ve got to be dangerous for them, not for us. Asa can do it [return kicks]. He can learn that lesson.
"
Jackson did enough in this game to remain the favorite to open the year as the primary returner. He did not, however, do enough to make the Ravens feel comfortable with him handling that role full time.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
