The Baltimore Ravens moved to 4-0 on the preseason after beating the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 27 – 10 on Saturday night.
LISTEN: Brett Hollander breaks down the game highlights:
Before the fourth Baltimore Ravens preseason game Saturday night, head coach John Harbaugh said veterans would not play in the game because of the team’s two joint practices against the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts.
That meant plenty of reps for quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Lamar Jackson to battle for the backup job behind Joe Flacco.
“Our guys have gotten upwards of 30-35 reps apiece in each practice,” Harbaugh said, noting running back Alex Collins would get in and out of the game fast. Flacco, the starting wide receivers and most of the offensive line will not play in the game. On defense, middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Eric Weddle and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs would not play.
“We’ve got a lot of competition for spots,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got a wide receiver spot or two to determine. We’ve got a returner spot to determine. We’ve got to look at running back…[Kenneth] Dixon is going to get a lot of work in this game and we probably have one or two offensive line spots to look at, so there’s a lot at stake tonight.”
Coach Harbaugh discusses the plan for playing time in tonight’s game vs. the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/5juAQsynQU
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 25, 2018
Offensive lineman James Hurst and Ronnie Stanley did not take the field Saturday due to lingering injuries. The two are expected to be ready for Week 1.
The majority of the Dolphins’ starters on offense played to begin the game. Here are how some of the position battles Harbaugh mentioned pregame unfolded.
Defense
The Ravens gave up only two yards in the first quarter and held the Dolphins in check until Kenyan Drake ripped off a 30-yard gain a few minutes into the second quarter.
Cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Tavon Young broke up passes in the first half, showing great anticipation and discipline to the route.
The Dolphins’ scored the game’s first points when Tannehill threw a check-down pass to Danny Amendola, who did most of the work himself. Amendola made Young and safety Tony Jefferson miss for a 16-yard touchdown. Young overran Amendola as he was going toward the sidelines.
Kamalei Correa was constantly creating pressure and opportunities for others when rushing the passer. The Baltimore pass rush was impressive without Suggs on the field.
Cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptise made a standout play when he intercepted a pass deep down the sideline in tight man coverage. The three-year man out of Nebraska made a leaping grab on a ball that was a bit underthrown for the first turnover of the night.
Safety Chuck Clark caught a lofty heave of a pass in the fourth quarter for the second turnover of the night.
Safety DeShon Elliott, who had been in on a few turnovers in the preseason, was seen with his arm in a sling after leaving the game with an arm injury.
Quarterback
Griffin started the game and got off to a slow start (3/6, 10 yards, 20 rushing yards) in the wet Miami weather. He also missed a few throws down the field, including one to Jordan Lasley, who was open in the end zone.
Griffin again showed off his speed and veteran knowledge on a read-option play in the second quarter. Griffin took off for a 21-yard run and wisely slid — although not gracefully — before getting hit.
Tuck and run. @RGIII rips off a 21-yard run on an option play. pic.twitter.com/I6Rrx2Hzio
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 26, 2018
Griffin took care of the ball but took a few sacks. He ended the night 9/15 for 66 yards.
Jackson took the field in the second half with mostly the backup offensive line aside from Orlando Brown, who continued to play.
On the first third down Jackson faced he scrambled up the middle and took two hits but gained the first down.
Late in the third quarter, Jackson made an impressive read-option play of his own, lunging into the end zone to cap off a 19-yard run.
?? LAMAR JACKSON TD RUN. ?? pic.twitter.com/k5cSnABlbT
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 26, 2018
He continued to look accurate throwing on the run and had perhaps the best game of his preseason. Jackson was 7-of-10 for 98 yards, 1 TD with a 134.6 QB rating. He also ran three times for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Running backs
Gus Edwards took an impressive cutback run 10 yards in the first quarter, putting pressure on Kenneth Dixon to do the same. Edwards was unable to get much more going following that, finishing with just 38 yards on 16 carries. The two are most likely battling for the third and final running back spot.
Kenneth Dixon failed in pass protection early, missing a block that forced Griffin to take a sack, but responded later with a 16-yard reception where he broke two tackles and made a third defender miss.
On the first dive of the second half, Nico Siragusa and Bradley Bozeman paved the way for undrafted free agent running back from Alcorn State De’Lance Turner to turn on the jets and race 65 yards into the end zone.
RB De’Lance Turner is making the most of his opportunity tonight with this 65-yard TOUCHDOWN. pic.twitter.com/eQdH7Oi52y
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 26, 2018
Offensive Line
The unit compromised of a few starters struggled to get a push for the running game early. Greg Senat flashed in pass protection before being evaluated for a right foot injury.
Brown held his own against one of the NFL’s best pass rushers Cameron Wake (10.5 sacks last year).
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews dropped a pass on the first drive as he went to the ground, one the injured Hayden Hurst likely makes. Baltimore will need someone to fill the role of Hurst while he is out for the next three to four weeks.
In the second quarter with about two minutes to go, Andrews jumped on first and goal from the one yard line to push the Ravens back to the six. The Ravens could not score on that drive and had to settle for a third field goal attempt.
Wide Receivers
In the first half, no receiver had more than one catch. Dixon led the way with three catches for 18 yards.
DeVier Posey and Tim White took advantage of soft coverage by the Dolphins to start the fourth quarter, both reeling in catches on crossing routes and picking up yards after the catch. Posey took his in on third and 10 for a 21-yard score.
Tim White made a nice catch in traffic late in the fourth quarter as well, taking a hit but spinning for extra yardage.
Inside linebacker
Onwuasor dropped Ryan Tannehill early on for a sack thanks to pressure off the edge from outside linebacker Matt Judon. Dolphins’ running back Kenyan Drake continued to shine when he beat Onwuasor one-on-one, streaking down the field for 36 yards.
Onwuasor led the Ravens in tackles in the first half (4).
Kenny Young — who is battling Onwuasor for the starting inside linebacker job next to C.J. Mosley — exploded into the backfield for a sack in the third quarter.
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