For the second straight week the Ravens scored 13 points, but this time around it would end up being enough as they would go on to defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday afternoon.
The Falcon chose to sit rookie first-round pick, quarterback Michael Penix on Saturday. Giving way to Former Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke to get the start. Henicke had a strong day for the Falcons throwing for 114 yards on 8-of-16 passing.
The Falcons would get in the board first late in the first quarter as Younghoe Koo connected from 54-yards out. It would be a long day for Koo who is one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, alongside Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. Koo would finish the day 2-for-5 on his field goal attempts making only a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter.
As for the Ravens offense it was a struggle to run the ball as the team rushed for only 71 yards on 30 attempts with Chris Collier leading the way for the Ravens with 29 yards on 12 carries.
Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson had a stellar day going 11-for-11 for 120 yards. Johnson would find running back Owen Wright for a six-yard touchdown with 4:10 to play in the second quarter, giving the Ravens a 7-3 lead into halftime.
Fellow Ravens quarterback Emory Jones rebounded from his one play last Friday night against the Eagles that resulted in a strip sack leading to the Eagles game winning field goal. Jones threw for 100 yards on 7-for-9 passing, with the highlight of the game coming on a deep pass from Jones to undrafted rookie wide receiver Dayton Wade for the 56-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Wade led all Ravens with 67 receiving yards on just two catches, including what ultimately would be the game winning touchdown.
The Ravens defense stood tall for much of the first half but struggled mightily in the second half to stop the Flacons ground game. The Falcons were able to rush for 151 yards on 31 attempts. Down 13-6 with 3:20 left to play in the game, the Falcons would go on an 11-play 80-yard drive leaning on the run game to get them in the endzone. Flacons running back Jase McClellan who led all running back with 55 rushing yards would find the endzone from three-yard out with just 36 seconds left to play to cut the Ravens lead to one. With it being preseason the Falcons would go for two, but outside linebacker Tavius Robinson would go untouched around the right side to tackle McClellan in the backfield to seal the Ravens 13-12 victory and their first victory of 2024.
The biggest takeaways from Saturday are the Ravens have a lot of depth both offensively and defensively, and while no one has really flashed as a breakout star this preseason several have shown they have a place on this roster and can be contributors as the season rolls along. Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood continues to show why he deserves a spot on this team as he continues to catch everything thrown his way. Kirkwood finished Saturday with two catches for 37 yards. Another player to note is safety Beau Brade. Undrafted out of Maryland, Brade also continues to make plays when given the chance as he led all Ravens with eight total tackles. Despite two penalties on the last defensive drive by Brade, he nearly ended the game early with a near interception that would eventually be overturned upon review.
Thats the positive, the negative is the Ravens offensive line continues to be a question mark as they head into their final preseason game next Saturday against the Green Bay Packers. Both guard Andrew Vorhees and right tackle Roger Rosengarten, who both had strong games last week. Struggled on Saturday, both allowing free rushers at times and struggling to get much of a push in the run game.
The only injury related news was outside linebacker Adisa Isaac. The rookie linebacker, who has missed a portion of training camp due to injury, left the field late in the game. Head Coach John Harbaugh said that Isaac was dealing with “cramps” and would be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Stock Up:
QB Josh Johnson
WR Dayton Wade
WR Keith Kirkwood
RB Owen Wright
OT Malaesala Amumavae-Laulu
S Beau Brade
LB Yvandy Rigby
WR Anthony Miller
WR Tylan Wallce
CB Jayln Armour-Davis
OLB Tavius Robinson
OLB David Ojabo
Stock Down:
RB Rasheen Ali
WR Davontez Walker
WR Sean Ryan
WR Deonte Harty
G Andrew Vorhees
OT Roger Rosengarten
DT Deadrin Senat
OT Darrell Simpson
WR Russell Gage
LB Joe Evans
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