The Ravens continue their typical preseason dominance after putting on a defensive clinic in their win over the Redskins.
M&T BANK STADIUM, BALTIMORE — It is said that all politics are local. Apparently, so are football rivalries.
The Ravens opened their 2017 preseason slate with a suffocating defensive performance against the visiting Washington Redskins that belied the usual preseason boredom, coming away with a 23-3 win Thursday night.
The two teams, separated by approximately 40 miles, also don’t have much separating them as far as their respective honor rolls are concerned–combining for five Super Bowl championships and splitting their six lifetime regular-season meetings.
Courtesy Baltimore Beatdown
But, for what it’s worth, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s intense work ethic seems to rub off better on his team when it comes to August’s preparatory play, as Baltimore has now won seven of ten lifetime preseason meetings against the Redskins, and are now 52-32 lifetime in preseason games. Not only that, the Ravens have lost only five preseason openers in their 22-year history.
Under Harbaugh — heading into his tenth year as coach, setting a Baltimore NFL longevity record — the Ravens are 25-12 in August, and will attempt to build on that next week at Miami (Thursday, August 17; 7 p.m.; WBAL-TV; WIYY-FM).
The Ravens have missed the playoffs after three of the last four seasons, following their Super Bowl XLVII championship. The team won 11 of 16 preseason games during that span, but have not been able to sustain that momentum deep into the autumn, posting a 31-33 regular-season mark.
It was no surprise that on a picture-perfect, 78-degree night, the football was far from perfect. With the game between neighbors far from cordial as the Ravens’ trademark physical style ground down the visitors on both sides of the ball, especially on defense.
“Everything we do is to build toward the regular season,” safety Eric Weddle said. “We have high aspirations for this year, especially on defense. Tonight was a good start.”
End Brent Urban, a 2014 fourth-round pick, contributed four tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack. Linebacker Albert McClellan added two quarterback hits, and Bowser, noted for his pass coverage in college, made two fine open-field tackles.
Undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Jaylen Hill (Jacksonville State), who surprisingly started the game, intercepted Colt McCoy late in the first half, setting up a Justin Tucker 59-yard field goal, which gave Baltimore a 13-0 halftime lead.
Courtesy heavy.com
The defense dominated to such an extent that Washington — which kept starting quarterback Kirk Cousins on the field for just one series, and was without receiver Jamison Crowder and tight end Jordan Reed — was held without a single yard from scrimmage for most of the first quarter. They gained just 47 first-half yards — on 27 plays, an average of 1.7 per play — to Baltimore’s 122.
The Redskins (0-1), who never reached the Ravens’ red zone, punted five times in six first-half possessions– converting just one of seven third-down plays, and gaining just four first downs. But when Dustin Hopkins kicked a third-quarter field goal, they avoided being the Ravens’ fifth preseason shutout victim.
Despite the lack of 14 principal players — including starting quarterback Joe Flacco, injured running back Kenneth Dixon and three starting offensive linemen — the Ravens (1-0) wanted to establish better offensive rhythm through their run game, which was a constant off-season talking point.
For two straight years, the team has set franchise-record-lows in rushing attempts, bottoming out at 367 rushing attempts last year.
But even with inconsistent quarterback Ryan Mallett (9-for-18, 58 yards, sack, 57.2 rating) at the controls, Dixon out for the year, and change-of-pace back Danny Woodhead held out of the game, the Ravens showed good first-half balance–running and passing the ball 18 times each.
“We still have a lot to work on, but it is training camp and the preseason,” Mallett said. “The farther we go along, the better we will get … There are a few plays that I would like to have back.”
Seven straight runs capped off the team’s first scoring drive, which included a Terrance West 18-yard burst, and his subsequent two-yard dive into the end zone behind a block by undrafted rookie fullback Ricky Ortiz.
The vibrant run game, led in the first half by West’s 23 yards on five carries, and Tucker’s three field goals kept the Ravens from being held to single digits in a preseason game for the first time since 2011.
Courtesy Baltimore Ravens
Taquan Mizzell, an undrafted back from Virginia, saw plenty of playing time after the intermission and led the Ravens with 51 yards on 15 carries.
Backup quarterback Dustin Vaughan (sacked three times) relieved Mallett after halftime, and Liberty product Josh Woodrum came on late in the third quarter.
Woodrum then hit speedy undrafted receiver Tim White for a 33-yard touchdown late in the third quarter after Navy product Keenan Reynolds set up the offense with a 46-yard punt return.
“We’re chasing perfection every single play,” Harbaugh said. “The energy was good.”
White’s play was typical of what the Ravens did: using youth, speed and depth to wear Washington down and gain another leg up in a long-standing rivalry.
Nothing political about that.
(Joe Platania, a Baltimore native, was the 1998 Maryland Sportscaster of the Year, a 2010 Maryland Sportswriter of the Year finalist and has covered the Ravens throughout their entire history. He has spent 38 years in Baltimore sports media.)
