Top-pick Jackson has best game of month.
The preseason formula used to be so simple.
Most teams usually play their starters a little bit in the opener, extend them slightly in Game Two, and then not play them at all in the fourth and final contest. That would leave the third game as the so-called “dress rehearsal,” with the front-liners seeing as much as three quarters of action.
For the Ravens, though, the thought process has changed this year, complicated by three main factors.
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First, Baltimore had an extra exhibition contest this year–the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio–which served as another chance for bottom-roster players to see action.
Second, humidity and sometimes-questionable footing at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (there was daylong rain that compromised conditions Saturday) always throw a monkey wrench into plans–especially for a team as healthy as the Ravens have been this year.
Finally, the game against the host Dolphins marked only the Ravens’ 17th preseason game in history against an AFC team. Baltimore doesn’t like to show its hand against other AFC playoff contenders.
For the most part, though, the Ravens have managed to tiptoe through the usual August obstacles. The bottom line is getting enough work for almost all of their players and creating a winning climate at the same time.
And on Saturday night there was yet another objective in mind.
Baltimore’s 27-10 win over the Dolphins was the team’s franchise-record-tying 12th straight preseason win.
The record-tying win came in front of 60,071 fans and against a Miami team that the Ravens had beaten in six of their last seven regular-season meetings and one preseason game. Those outcomes are a far cry from the way that the Dolphins used to dominate the Baltimore Colts–winning 20 of 29 games, including the 1971 AFC title game. But the current Dolphins have been picked apart by free agency and the team’s 2018 prospects are not bright–even when it plays against an opponent that isn’t at full strength.
And that’s exactly what unfolded Saturday night. With Baltimore wanting to keep its relatively optimistic outlook intact–along with its health–seven offensive starters and six on defense were held out of the game. “We’re going to back some guys down,” said head coach John Harbaugh on a pregame radio show. “We had two joint practices where our guys have had upwards of 35 reps apiece.”
The Ravens (4-0) sat quarterback Joe Flacco. who’ll likely not see additional preseason action (if so, he finished the pre-season 12-for-16 with a 141.4 rating).
Defensive players who didn’t dress included linebackers CJ Mosley and Terrell Suggs; defensive lineman Willie Henry; veteran safety Eric Weddle; and cornerbacks Maurice Canady and Brandon Carr.
And there’s more. Tight end (and first-round pick) Hayden Hurst has a stress fracture in his foot and will be out until mid-to-late September. With Hurst and Boyle out, that puts more pressure on rookie third-round pick Mark Andrews and the oft-injured Maxx Williams.
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The offensive line’s thin status was further compromised in the second quarter when sixth-round rookie Greg Senat (Wagner) left the field with a right foot problem. It was likely a recurrence of an injury that kept him out for the first week-and-a-half of training camp.
Senat would soon return to the sideline, looking none the worse for wear, but rookie sixth-round safety DeSean Elliott injured his left arm and was put in a cast and sling before the game ended.
Besides Senat’s injury, the offensive line was shuffled after rookie Bradley Bozeman started at right guard. But in the second quarter he went back to his natural position (center), while Matt Skura slid over one spot.
Suspended cornerback Jimmy Smith did play, but stalwart running back Alex Collins saw limited action before being pulled from the field. Oft-injured and suspended Kenneth Dixon was slated to carry the run-game workload, but undrafted rookie Gus Edwards (38 yards, 16 carries) ripped off a ten-yard carry to set up Justin Tucker’s 51-yard field-goal try to open the game.
The kick missed wide left–and with another 51-yarder later in the quarter blocked–Tucker is now 0-for-4 from beyond 50 yards this month. Even so, the team doesn’t seem too concerned about its below-average special teams play. Perhaps that’s because the Ravens had a 63-2 yardage edge after one quarter of play (against Miami’s first-string offense, no less) in a scoreless tie game.
But things changed when the Dolphins (0-3) went to a no-huddle offense.
For Baltimore, Robert Griffin III (9-for-15, 66 yards, two sacks, 70.4 rating) found his rhythm on a 16-play drive, ripping off a read-option 21-yard run to get deep in Miami territory. A pair of Dolphin penalties put the ball inside the 5, but a wayward end-zone pass, Andrews’ false start, and a stuffed Edwards run forced Baltimore to settle for Tucker’s 22-yard three-pointer at the 57-second mark.
“We had our second o-line, our second wide receivers group, and skill position guys with our ones not playing,” Griffin said. “To be going against their No. 1 defense, it was a big testament that we were able to put a (long) drive together there to finish the first half.”
Thanks in part to an illegal helmet hit on safety Chuck Clark (only the third such call on the Ravens this month and the first since the preseason opener), Jason Sanders answered for Miami from 32 yards, and the Dolphins held a 10-3 halftime lead.
Lamar in action against Dolphins (photo, The Herald-Mail)
Rookie first-round pick, Lamar Jackson–author of a 41.9 completion rate and a 62.3 rating before Miami–took over in the second half and completed seven of ten passes for 98 yards and a touchdown (134.6 rating). He also ran three times for 39 yards and a score.
The offense was complemented by a stout second-half defense that forced two interceptions, most of the team’s five sacks, and produced points on offense.
Offensively, undrafted running back De’Lance Turner’s 65-yard touchdown run tied the game at 10-10. Guard Nico Siragusa, drafted last year before missing the season with knee ligament damage, had a key block on the play.
Other on-the-bubble players contributed, too, including receivers Jordan Lasley and Tim White (three passes each).
Jackson, who appeared more composed than at any time this month, then gave the Ravens their first lead on a 19-yard read-option run around end for a late third-quarter touchdown. Earlier in the drive, his legs converted a third-and-13 situation.
Early in the fourth, the much-hyped rookie found former Canadian Football League standout, DeVier Posey, for a 21-yard score to cap a 73-yard drive and push the Ravens’ lead to 24-10. Kaare Vedvik added a 24-yard field goal with 7:13 to play after fourth quarterback Josh Woodrum entered the game.
The Ravens managed to get out of town with a win. The recipe for success? Baltimore had enough healthy players (except for Elliott) to keep things simple.
