Ravens Insider: Risers and fallers: Ravens lose to Packers, 30-7, in sloppy, injury-filled preseason finale

ExtremeRavens · August 24

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The fourth quarter of the preseason finale is not usually when an NFL team’s starting inside linebacker is still in the game. Yet there was the Ravens’ Trenton Simpson, still patrolling Lambeau Field with his usual fervor at the back end of a lopsided, mistake-filled defeat.

The result, a 30-7 loss to the Packers in front of an announced 72,339 on a warm, otherwise sunny Saturday afternoon, was meaningless — though it did mark the first time Baltimore gave up at least 30 points in a preseason game since Aug. 29, 2015 against Washington.

More concerning for the Ravens were the handful of players who were knocked out of the game.

With little depth at inside linebacker, for example, Simpson had to stay in it longer than anticipated.

“I’m ready whenever,” he said. “Whatever my team needs, I’ll go out there and perform. That’s my mentality.”

Simpson was one of the Ravens’ few regular starters who did play, much the way it was in their first two preseason games.

That provided one final opportunity for those players on the bubble to impress coaches and make a last push to make the team with the roster needing to be cut to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. Escaping without injury was also a goal and on that front Baltimore also did not fare well.

Running back Owen Wright, who entered the day with the edge of being Baltimore’s third running back behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill to start the season, was carted off late in the second quarter after suffering a broken foot, according to coach John Harbaugh. Cornerback Trayvon Mullen, suffered a separated shoulder, Harbaugh said, during a missed tackle on a punt return.

Meanwhile, backup center Nick Samac, who started in place of Pro Bowl selection Tyler Linderbaum, appeared to suffer a lower body/leg injury in the second quarter and was also carted off the field. Defensive lineman Deadrin Senat, inside linebacker Deion Jennings and cornerback Christian Matthews were all also injured.

Though all of them figure at best to be on the periphery of the Ravens’ roster and practice squad, losing them puts a strain on the team’s depth.

As for the game, Baltimore’s offense predictably struggled, failing to pick up a first down until a few minutes into the second quarter and finishing with just 177 total yards. The defense also at times had difficulty stopping the Packers, particularly on the ground, with Green Bay rolling up 193 rushing yards and 326 total yards.

Now the Ravens will turn their attention to the roster and the regular season, with a re-match of the AFC championship game against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium looming on Sept. 5.

“The bottom line is we play the Chiefs in 12 days,” Harbaugh said. “That’s our focus.

“We’ll look at the tape and see if it tells us anything we didn’t know about our guys as far as who makes it, who’s on the practice squad. There’s gonna be important evaluations.”

Who stood out

Quarterback Josh Johnson: The Ravens have been committed to Johnson as their No. 2 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson since before the preseason began. And for the second game in a row, he solidified his position.

Although Baltimore had a hard time moving the ball, the 38-year-old veteran showed good command of the offense and was efficient, going 5-for-7 for 71 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers.

“I’ve played in a lot of different places, [and] I’ve learned a lot of different football,” Johnson said of when asked what he gives the Ravens. “I’ve played in some meaningful games as well. I’ve been thrown into a lot of uncharacteristic situations, so nothing kind of surprises me when situations may come up, and I feel like I’m a pretty good football player [and] quarterback when it comes to just getting the job done and moving the ball down the field.”

That was evident in the first half Saturday.

Among the highlights: converting a 4th-and-2 from the Ravens’ 46-yard line early in the second quarter with good zip on a 5-yard completion to tight end Charlie Kolar, then hitting wide-open receiver Tylan Wallace on a crossing route three plays later for what ended up being a 48-yard touchdown.

Baltimore Ravens' Tylan Wallace runs for a touchdown after a catch in front of Green Bay Packers' Zayne Anderson during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) — Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace dives for the end zone to score a touchdown past Packers safety Zayne Anderson during the first half of Saturday’s preseason finale in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Mike Roemer/AP)

Wide receiver Tylan Wallace: It was his only catch of the game, but it was a big one.

On what looked to be a busted coverage on third-and-9, Wallace had no one around him as he cut over the middle. He caught the ball at the 32-yard line then headed for the far corner of the end zone. The best part of the play for Wallace, though, came when he stretched for the pylon while being dragged down by safety Zayne Anderson.

Once thought to be a bubble player, Wallace is all but a lock to make the 53-man roster.

The 2021 fourth-round pick not only provides special teams versatility, but he’s had nice chemistry with Jackson in training camp and showed tremendous effort to get across the goal line in what was an otherwise lackluster game for Baltimore’s offense.

Cornerback Nate Wiggins: The speedy rookie pretty much picked up where he left off in the preseason opener, though the Packers didn’t challenge him nearly as much as the Philadelphia Eagles did.

When Green Bay did try to attack the Ravens’ first-round pick, he was up to the task in terms of his speed and ability to track Packers’ receivers. If there was a weak spot, it was with his tackling on a couple of occasions.

Still, Harbaugh said he has liked what he has seen from Wiggins and that the rookie will be “counted on heavily.”

Like Simpson, Wiggins also played into the second half. Perhaps that was out of a need for reps after a shoulder injury kept him out of the second preseason game, or because of depth issues with injuries piling up.

As for Wiggins’ shoulder, he said afterward it’s not 100% but getting better every day.

Outside linebacker David Ojabo: With Ojabo having missed almost all of his first two seasons because of injury and just nine months removed from ACL surgery, it was perhaps unsurprising that he played into the second half Saturday.

In doing so, the 2022 second-round pick continued to show plenty of power and speed getting around the edge. That included a nice spin move to force an early throw from quarterback Sean Clifford on one play and easily beating tight end Joel Wilson on another.

Ojabo didn’t have any tackles or sacks, but he did get a quarterback hit on Clifford and was generally disruptive.

Safety Sanoussi Kane: The seventh-round rookie out of Purdue played for the first time since being injured in the preseason opener, was physical and attacked the ball well when plays came his way.

That bodes well for a roster spot. With Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams and veteran Eddie Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart, Baltimore could look to utilize Kane as a fourth safety in a backup role and on special teams, especially if they deploy the smaller Ar’Darius Washington in the slot with cornerback Arthur Maulet still dealing with a knee injury.

Harbaugh said afterward that Kane has shown “flashes of physicality” on defense and special teams, and that showed up again Saturday with a few big hits he delivered.

Who didn’t stand out

Quarterback Devin Leary: It was another forgettable performance by the sixth-round rookie, who threw two interceptions, was strip-sacked and completed just 6 of 13 passes for 34 yards.

The strip-sack seemed to be left tackle Josh Jones’ fault, but Leary did not comport himself well as edge rusher Arron Mosby hit him from behind to knock the ball loose. Safety Anthony Johnson Jr. returned the fumble 24 yards for a touchdown.

Leary’s longest completion went for just 9 yards, and one of his interceptions was practically right to Mosby.

“Putting the ball in jeopardy is not winning football,” he said. “That’s something I need to improve, watch the tape and learn from it. [There’s] little room for error playing at a level like this.”

Leary finished the preseason 15-for-28 for 95 yards with two interceptions.

Left tackle Josh Jones: On the play in which Leary was strip-sacked, Jones went to his right to block Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks. The only problem was Brooks appeared to be Samac’s responsibility.

The result was disastrous.

Mosby raced by untouched on the outside with Jones flailing to try to get a hand on him. Leary, who was pulled the ball back from running back John Kelly on a run-pass option, got pounced on from behind.

The ball shot free and Johnson eventually picked it up along the far sideline on his way to the end zone.

Cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams: Firmly on the roster bubble coming into the game with Baltimore boasting a handful of adept slot cornerbacks, Williams did not make a strong argument to be on the 53-man roster.

His worst moment came midway through the second quarter when Michael Pratt lofted a pass toward the corner of the end zone and receiver Bo Melton, who not only beat Williams on the route but out-leaped him for the catch. Williams was essentially a spectator on the play and did not make a play on the ball.

Things didn’t get much better as the game went and with Williams still in the game in the fourth quarter, he stood out for the wrong reasons and is probably on the wrong side of the roster bubble.

Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson: The 2023 fourth-round pick finished with five tackles and two quarterback hits, but too often he was a nonfactor for a defense that was largely disappointing when it came to pressuring the quarterback.

Too often, Robinson continues to struggle to get off blocks and usually ends up chasing on plays. Other times, he simply missed tackles and in one particular example did not finish the play while trying to chase down Clifford on a rollout.

The offensive line: For a second straight game, the offensive line struggled to generate much in the way of running room for Wright or others. Baltimore finished with just 98 rushing yards, only some of which could be attributed to its backs.

Thee first-team line of Jones, Andrew Vorhees (left guard), Samac, Daniel Faalele (right guard) and Roger Rosengarten (right tackle) lacked some push against the Packers, much the way they did in joint practice earlier in the week.

There were other issues, too, including a false start on Faalele on third-and-12 in the first quarter and a holding penalty on Sala Aumavae-Laulu on first-and-10 in the third quarter.

“I feel like we have a lot more work to do, but also I feel like we’re in a good spot just with all the moving pieces,” Faalele said. “I feel like we’ve done a good job at adapting to new people and new plays.”

One major difference, of course, is that left tackle Ronnie Stanley and Linderbaum are both expected to be on the field in Week 1 against the Chiefs.

Season opener

Ravens at Chiefs

Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:20 p.m.

TV: NBC

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

Green Bay Packers' Kalen King causes Baltimore Ravens' Riley Sharp to fumble during the second half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Green Bay Packers' Kalen King causes Baltimore Ravens' Riley Sharp to fumble during the second half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Ravens Insider: Risers and fallers: Ravens lose to Packers, 30-7, in sloppy, injury-filled preseason finale

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