The Streak Climbs to 21!

The Ravens kept their preseason winning streak alive with their 21st consecutive preseason victory over the Titans by the score of 23-10. Here are some of the observations.

First Half Observations

Offense

• Tyler Huntley looked much better in the first half than he has the entire training camp. Huntley was 16 of 18 for 110 yards and 1 TD – a nice touch pass to Shemar Bridges.

• Bridges showed why he has a desirable skill set – one that the team’s WR room lacks — size, speed and suddenness. He needs to be more consistent.

• Isaiah Likely was a hero and a goat all in the same half. Likely had 4 catches for 44 yards including a key first down to move the chains in the red zone on the Ravens first scoring drive. He later made a spectacular catch in traffic for a gain of 22 yards. On the downside he was called for two holding penalties, both stalling drives.

• Mike Davis showed some rugged running and good vision, bouncing two runs outside, one for 9 yards and then the 4-yard scamper into the end zone.

• Ja’Wuan James struggled a bit in pass pro but looked good in the running game, showing good movement to pull and get to the outside right from his left tackle spot, to run interference during Huntley’s key 14-yard run on 4th-and-2 inside Titans territory. Overall it was a decent outing for James who hasn’t played in a competitive game since 2019.

• Tyre Phillips also helped when pulling on two separate occasions. First, he sprung Davis on his TD and he had an assist on the Huntley 14-yard run.

• Tylan Wallace read Likely’s block quite poorly on a jet sweep and was dropped for a 4-yard loss. He left the field afterwards with an injured knee.

Defense

• Travis Jones was a force against the run and exhibited athleticism in pursuit of the elusive QB Malik Willis. He had a pressure and a sack.

• Broderick Washington and Aaron Crawford were stout run defenders. Washington’s hustle on the Titans first possession, crawling to grab Willis’ ankle, nearly forced a pick-6, dropped by Pepe Williams who had tight coverage.

• Steven Means looked solid along the edge, chipping in with 3 tackles and a sack.

• Tony Jefferson was good in run support making a key tackle in the red zone for no gain at the 7-yard line.

• Judging from the view on TV and given Willis holding on to the ball so long, the Ravens secondary was tight, save for a breakdown in technique by Kevon Seymour who surrendered a 48-yard completion from Willis to Racey McMath.

• The tackling was suspect at times on returns and during Julius Chestnut’s (no relation to Joey) 29-yard run. Malik Harrison, a repeat failed tackling offender, was one of three Ravens who missed Chestnut. Later Harrison missed Willis on his 7-yard TD run.

Special Teams

• Jordan Stout showed why the Ravens made him a 4th-round draft pick. His punts were high and long save for an angled sideline punt that he flubbed a bit. He averaged 47.1 yards on four punts.

Second Half Notes

• Recently acquired CB Daryl Worley showed great technique when he cut across the face of the defender to adjust to an under-thrown pass by Logan Woodside, resulting in the game’s first INT.

• Jeremiah Moon brought regular pressure but was flagged for a slap to Woodside’s helmet. The laundry kept a drive alive for the Titans.

• A couple of nice catches by WR’s Makai Polk and Raleigh Webb of 23 and 34 yards, respectively.

• Geno Stone was all over the field. He showed great diagnostic skills sniffing out a run, shot the gap and dropped the ball carrier for a 4 yard loss. He nearly jumped a short route in the right flat for a potential pick-6; later he broke up a deep pass in the end zone and came up with an interception off a tipped pass by LB Josh Ross. All of this took place on the same drive.

• Bridges had a nice back shoulder, contested catch down the left sideline for a 38-yard pickup, delivered by Anthony Brown. Shemar was the leading receiver with four catches for 62 yards, including a score.

• Ross, a Michigan product and someone who defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is familiar with, was active and physical as was Diego Fagot…Isaiah Mack hustled and played well in run support.

• Brown was pretty decent, standing tall in the pocket and generally delivering accurate passes, save for a miscommunication with Webb who ran upfield when Brown thought he would sit along the sidelines. It nearly resulted in a pick-6. Brown finished 10 of 15 for 117 yards.

• The Ravens held out T David Sharpe so that left a lot of work for Phillips and Daniel Faalele. Phillips looked good at guard. At tackle he was horrible and I’m going to guess that the Ravens were short-handed at the position, particularly giving Sharpe the night off. I’ll assume that Sharpe wasn’t physically ready to go because he could certainly benefit from the preseason work. Phillips at left tackle is akin to having the Lost in Space Robot on the blind side. Faalele held up well at right tackle.

• Pepe Williams fair catch in the 4th quarter with plenty of room to run was a sign of inexperience…The return teams and coverage teams weren’t very impressive tonight. They have some work to do…

Studs & Duds

• Studs: Huntley, S. Bridges, M. Davis, T. Jones, Stone, Means

• Duds: Phillips (at tackle), Harrison, Seymour

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