Saints @ Ravens
Final Score: Ravens 17, Saints 14
Writer: Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter)
The quarterback battle in New Orleans to replace newly-retired Saints’ QB Drew Brees has been one of the biggest storylines throughout NFL training camps so far this offseason. If we were looking for some clarity on Saturday as to who has an early leg up in this competition, we were left without much. QB Jameis Winston is presumed to have the upper hand in the battle due to his draft pedigree and previous experience as an NFL starting quarterback, but QB Taysom Hill has had a taste of success as a starter himself as he was tapped to replace Brees for several weeks last season while Brees missed time with broken ribs.
Another interesting position group to watch out for with the Saints is their wide receiving corps. With WR Michael Thomas expected to be sidelined for at least the first several weeks of the season (not to mention the constant trade rumors circulating), the Saints find themselves needing to answer not only who will be throwing passes for them – but also, who will be catching them.
We unsurprisingly didn’t see Saints’ star RB Alvin Kamara appear for New Orleans, but we at least caught a brief glimpse of Ravens’ star RB J.K. Dobbins – albeit not a very flattering one. We weren’t surprised to see Ravens’ starters QB Lamar Jackson and WR Marquise Brown have the night off, either. Who made their case to lead New Orleans’ offense in Week 1? Who made a blip on the radar for the Ravens’ receiving group? Let’s dive into what we saw.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill: 8/12, 81 yards, INT
Jameis Winston: 7/12, 96 yards, TD, INT
Ian Book: 9/16, 126 yards, INT
Saints’ Head Coach Sean Payton said it best after rebuffing questions about which of his team’s starting quarterbacks had the better showing against Baltimore – “It doesn’t matter who, really, with six turnovers, right?” Payton has every reason to be peeved by New Orleans’ offensive miscues and turnovers, and as a Saints fan, I have to be completely honest here – I think QB Jameis Winston should be the starter for New Orleans in Week 1. That’s not to say that I don’t think QB Taysom Hill can be a bonafide NFL starting QB, but Hill’s value to the Saints goes beyond playing signal-caller. Hill’s special teams contributions and ability to create mismatches from any position in the offense would be a better use of his individual talents than having him on the sidelines for most of the game as the starting QB.
Neither QB really separated themselves from the other in this matchup, but if I had to give a slight edge to either one, it would be Winston. Hill got the start in this one, and he looked to WR Marquez Callaway early and often throughout the Saints’ first few possessions. Hill’s lone interception came on New Orleans’ second possession – but it appeared to be at least partially the fault of RB/WR Ty Montgomery as Montgomery hesitated on a crossing route where Hill expected him to keep running. QB Jameis Winston got his opportunity in the 2nd quarter, and was able to connect with WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey for an 8-yard TD with about a minute left in the first half:
Winston to @LJ_Humphrey23 for an 8-yd score!
🏈: at Ravens
📺: FOX 8
📻: WWL 105.3FM/870 AM#Saints | #NOvsBAL pic.twitter.com/smP6sIZrXZ— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2021
Saints’ rookie QB Ian Book played the entire second half for New Orleans and while his stats weren’t anything super special, the Notre Dame project looked poised and confident running the Saints’ offense. Book repeatedly stayed in the pocket and went through his reads with the cool, calm demeanor of a veteran QB. Book did throw an interception and nearly threw a second on a short pass to the flat in the 4th quarter. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how Book’s game progresses as the battle rages on for New Orleans’ starting QB position.
Running Backs
Tony Jones, Jr: 7 carries, 82 yards, TD | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 38 yards
Latavius Murray: 5 carries, 6 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Devonta Freeman: 6 carries, 6 yards
QB Ian Book was not the only rookie from Notre Dame to have an impressive performance for New Orleans against the Ravens on Saturday. In fact, rookie RB Tony Jones, Jr. absolutely stole the show in Baltimore and proved to be the most effective offensive weapon for the Saints by far. Jones used a variety of running styles, but his repeated explosive bursts to the outside caught Ravens’ defenders playing catch up on multiple occasions. Jones punctuated his solid performance with a diving TD after an 18-yard outside scamper:
Tony Jones Jr. on that drive:
3 carries for 63 yds, including this 18-yd TD 💪🏈: at Ravens
📺: FOX 8
📻: WWL 105.3FM/870 AM pic.twitter.com/NY9Ia1k2e3— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 14, 2021
Jones was easily the most elusive of the Saints’ RB group, but with RBs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray all but having the top 2 RB spots locked up, it’s tough to imagine Jones getting a lot of run to start the regular season. Jones’ day was slightly hampered by a lost fumble late in the 3rd quarter, but he certainly put his name on the radar of players to watch going forward. RB Devonta Freeman had a less-than-memorable debut for New Orleans – finishing with an anemic 1 YPC while also losing a fumble in the first half. If Freeman can’t show Sean Payton and the Saints’ front office more than that, it’s highly unlikely that he ends up on New Orleans’ Week 1 roster.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Juwan Johnson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 71 yards
Marquez Callaway: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 61 yards
Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards, TD
Ty Montgomery: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 27 yards
With Saints’ star WR Michael Thomas out of pocket for at least the first several weeks of the season (assuming he’s still even a Saint by Week 1), the Saints have a huge, gaping hole in their roster at the WR position. While we didn’t see WR Tre’Quan Smith suit up against Baltimore, it’s widely expected that he will have to take on a much larger role than he’s been accustomed to in his first few seasons in the Big Easy. If you are in any of my fantasy leagues, please do not read the following: WR Marquez Callaway is primed to break out in Thomas’ absence. Callaway is a name to watch and should be flying up fantasy draft boards, because as they say in the NFL, the best ability is availability. Callway’s fellow WRs Juwan Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey also both made some splash plays against the Ravens, including this 33-yard strike to Johnson from Jameis Winston:
Winston to Juwan Johnson for 33 yards 🙌
🏈: at Ravens
📺: FOX 8
📻: WWL 105.3FM/870 AM#Saints | #NOvsBAL pic.twitter.com/1Wkz6v0fbL— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2021
Though any of these lesser-known WRs could be called on to produce for the Saints in the regular season, we will need to see some more of New Orleans’ offense during the next two preseason games before the final roster starts to really take shape.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Trace McSorley: 11/18, 86 yards, INT | 4 carries, 25 yards
Tyler Huntley: 12/16, 79 yards | 7 carries, 43 yards, TD
It was no surprise that star Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson had the night off for Baltimore’s first preseason game, but the battle for the backup QB spot that we saw on Saturday left us with more questions than answers. Now, perhaps that isn’t the most accurate description of the situation – we know that QB Trace McSorley is primed to retain his role as the QB2 for the Ravens – but QB Tyler Huntley clearly performed better against the Saints’ second-string defense than McSorley did against the first string.
McSorley played the entire first half for Baltimore while Huntley took the entire second half to himself. McSorley nearly had a first-quarter TD pass to WR Devin Duvernay but the ball was slightly overthrown. McSorley also traded interceptions with Saints’ QB Jameis Winston just before the first half came to a close. Huntley took over in the second half and ultimately led Baltimore on a game-winning TD drive that he capped off himself with an 8-yard TD scamper up the middle:
.@_SNOOP1 TOUCHDOWN and @Lj_era8 was hype ❗️❗️
6:35 left on WBAL! pic.twitter.com/p5PKJERn4x
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 15, 2021
Once the regular season rolls around, hopefully we won’t need to see either of these QBs in action for Baltimore, but they both certainly had their moments of looking sharp against the Saints.
Running Backs
Ty’Son Williams: 10 carries, 41 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 23 yards
Justice Hill: 5 carries, 8 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
J.K. Dobbins: 3 carries, 1 yard
Nate McCrary: 5 carries, 31 yards
Baltimore struggled to run the ball all night against New Orleans’ defense, so it’s no surprise that we didn’t see too much from the Ravens’ star RB J.K. Dobbins in this contest. Dobbins did get a few touches in the first quarter, but he only managed one rushing yard and he wasn’t targeted in the passing game. RB Ty’Son Williams was by far the most explosive of the backup RBs for the Ravens. Williams got most of the run in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but with Baltimore struggling to sustain scoring drives for most of the night, his numbers were limited based on how good he actually looked. RB Justice Hill only took some limited work, but he showed plus receiving ability out of the backfield on his lone target. It’s widely expected that Dobbins will take the lion’s share of touches out of the Ravens’ backfield this season, so keeping his workload light throughout the preseason seems to be the smart path to take.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jaylon Moore: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards
Devin Duvernay: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards
Binjimen Victor: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
Josh Oliver: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 22 yards
With both Ravens’ QBs struggling to move the ball through the air, there weren’t a ton of big plays to mention from the pass-catching group. WR Devin Duvernay is looking to make a big leap in his second NFL season, and his 6 targets against New Orleans on Saturday tied for the team lead. Duvernay had some trouble getting separation against the Saints’ secondary, but he was able to haul in a handful of short passes throughout the afternoon. WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is set to be Baltimore’s WR1 this season, but the addition of first-round draft pick rookie WR Rashod Bateman is widely expected to bolster the Ravens’ aerial attack in 2021. Unfortunately, Bateman recently had to undergo a groin surgery that has his Week 1 status in jeopardy. It will be interesting to see if Bateman can get up to speed with the rest of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense as the season goes on.
Writer: Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter), /u/Lights_Kamara_Action on Reddit