Ravens @ Commanders
Final Score: Commanders 29, Ravens 28
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter)
Nothing lasts forever.
The Ravens’ incredible 24 game preseason winning streak was finally snapped as the Commanders edged Baltimore, 29-28, in Landover, Md. on Monday night. Though the streak ending was notable, certainly it wasn’t the most important thing to happen at FedExField.
The Washington offense continued building hype around the emergence of Sam Howell and the playcalling abilities of Eric Bieniemy. With Howell under center and Bieniemy behind the play sheet, Washington moved down the field with relative ease, posting a pair of impressive touchdown drives in the first half.
DON’T SLEEP on the Washington Commanders man. The offensive weapons will certainly make Sam Howell’s job easier, but Howell has the talent to MAXIMIZE HIS OPPORTUNITY as QB1. New OC Eric Bieniemy likes his ability paired with all the versatile playmakers with SPEED and SKILL the… pic.twitter.com/WpgE6wD9az
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 22, 2023
On the opposite side of the ball, Josh Johnson didn’t look bad either as he led the Ravens to a pair of touchdown drives himself. Though the hype surrounding the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator hasn’t reached quite the same levels, Todd Monken has the offense looking as good as it has since Lamar’s MVP season a few years ago.
Four Up
- Zay Flowers – Flashed on both of his catches
- Sam Howell – QB1 (for Washington) looks good on him
- Brian Robinson – Caught four passes on the night
- Jahan Dotson – Primed for a breakout, showed great chemistry with Howell
One Down
- Terry McLaurin– Suffered a toe injury in the first half
Baltimore Ravens
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Josh Johnson: 10/12, 145 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 3 Carries, 12 Yards
For the second consecutive week, Josh Johnson was the Ravens’ preseason starter and took the majority of meaningful snaps with Lamar Jackson sitting on the sidelines and Tyler Huntley watching in street clothes with an injury sustained in preseason week one. Johnson showed good awareness in the pocket and appeared to be calm and comfortable for most of the game. He was very accurate on all but a few throws, and seemed to progress through his reads exceedingly well. He’s made a strong case for the backup job over Huntley.
Notes
- Johnson made good, composed throws on nearly all of his dropbacks and architected the Ravens’ first touchdown without much resistance from the Washington defense.
- Ran hard on designed runs and showed mobility to escape the pocket and extend plays.
- Connected with Tylan Wallace for a well-executed back-shoulder throw and catch for a touchdown, his second back-shoulder touchdown of the preseason
Missed Opportunities
- Severely underthrew his receiver on a zero-blitz where the receiver had two steps on the defensive back that resulted in an interception
Anthony Brown: 6/10, 40 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 4 Carries, 37 Yards
With Huntley out, Brown got valuable playing time in the second half and led the Ravens on an 85-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter. He converted another touchdown drive after a turnover gave him an extremely short field, and likely did enough to earn a practice squad spot.
Running Back
Justice Hill: 2 Carries, 25 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Justice Hill looks like a starting NFL running back when he carries the ball. Hill was decisive and explosive on each of his touches, gaining at least 10 yards on all three opportunities with the football. The Ravens have a history of taking unheralded running backs and turning them viable fantasy options (Alex Collins, 2017; Justin Forsett, 2014), so it wouldn’t be that surprising to see Hill make a jump this season and surpass Edwards and maybe even J.K. Dobbins as a strong rushing option out of the backfield.
Notes
- All three of Hill’s touches came on the Ravens’ first drive of the day, before he was pulled.
Melvin Gordon III: 8 Carries, 34 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
A mostly ambiguous performance, Gordon recorded eight carries without a fumble. His best carry went for 12 yards, while he averaged just over four yards per carry.
Notes
- He doesn’t seem to have the burst anymore and is basically just a mediocre running back at this point of his career
Gus Edwards: DNP
Edwards was a pre-game captain for the Ravens but never saw the field after that. In all likelihood, he’s injured. However, there is a slim possibility that the Ravens could cut loose the running back as it appears that Hill has overtaken him on the depth chart based on preseason usage these past two weeks.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Zay Flowers: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 37 Yards, TD
TOUCHDOWN @ZayFlowers!!!
There's something special starting here!! 😈
Tune in on ESPN and @wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/9NcRMIyg4k
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 22, 2023
With his elusiveness and speed, Flowers might end up being a YAC monster this season. The Ravens threw to him in a pair of designed looks on their first drive and on each play he broke at least one tackle. He notched more than 20 YAC on his second catch of the day, finding a soft spot in the Commanders’ zone and breaking a weak arm tackle on his way to the end zone.
Notes
- Both of his catches on the first drive were scripted. If the Ravens are dedicated to getting him involved, he could become very relevant, very quickly in fantasy circles.
- Showed flashes of what looked like healthy (and motivated) Kadarius Toney — speed, elusiveness and a nose for the end zone
Charlie Kolar: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 61 Yards
Todd Heap. Dennis Pitta. Mark Andrews… Charlie Kolar? Kolar played the role well on Monday night catching a pair of lofted balls down the seam for big gains. Stuck behind Andrews and Isaiah Likely on the depth chart, Kolar will have a hard time finding the field this season but his future seems bright.
Notes
- Showed no fear and soft hands on a pair of seam routes up the middle of the field for big gains
Travis Vokolek: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards, 2 TD
Anthony Brown’s favorite target, the tight end was thrown to on half of Brown’s attempts. He made good on most of them, hauling in a pair of touchdowns. He showed great hands, catching his second touchdown pass through traffic and could potentially be an asset in the future.
Washington Commanders
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Sam Howell: 19/25, 188 Yards, 2 TD | 3 Carries, 17 Yards
Named the Commanders’ Week One starter earlier this preseason, Howell looked comfortable for most of the game. He moved the Commanders down the field on multiple drives, capping one in the second quarter with a touchdown to Antonio Gibson on a short angle route over the middle. In the final seconds of the half, Howell threw his second touchdown pass finding Dyami Brown for the score. The excitement building around the Washington offense seems justified with Bieniemy pulling the strings and putting the talent that the Commanders have to good use.
Notes
- He looks the part. Calm, composed and strong-armed.
- Was extremely efficient against what looked like zone coverage on most passing plays
- Looked phenomenal on a successful two-minute drill to end the first half,
Missed Opportunities
- The only fault in Howell’s game is that he missed a couple chances to slide his protection pre-snap which led to one of his two sacks.
Jacoby Brissett: 7/11, 47 Yards, INT | 1 Carry, 4 Yards
It was a tough night for the veteran as three of his four drives were absolute duds. With Brissett under center, the Washington offense went three-and-out, kicked a field goal, fumbled the ball away and was intercepted. Howell is the guy. There’s not a competition here.
Jake Fromm: 10/16, 91 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Good to see you, Jake. Ever since State Farm re-branded the guy on the commercial I had assumed you were looking for work.
Running Back
Brian Robinson Jr.: 5 Carries, 21 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 17 Yards
I know its preseason, but the way that Bieniemy has used his running backs is much more exciting than the way things went last season. Robinson saw heavy usage despite seeing fewer overall snaps than Gibson, toting five carries and pulling in four passes. Though it may be a split backfield, fantasy managers can expect Robinson to get the lion’s share of the carries from the backfield, at least to begin the year.
Notes
- Robinson caught four passes in the first half of the game, which is more than he caught in the first half of LAST SEASON. He finished the year with only nine receptions, but looks like he may be utilized in the passing game much more frequently this season.
Antonio Gibson: 4 Carries, 15 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 10 Yards, TD
.@AntonioGibson14 muscling it in 💪
📺 #BALvsWAS ESPN pic.twitter.com/3hzRuG9XdE
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 22, 2023
Antonio Gibson caught a touchdown pass… my job is done.
Seriously though, Gibson hauled in a touchdown score on a catch out of the backfield, demonstrating that Bieniemy is willing and able to use his converted wide receiver as a pass-catching running back. Who would have ever considered such a novel concept could yield dividends?
Notes
- Was used significantly less than Robinson on the Commanders’ first drive, but saw things balance out as first half wore on
- Time split came in chunks, with each back getting three or four consecutive plays before being subbed out (regardless of pass-run play context)
Derrick Gore: 3 Carries, 23 Yards | 1 Target
Former Kansas City Chief Derrick Gore is hoping to catch on with his former offensive coordinator in Washington this season. Gore popped off a 15-yard run to open a fourth-quarter drive, but it’s tough to say if it was enough to claim a roster spot.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jahan Dotson: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 76 Yards
Dotson showed great chemistry with Howell, excellent route-running and soft hands as he led the way for the Commanders with five catches for 76 yards. The end of the first half showed just how high Dotson’s ceiling is if Terry McLaurin ever suffers an injury or leaves the field for any reason. Dotson is an alpha in waiting, and is primed for a breakout under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Notes
- Ran solid routes and was open on most of them
- Did a great job working back to the quarterback on an extended play and made a low catch in the red zone
- After McLaurin left the field with an injury, Dotson was targeted on five-straight plays in the two-minute drill, with three catches for 54 yards on that sequence alone to set up a touchdown at the end of the half.
Missed Opportunities
- Scripted look for Jahan Dotson on the first drive ended in a sack as Howell lowered his eyes early on the pass rush and pulled the ball down
Terry McLaurin: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 39 Yards
If we’re comparing this offense to Bienemy’s prior stop in Kansas City, McLaurin’s role felt similar to Travis Kelce – running short to intermediate routes and getting open in pockets of space behind the linebackers. Though he wasn’t targeted as often as his running mate, McLaurin made the most of his opportunities, pulling in each target for a catch.
Notes
- McLaurin was very adept at finding the soft spot in the Ravens’ zone, creeping behind linebackers into pockets of space
- He injured his toe in the second quarter as a linebacker dragged him down from behind, something to watch moving forward. Hopefully it isn’t serious and he’ll be full-strength by week one.
Cole Turner: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards
Turner appeared to be the primary tight end working with the first team offense. He caught a pair of passes, pulling in both of his targets and seemed competent as a pass-catcher and blocker. He’s likely to be the most fantasy relevant tight end in Washington this season.