Ravens @ Buccaneers
Final Score: Buccaneers 26, Ravens 20
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter)
In the final audition before the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers duked it out on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium as second and third-string players fought valiantly for roster spots. Some sealed their spots on the 53-man roster while others at least put enough tape together to make a case to be claimed off of waivers.
Baltimore opened the game with a quick stop and touchdown drive, but the Buccaneers responded with a pair of first quarter touchdown drives. The two teams traded field goals until the fourth quarter when the Ravens scored a late touchdown to draw within three points, 23-20, but the Buccaneers iced it with a field goal with under three minutes to play and held the Ravens offense on its final drive, stopping them in the red zone to hold on for the win.
Four Up
- Josh Johnson – Looks like a lock for the Ravens’ primary backup quarterback spot
- Chris Godwin– Displayed a solid connection with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield
- Tylan Wallace – Finished with three catches and returned kicks for the Ravens, has he done enough to make the roster?
- Cade Otton – Ran more routes than Ko Kieft and looked quick and explosive on his one touch of the game
Two Down
- Trey Palmer – Ran with the ones and had two catches, but nearly lost a fumble.
- Melvin Gordon III– He saw action in preseason week three, indicating that he could be waived.
Baltimore Ravens
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Josh Johnson: 6/9, 95 yards, TD | two carries, -2 yards
Johnson played through the first quarter and led the second-string Ravens offense on one touchdown drive in three chances. And it came against the Buccaneers starting defense (or most of it, at least). Johnson completed four-consecutive passes, driving the Ravens down the field 80 yards for a score.
Notes
- He looked really solid on the first series, but tapered off from there.
- His best throw of the day was a touch pass on a corner route, taking a hit in the pocket and delivering a soft-touch over the shoulder ball to his receiver for 22 yards.
Anthony Brown: 12/21, 171 Yards | 6 Carries, 41 Yards
Brown looked much better in this game than in his previous appearances, which could be that he’s had more time and reps with the new playbook installed this year. He’s a farcry from beating out Johnson or Tyler Huntley, but he should stick on the Ravens’ practice squad.
Missed Opportunities
- Brown stood in the pocket against a zero-blitz and lofted a pass to a wide open Sean Ryan in the end zone. The ball hit Ryan in the hands, in stride, with nobody else around… and he dropped it.
Running Back
Melvin Gordon III: 3 carries, 9 yards | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
Gordon will likely be looking for work after the weekend. With J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill all ahead of him on the depth chart, and undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell a healthy scratch on Saturday night, the writing is on the wall. Expect Gordon to be picked up by a team in need of a runner, whether by injury or roster construction, in the early weeks of the season.
Owen Wright: 12 Carries, 89 Yards | 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards
Wright looked like the best running back on the field on Saturday night, getting some excellent reps in the later parts of Saturday’s game. He showed good burst and vision on a 38-yard gain up the middle on a counter draw and added a two-yard touchdown later on the same drive. He could be a name that is picked up as a third-string running back if he’s cut by the Ravens.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dontay Demus Jr.: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 86 Yards
Demus hauled in a couple of long passes, but likely won’t sniff the active roster.
Charlie Kolar: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards
Kolar put together another solid performance, hauling in four of his five targets and appearing to be a reliable route runner and decent run blocker as well. If Andrews and/or Likely miss any time, don’t be surprised to see Kolar make some plays during the regular season.
Tylan Wallace: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 30 Yards
Wallace has likely done enough to make this team as a special-teamer and backup wide receiver. He was fine this week, but has pulled in touchdown catches each of the past two weeks.
Laquon Treadwell: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 33 Yards, TD
Treadwell caught a routine touchdown pass, but didn’t do much else. A career journeyman, this doesn’t appear to be the year he’ll stick with this Ravens roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 6/6, 43 Yards, TD
Mayfield looked composed under duress and — after a three-and-out to open the game — drove the Bucs down the field 59 yards on just six plays for a touchdown drive. He completed three of his four passes in the series to Chris Godwin, who was his clear alpha receiver and safety net with Mike Evans watching in street clothes.
Notes
- Based on his performance on Saturday night, it appears that a lot of the blame for his lack of successes the past year were due to health. If he stays healthy, he could be a steal in fantasy circles.
- He still has most of the same weapons that Tom Brady succeeded with the past two years. Godwin and Evans will carry him to at least a couple of really solid scores this season.
- He’s still a gambler, not afraid to attack small windows. In a way, he kind of reminds me of Jameis Winston when he was in Tampa Bay. Except his accuracy allows him a higher success rate than Winston.
Kyle Trask: 19/31, 192 Yards, TD | 2 Carries, 7 Yards
Trask looked NFL ready… granted he was playing across from Ravens’ backups. Trask showed that he can execute most of his throws and carry an offense. He looks like he would be a serviceable backup if Mayfield were ever to get hurt.
Missed Opportunities
- Trask nearly had a second touchdown throw, hitting a streaking receiver on a deep ball to the pylon, but the receiver couldn’t quite hold on to the contested catch and it went incomplete.
Running Back
Rachaad White: 7 Carries, 39 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
White looked big, strong and elusive in his limited action. He played into the second quarter, and appears to be the highest quality runner on the roster by a longshot.
Notes
- He appeared hard to bring down on a couple of his runs, gaining yards after contact.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn: 6 Carries, 26 Yards | 1 Target
Clearly the backup behind White, Vaughn has not progressed the way the Bucs may have thought when they drafted him a few years back. He has a long way to go in order to be fantasy relevant.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Godwin: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 30 Yards, TD
Godwin showed excellent chemistry with Mayfield and most importantly showcased his health. Though Mayfield is a downgrade from Brady, the dropoff isn’t as steep as most fantasy managers are accounting for. If Godwin slips in fantasy drafts, he could become a sleeper.
Notes
- He looks healthy!
- Mayfield has funneled targets to him, especially after the play breaks down.
David Moore: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 39 Yards
Moore looked like he had built some chemistry with Trask through camp, as the two connected several times. If Mike Evans misses time with his injury history, Moore represents a veteran presence that could hold down a spot on the depth chart.
David Wells: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards, TD
He’s come a long way since pitching for the Yankees… Oops, wrong David Wells… The backup tight end caught a touchdown pass coming out of motion on a play action route to the flats. It was set up nicely and executed well. Not sure if it’s enough to put him in position to make the roster.