Ravens @ Packers
Final Score: Packers 30 – Ravens 7
Writer: Matt Prendergast (@amazingmattyp on Twitter/X)
Being straight with everybody here – this is the first extended viewing of football I’ve had the opportunity to take in so far this year, but why not shake off the rust with a nigh-totally fantasy-irrelevant match-up? Well, at least from a ‘my draft is next Tuesday’ perspective – aside from the deepest bench rosters, dynasty, or rookie leagues, there’s not a lot of immediate gratification information to gain from this one, but there’s certainly some conjecture and projection to look at here, particularly from the Green Bay side, so let’s get down to it.
Three Up
- Emanuel Wilson – Wilson, a standout from last year’s preseason who seemingly willed his way onto the regular season roster, and eventually into some significant game situations, looks much more comfortable in this system in year two, and more determined than ever to make a difference, not just earn a spot.
- Green Bay’s Backup Defense/Special Teams – Arron Mosby, Anthony Johnson, Kalen King, and Kristian Welch all had big moments and made cases for depth and critical special teams spots this week. Does this have any fantasy relevance? It does not, good reader. But this is preseason football, there’s not much gravy for the taters here.
- The Regular Season – Week 3 is a crucial time for bubble players, and we wish them all the best of fortune, but man it can make for some dragging
Three Down
- Devin Leary – In what was a tremendous opportunity to claim the QB3 slot for Baltimore, Leary made some incredibly effective arguments for carrying only two QBs and using that extra spot for an extra punter or something. I know, he’s a fresh-faced rookie, but there wasn’t much here begging me to want to see more.
- Sean Clifford – If he holds onto the backup QB Packers’ spot, he has some mystical wizarding skills that have heretofore been undisclosed by all the beat writers and scouting reports. Or Matt LaFleur likes how he makes coffee.
- AJ Dillon – Despite showing up to camp “in the best shape he’s ever been”, Dillon’s nagging injury that’s kept him sidelined these last two preseason weeks has allowed Wilson to make a case for potentially taking the RB2 slot, let alone the RB3. I cannot see Green Bay carrying four backs on the live roster. Assuming Marshawn Lloyd isn’t going to be lingering on the injury report too long, I cannot see a valid case for Dillon making it far into the season – potentially not even on the opening day roster – over the other options the Packers have here.
Ravens
Quarterback
Josh Johnson: 5/7, 71 yards, 1 TD
- Plays 100% like a guy who is 38 years old and has been on 14 different NFL teams. He’s fine. If Lamar goes down, there are going to be problems no matter who is behind him.
Notes
- Brief appearance by Johnson, who is clearly the entrenched clipboard guy this year, barring something unexpected coming down the pike. I don’t get the feeling John Harbaugh gameplans for a scenario in which Number 8 isn’t going to be on the field for an extended amount of time, (which maybe isn’t the safest plan, but whatever). Johnson is serviceable, as he’s always been while providing ZERO distraction or chance of ‘potential controversy’. Perfect gig for him.
Missed Opportunities
- Nothing stuck out as a blatant miss – had an underthrow in there, but all in all, JJ wasn’t in this game enough to miss anything tremendously damaging or noteworthy.
Devin Leary: 6/13, 34 Yards, 0 TD, 2 INT | 4 Carries, 7 Yards
The best summation I can put together for Leary’s game today is: he got a lot of time out there, and Josh Johnson is the QB2. Leary is very much a rookie, but today didn’t show anything exceptional or inspiring. We weren’t going to be talking about him in any relevant tones this year anyhow, but
Note
- Took a heck of a steamrolling sack. Might want to stay down.
Missed Opportunities
- Brutal decision on Arron Mosby’s pick. Straight-up terrible eyes and decision there.
- Not making a lot of headlines missing a 4th-and-1 QB sneak against third-stringers.
Emory Jones: 1/1, 2 Yards | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Running Back
Chris Collier: 13 Carries, 42 yards| 0 Catches, 1 Target
Like most of the Ravens offensive effort today, Collier didn’t do anything exceptionally outstanding, but he also didn’t screw up in any fashion. He may make the opening-day roster by default depending on the health of rookie Rasheen Ali, who is still recovering from a stinger, and Keaton Mitchell, who is still on the PUP. I don’t imagine he’ll finish the season there, however.
Notes
- None of the running backs that featured for the Ravens today came in projected in their top four, with Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, the currently unavailable Mitchell, and Ali all tentatively slotted ahead of them. With that noted, Collier certainly played like it. Nothing thrilling or exciting in any of his work today.
John Kelly Jr: 8 carries, 31 yards | 2 Catches, 2 Targets, 8 yards
Late camp pickup, Kelly is likely serving a two week in Maryland before moving on to practice squad or emergency relief work. He was the only Ravens back today that made me raise my eyebrows at all, so there’s a point in his favor, but it’s not like I raised them a lot.
Notes
- Kelly just signed on with Baltimore a week and a half ago.
- Looked to run with a little bit of violence in the brief time he was involved.
- Has a 15-yard power run that served as the longest run of the Baltimore day.
Owen Wright: 3 carries, 10 Yards
Notes
- Wright was putting a push on rookie Ali for the RB3 spot coming into today, however his injury has quickly ended that competition.
Missed Opportunities
- Led off the game, but exited quickly with a broken foot.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Qadir Ismail: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Qadir Ismail comes into the league as a legacy and with a name brand but has a long way to go if he’s going to at least become a known commodity like the Ismails before him. Maybe hard to get a hold on his potential with the lackluster QB play for most of the day, but he’s got a couple of bigger names in front of him here for the foreseeable future.
Notes
- Nephew of ‘The Rocket’, son of ‘The Missile, drafted to a team wherein a best-case scenario he could be a practice squad rookie. And today did not indicate this week will bring about his ‘best case’.
Missed Opportunities
- Brutal drop in the mid-third quarter to slump into the 3-and-out after the turnover opportunity
- Hands don’t seem to be Qadir’s strong suit today, which is an unfortunate development for a tight end
Tylan Wallace: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 48 Yards, 1 TD
Tylan Wallace had the play of the day for the Ravens, with a special catch and run, torching the middle of a Green Bay secondary that appeared to take that play off.
Notes
- If he makes the opening roster, this will be Wallace’s fourth year with the Ravens. If he then makes a catch in the regular season, it will equal his total from last year.
Charlie Kolar: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards
Good Ole Charlie came into this game as the Ravens’ TE3, and he’s leaving it in the same position. If Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely go down, you might take a look at him in a desperate situation. Currently, he’s projected for a total of 10 fantasy points for the season on CBS Sports, to put a finer point on it.
Notes
- As TE3s go, Charlie is one of them.
Anthony Miller: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THIS GUY! Remember when he looked like he was gonna be something in Chicago? That was three years ago! Anyway, since then, Miller has played in a total of three games in three years between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. I only called him out here because remembering him was a little thrilling. Anyway, sounds weird to say that a guy who scored 70-plus fantasy points in back-to-back seasons (18-19) doesn’t even have a shot at making a team that still lists Nelson Agholor as a starter, but sometimes the truth is painful. Your days as a mid-season emergency pickup are over, my man.
Everybody Else:
Nobody else on this Ravens’ team caught more than one ball, and the longest of the remaining receptions was for eight yards (Sean Ryan). Devontez Walker was targeted twice, and Dayton Wade three times. Keith Kirkwood, Riley Sharp, and Mailk Cunningham also participated today. If you are looking at any of these names in the next month for fantasy purposes, I wish you all the best in your fund donations next season as well.
Packers
Quarterback
Sean Clifford: 6/14, 53 yards, 1 TD
Terrible performance. In an outing that was legitimately about saving his job, Clifford looked out of focus and erratic all day. Though his second-half work was better than his first, it was a case of ‘this car still doesn’t seem to run the way it should, but at least it’s not actively on fire now’.
Notes
- Abysmal.
- Returned to the game for the two-minute drill at the end of the half and led off the second half. A scintillating combination of throws behind, ahead, and occasionally, right where it should be for his every-other shift performance on the back end.
- Clifford seems to be ‘acceptable’ when not pressured, but all bets are off if anybody gets near him.
- Owes Malik Heath a dinner for saving his stat line.
Missed Opportunities
- Every throw on the first drive was markedly behind receivers.
- Every throw on the second drive was way in front/high of receivers.
- Doesn’t have much composure under pressure.
- Most End-of-Bears-Era Jay Cutler impersonation I’ve seen in a bit.
Michael Pratt: 8/12 80 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
The stat line might not show it, but Pratt significantly outplayed Clifford today. His interception was an unfortunate decision, but overall he felt more poised for most of this game. Am I super excited for him to potentially grab the QB2 spot? Well, he was okay this week, and he’s young (so is Clifford, but at least he’s had a year in). My bigger suspicion is that Green Bay may need to bring in a ‘seasoned veteran’ to hold that board for this year while whichever one of these guys gets a lifeline to develop on the sideline for the season, in which case it’s a coin flip as to who Matt LaFleur finds interrupts him less during meetings.
Notes
- Terrific end zone strike to Bo Melton in an ‘answering the opposition’ drive.
- Looked to have progressed much more after last week’s shellacking by Denver
Missed Opportunities
- Trying to force a throw that should have been best not thrown, Pratt nearly doubled down on his avoidable interception with an injury but seems to have avoided anything lasting.
- Heck of a wounded duck to the middle of nowhere there – but he hasn’t been making a ton of questionable tosses today, so I’ll overlook that one.
Running Back
Emanuel Wilson: 11 Carries, 52 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
Wilson continues another preseason of showing he belongs on the field. After being last year’s ‘feel good’ story, he clearly keeps putting in the work and always runs with a purpose and direction. I understand that barring injury, Josh Jacobs will be taking the workman’s load this season, but even if Marshawn Lloyd gets healthy and develops, I can still see a place for Wilson to make a decent impact and increase his development. If I’ve got a deep bench, especially in dynasty, I’m willing to use a spot to sit Wilson for a year or two just to see where this goes. Did his part and then sat for the other two fellas to get more reps.
Notes
- Hard consistent running with all today’s opportunities.
- I don’t remember if Wilson saw a lot of return action last year, but looked good with the chance today.
Ellis Merriweather: 16 Carries, 74 Yards | 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Merriweather got a TON of work today, ground it out, and should have shown enough that I’d imagine he’s a lock for the practice squad. Barring a cataclysmic event removing Jacobs and Wilson/Lloyd/Dillon from the line in front of him, it may be until next year this time that he sees any game action again.
Notes
- Terrific power run to open up 3rd down options
Missed Opportunities
- Struggled with pass blocking a bit early,
Nate McCrary: 11 Carries, 64 Yards
McCrary is a late addition to the Packers’ room and saw most of today’s work at the latter end of this week, but he made the most of it. Reminds me a bit of Patrick Taylor, a preseason impact player for Green Bay for the past two years. His late entry into this competition might be too much to usurp Merriweather’s spot on the practice squad, barring a Green Bay decision to carry two backs on there this year, but he’s putting some tape down in his opportunity here.
Notes
- Runs like he’s on pistons. Just chugging and moving.
- A bruiser. The kind of running style that looks painful to tackle.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Malik Heath: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
Just like last year, Heath is showing up in the preseason to stake his claim for one of the two (MAYBE three) remaining WR spots, behind Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. I think Heath will make this team again, he’s got the work ethic and gets results.
Notes
- Great catch for the touchdown, and made the most of his team-leading targets.
Bo Melton: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 18 Yards, 1 TD
And the other ‘look at this guy!’ from last season, Melton has made himself noticed again. With a crowded room, the choices are going to be tough, but I can’t help but think he and Heath are still standing after Tuesday.
Notes
- Melton has a habit of spectacular-looking grabs for touchdowns, and he takes advantage of his opportunities.
Samori Toure: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards
I have a soft spot for Toure – I think he’s always worked hard and contributed as best he could after coming in with Doubs and Watson as a seventh-rounder two years back. Unfortunately, with the rapid advancement of both Reed and Wicks last season, as well as the rise of both Heath and Melton in injury relief last season, Toure faded from the rotation significantly. I suspect he gets an opportunity elsewhere, but won’t be around Green Bay much longer.
Notes
- Worked almost exclusively in the second half – not a great harbinger of things to come.
Missed Opportunities
- Missed a goal-line catch by just a smidge, which while a lacking throw, would have made good tape.
Grant Dubose: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
I feature Dubose here because he was an early camp favorite and had a blowout of a first preseason game with 5 catches for 66 yards, and doing it in critical situations. In the two weeks since….well, not so much. After spending last season on the practice squad, Dubose was getting penciled in as one of the top six after that game, but the more recent disappearance might put him in the same spot to start off the year.
Everyone Else:
Four tight ends had passes thrown at them in this game (Joel Wilson, 2/3, 11 yards | Henry Pearson 1/1, 4 yards | Ben Sims, 0/1 | Messiah Swinson 0/1). As you can read, none of them were named Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft, so we move on, other than to note ‘Messiah Swinson’ is one of the best names ever. Dimitri Stanley caught 2 of 3 targets for 7 yards. As noted above, there are already too many receivers in this room, and we wish Dimitri the best.