Ravens unbeatable in preseason exhibitions
The Baltimore Ravens will see a little bit of Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night in their preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. They’ll probably just shrug: The Ravens have won 14 consecutive exhibition matches.
Which doesn’t amount to a whole lot, when you think about it.
Except to John Harbaugh and his team.
“We like to win,” Harbaugh says. “The haters out there are going to have their own little snide comments. I think winning is better than losing.”
The last Baltimore loss in a game that doesn’t count was in 2015.
Baltimore’s retooled defense opened the preseason with four sacks in a 29-0 rout of Jacksonville, offering evidence that the loss of linebackers C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith may not be as serious as first thought.
Smith, by the way, is now with the Packers.
Second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson played in three series last week for the Ravens, producing a field goal and a touchdown while not running the ball even once.
For Rodgers, it will be his first game action since suffering a concussion in last year’s season finale. After sitting out last week’s 28-26 win over Houston, Rodgers will be seeking to get a handle on the new playbook installed by first-year coach Matt LaFleur.
“It will be a good test for our first time running this offense in another stadium on the road against a really good defense,” Rodgers said.
The Packers will not have running back Aaron Jones. Green Bay’s leading rusher from a year ago participated in his first team (11-on-11) period on Tuesday after missing six practices and the preseason opener against the Texans because of a hamstring issue.
LaFleur said he wants to see better tackling and fewer penalties from his defense. He said the defense missed 24 tackles last week that resulted in an extra 164 yards for the Texans. The Packers also committed 12 penalties for 102 yards, yet they are looking to start the preseason 2-0 for the fourth consecutive year.
Eagles at Jaguars
QB Carson Wentz and key starters except maybe Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders likely won’t play for Philadelphia. The two running backs were the only regulars who played last week, along with TE Dallas Goedert, who is out with a calf injury. RT Lane Johnson and LT Jason Peters are out, so there seems no way Wentz plays without his bookend tackles. The Eagles also scrimmage the Ravens before they meet next week, so the starters will get their reps in a controlled environment.
Backup QB Nate Sudfeld broke his wrist last week on a late hit, even more reason to keep Wentz in bubble wrap. Cody Kessler and rookie Clayton Thorson will take the snaps. Kessler played for the Jags last year.
And Nick Foles starred for the Eagles when Wentz was injured, but he won’t play for the Jags, who signed him to a huge deal in free agency. Rookie Gardner Minshew will test CBs Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox and Sidney Jones, all competing for a possible starting spot for the Eagles.
“The volume of knowledge you have to know is so much more (than college),” says Minshew, who lost his helmet and mouthpiece in the preseason opener. “It’s a big learning curve. It’s slowing down a little. I understand not only what we’re doing but why we’re doing it.”
Raiders at Cardinals
Derek Carr figures to get on the field at least for a bit in the second exhibition game for Oakland. Carr said he doesn’t need much preseason action to get ready for the season but will be happy to get on the field anyway.
“It’s always good to get out there and compete again,” he said. “Any time you put a jersey on and helmet you’re trying to win the game, so that part of it. Just your routine and all those kinds of things.”
There is at least one starter who won’t play for Oakland: Star receiver Antonio Brown is still recovering from injuries to his feet suffered while getting cryotherapy treatment.
Top overall draft pick QB Kyler Murray’s playing time figures to increase from the one drive he led in the Cardinals’ first preseason game. But the Cardinals and coach Kliff Kingsbury continue to limit the play selection so as not to put Kingsbury’s actual offense — the one being touted given his college coaching background — on display.
Murray seems confident in his knowledge of it, no matter what plays are called in what might be two series of playing time Thursday night.
“I kind of know what it looks like. I know it will work,” Murray said. “It’s hard for teams to prepare for what we will do. We’re not game planning anybody right now. But I have confidence in it. Obviously we’re not giving everybody the full thing, but when we get out there full speed, moving around, it will be good.”