Some good, some bad in Ravens' preseason win against Saints
BALTIMORE – Joe Flacco was nearly flawless for the one drive he played during the Ravens preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.
However, it was third-string quarterback Bryn Renner who scored the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left to beat the New Orleans Saints 30-27, as the starters cheered from the sideline.
"The guys were into it," Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Their attention was on the field, it wasn't anywhere else. It wasn't on the sideline, it wasn't into any cameras."
Renner, in his third year out of North Carolina, scored on a counter minutes after it looked like he handed New Orleans the game. With about three minutes to go and the Ravens up 23-20, Renner threw a sloppy pass into the hands of Saints cornerback Terrence Frederick.
Marcus Murphy made him pay immediately, catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from fellow rookie Garrett Grayson, giving New Orleans its first lead of the night.
Renner and the Ravens' subs were left with one more opportunity to convert on a two-minute drill. He led Baltimore on a 14-play 80-yard drive, capped off by the touchdown run.
"We have a saying, 'short term memory and move onto the next play," Renner said. "That's what we kind of did as a whole offensive unit to score that touchdown."
Renner had to follow up fine performances by the QBs in front of him. Backup quarterback Matt Schaub played most of the game for the Ravens, going 11 of 18 for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco knew he wasn't going to get much burn in the Ravens' preseason opener, but wanted to make the most of his time.
"You're not always going to get a high number of reps, but there's still pressure on me to go out there and do well and make the most of it," Flacco said.
Flacco was 5-for-6 for 33 yards and even showed off some speed with a 17-yard run on third-and-7 on the game's opening drive.
"Joe was the leading rusher for a while which was pretty interesting," Harbaugh said. "We were joking that he must have some 'camp legs' at this point in time. But Joe is better than a lot of people want to think, as far as running the ball."
Lorenzo Taliaferro, a second-year player out of Coastal Carolina, capped off the 80-yard opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
"It feels good playing another team," Taliaferro said. "We've been in camp thudding one another so it felt good to get out here and actually touch the green and feel real tackling."
Flacco's night ended early but Schaub kept the momentum going. At the end of the first quarter he found Michael Campanaro on a post route for a 45-yard touchdown, capping off an 8-play drive that gave the Ravens a14-0 lead.
Schaub would have had another touchdown pass on the Ravens' next drive if not for a drop by Darren Waller in the Saints' end zone. A 42-yard field goal, however, pushed the lead to 17-0.
After compiling just 11 yards in the first quarter, New Orleans (7-9, second in the NFC South last season) finally started to wake up in the second. With 11:53 to go in the half, the Saints got their first first down of the game when Luke McCown found Josh Morgan in the middle of the field for a 15-yard conversion. Saints starter Drew Brees did not play.
The veteran McCown had five more completions on the drive, capped by a laser to Brandin Cooks, who juked his way into the end zone for a 28-yard score, cutting the Ravens' lead to 17-7.
Khiry Robinson also contributed in the 77-yard drive, catching two passes for 16 yards.
And while the Ravens' two-minute offense won the game, Robinson exposed their defense in the closing minutes of the half.
The running back capped off a 90-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown reception from third-year quarterback Ryan Griffin.
"We didn't get the stop within two minutes [at the end of the first half]," Harbaugh said. "That's disappointing, a 90-yard drive. Those are big series in every game."
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