NFL News & Analysis

NFL Preseason Week 2 Game Recap: Baltimore Ravens 24, Arizona Cardinals 17

Glendale, AZ, United States; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Andy Isabella (17) breaks downfield as Baltimore Ravens defender Brandon Stephens (21) dives in for the tackle at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone-Arizona Republic

 The Baltimore Ravens added yet another preseason victory to their impressive run, beating the Arizona Cardinals 24-17 in Week 2.

Editor’s note: All grades in this article are subject to review. All PFF player grades will be finalized by 12 pm ET tomorrow.

Baltimore Ravens

QUARTERBACK

• A 93.4 PFF grade on first review, fueled by a 92.9% adjusted completion rate, only further solidified Tyler Huntley’s status as one of the league’s top backup quarterbacks.

• Rookie Anthony Brown relieved Huntley in the second half, and while he threw two touchdowns — one deemed a big-time throw — he also tossed a costly interception on a miscommunication that helped the Cardinals get back into the game.

RUNNING BACK

• Mike Davis started for the Ravens, and although his stat line of six carries for 18 yards largely underwhelmed, he made the most of his touches. Davis broke three tackles and averaged nearly 3.0 yards after contact per attempt.

• Rookie Tyler Badie handled the late-game workload, turning 12 carries into 34 yards and two first downs.

RECEIVERS

• While Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews stood on the sideline for this contest, Huntley and Isaiah Likely formed their own elite connection. The pair connected on eight targets for 100 yards and a score in the first half.

• Likely now has 12 catches on 12 targets for 144 yards, in addition to seven forced missed tackles, this preseason. He is set to join Huntley with a 90.0-plus overall grade in the contest, pending review.

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Center Trystan Colon and guard Ben Cleveland were the standouts along Baltimore’s line, going without a pressure allowed across 17 and 23 pass-blocking snaps, respectively.

• Tyre Phillips rebounded from a rough preseason Week 1 to give up only one quarterback hurry on 25 pass-blocking snaps. He surrendered six pressures in last week’s outing.

DEFENSIVE LINE

• Rookie Travis Jones tallied a pressure and three other winning reps before exiting with a knee injury. He is on track to lead the defensive line in pass-rushing grade on his 16 snaps, pending review.

• Although Brent Urban handled just four run-defense snaps, he made two run stops.

LINEBACKER

• Undrafted free agent rookie Josh Ross earned his second straight 90.0-plus PFF grade, pending review, after allowing only nine yards on three catches in coverage. Ross also tallied two run stops.

• Malik Harrison joined Ross in making a run stop, and he earned an 80.0-plus grade on first review for his efforts.

SECONDARY

• Arizona quarterbacks repeatedly targeted Brandon Stephens, who gave up four catches on seven targets for 43 yards.

• Rookie Pepe Williams snagged an interception and surrendered only a four-yard catch on three targets in coverage.

Arizona Cardinals

QUARTERBACK

• Fourth-year quarterback Trace McSorley took 41 of Arizona’s 50 dropbacks Sunday night and largely fell flat against the team that drafted him in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He completed 18 of his 34 attempts for 229 yards (6.7 YPA), zero touchdowns and two interceptions. 

• McSorley completed just two of his 10 pressured pass attempts for 33 yards and one of his interceptions. However, he did find the end zone with a 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

RUNNING BACK

• The Cardinals rushing attack wasn’t able to get much going on the ground. The team’s backs managed just 36 rushing yards from 15 attempts tonight, moving the chains just twice.

• Rookie Keaontay Ingram led Arizona’s running back group in snaps played (26). He ran for 9 yards on four carries but also caught two passes for 20 yards and one first down. 

RECEIVERS

• Victor Bolden Jr. was the most targeted Cardinals receiver tonight, with nine passes thrown his way. He caught five — and dropped one — for 66 yards to lead the Cards receiving corps in yards per route run (2.28). 

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Arizona’s offensive line was credited with two sacks, one hit and nine hurries, per PFF’s first review of the game film. 

• Third-year tackle Josh Jones was the pass-blocking standout, as he kept a completely clean slate on first review.

DEFENSIVE LINE

• Dennis Gardeck and Devon Kennard combined for five total pressures tonight, Gardeck claiming three and Kennard taking two. Both players recorded an 80.0% win rate and will likely finish reviews with 85.0-plus PFF grades. 

LINEBACKER

• Undrafted rookie Chandler Wooten allowed two catches from three targets in coverage, but those catches went for a grand total of 6 yards. He also hauled in an interception halfway through the fourth quarter. 

• Fellow linebacker Ben Niemann wasn’t so lucky, as he gave up four catches from four targets for 24 yards. He also missed two tackles. 

SECONDARY

• The Arizona secondary won’t be looking forward to Monday meetings. They allowed 10 catches from 12 targets for 153 yards and two scores, giving Baltimore’s quarterbacks a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

• Making matters worse, they didn’t force a single incompletion and missed six tackles in total.

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