BALTIMORE – Uh oh, maybe the defense also bears a strong look.
The Washington Redskins offensive starters did nothing against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. Two series, three first downs by the pass, zero points. Can’t say it was that surprising.
But the defense, minus starters Albert Haynesworth (rested) and Carlos Rogers (calf), looked sketchy against an average offense. The Ravens exploited Haynesworth’s absence along the line and Rogers’ loss in the secondary to steadily keep the Redskins off-balanced. Baltimore went 13 snaps on its first drive and 14 on the second for short field goals. The Ravens consumed more than 12 minutes on those two possessions.
Basically, it was a poor night for the starters before being benched in the second quarter.
First-teamers in the preseason opener are gone in a blink, which means you have to stare at them hard for the 20 minutes or so that are meaningful. And analyzing the defense without their missing two players or the offense minus running back Clinton Portis and receiver Santana Moss is perplexing.
The Ravens wouldn’t have been bold enough to run a fourth-and-one at the Redskins 8-yard line if Haynesworth was there. Instead, Baltimore gained four yards over backup Anthony Montgomery. The Ravens beat reserve cornerback Justin Tryon like a misbehaving toddler — that would have been tougher to do versus Rogers. Much was made of Tryon learning from Redskins Hall of Famer Darrell Green, but that wasn’t how Green earned his way into Canton.
So how do you rate a defense that was beat right over their two absent starters? You don’t. Live and learn for another day. Wait to see what Haynesworth does when supposedly debuting against Pittsburgh on Aug. 22. But, given Haynesworth isn’t expected to go 16 games this season given his history of injuries, it shows the Redskins need more oomph in reserve.
The defense didn’t make a big play, a big sack, a turnover. Sounds like last year. The unit is supposed to be even better than last year when rated fourth. One preseason quarter means nothing, but when a pedestrian passer like Joe Flacco goes 9 of 15 for 103 yards it’s a little worrisome.
Offensively, the offensive line wasn’t awful. The inside running lanes did little, but it was reserve Ladell Betts instead of Portis hitting them. You figure the man aiming for John Riggins’ career team rushing mark would do better.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
