It’s been three weeks of training camp and two preseason games, and the Ravens still don’t know who will be their starting quarterback when they open the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
Troy Smith and Kyle Boller were equally ineffective in a 23-15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at M&T Bank Stadium Saturday.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh started Boller against New England to open the preseason and chose Smith to start against the Vikings. But he doesn’t know which quarterback will start against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday night at 8 at Edward Jones Dome.
“I think they had some good moments,” Harbaugh said. “I think they had some not-so-good moments and opportunities to learn. In a game like this, I think both of them showed they could move the football in this league.”
Smith played the entire first half and went 3-of 5 passing for 25 yards and an interception and rushed for 35 yards on three carries. His 10-yard run on third-down in the first quarter maintained a drive, which was capped three plays later by a six-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Ray Rice.
Boller played all of the third quarter and a little less than half of the fourth. He was 8-of-12 passing for 40 yards and an interception. Rookie Joe Flacco entered midway through the fourth quarter and was 10-of-15 for 74 yards, but on the final play, badly overthrew a receiver in the end zone.
“I think Troy and Kyle, by the basis of their practice so far, have separated themselves from Joe in terms of being ready to line up and win a football game for us at this level,” Harbaugh said. “Not to say [Joe Flacco couldn’t be the starter], but right now they’ve moved ahead.”
The Ravens also struggled defensively, largely because they did not play six projected starters. The Vikings scored on four of their first five possessions, with many of the scoring drives sustained by their ability to convert on third down. On the opening drive, the Vikings converted two third-and-11s and one third-and-8, when Tavaris Jackson threw a touchdown to receiver Martin Nance in the back of the end zone.
“You’ve got to go into the season optimistic,” Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. “Hopefully, we can get this thing healthy and make a run. I think there are some good things and a lot of mistakes that we can correct and move forward.”
Overall, the Vikings and Patriots have combined to convert 18-of-35 third downs (51.4 percent) against the Ravens. Last season, the Ravens ranked seventh in the NFL in third down efficiency, with opposing offenses converting just 36.6 percent of their opportunities.
“We gave [the Vikings] too many plays,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “We didn’t close. If you get near the quarterback, you have to make the play. We didn’t do that.”
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