BALTIMORE — History repeated itself in Baltimore thanks to a bold move by John Harbaugh. The Baltimore Ravens head coach decided to field Pro Bowl quarterback Tyler Huntley in the second half of the team’s 20-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, extending the NFL-record preseason winning streak to 24 games.
While Josh Johnson gave the Ravens the lead, Huntley came into play when Baltimore was down 13-10 at halftime. Huntley led the Ravens with a 13-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half — which led to a 10-yard pass to Tylan Wallace that put Baltimore in the lead for good. The rally was actually initiated by Justin Tucker, who shot a field goal from 60 yards at the end of the first half – a shot that would have passed from 65 yards to make it 13:10.
The Eagles made it a game in the fourth quarter thanks to Eli Ricks, who knocked out Anthony Brown and returned the ball 31 yards, reducing the lead to 20:19 with 7:03 left. Philadelphia went on two goals and took the lead, but Ian Book’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by Ar’Darius Washington.
Philadelphia didn’t play the majority of its starters in that game, but did have strobes from rookie six-round pick Tanner McKee and practice team holdover Tyrie Cleveland. McKee had 10 of 20 points for 146 yards while Cleveland had ten goals and caught five passes for 68 yards. Trey Sermon scored the only touchdown for the Eagles, a 2-yard run in the second quarter that gave them a 10-7 lead.
None of the Eagles’ main starters played, though Jalen Carter grabbed a quarterback hit in the first NFL snap of his career. Nolan Smith, another first-round pick, also had a quarterback hit and third-round pick Sydney Brown gave the team the lead with six tackles.
Ricks received an interception for a score and three pass breakups while cornerback Mekhi Garner completed two special teams tackles and a forced fumble. Garner and Ricks are in contention for a cornerback spot with the Eagles as both are undrafted free agents.
Below are takeaways from week one’s preseason opener:
Ravens extend preseason streak
Thanks to a second-half rally from No. 2 quarterback Tyler Huntley and a 60-yard field goal from Justin Tucker just before halftime, the Ravens were able to extend their preseason steak to an NFL-record 24 games. The Eagles had mostly third-team players in the second half and played few starters overall, leading to the Ravens scoring their only points on offense in the final 30 minutes.
The Ravens have not lost a preseason game since 2015. Baltimore has gone 71-32 (.689 win percentages) in preseason games since the franchise started in Baltimore in 1996. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has a career pre-season record of 44-12 (.786).
Jalen Carter makes a lasting impression from the first snap
In Carter’s first snap of his NFL career, he punched out Ravens right guard Ben Cleveland and forced starting quarterback Josh Johnson to the right – recording a quarterback hit as the pass was incomplete on the third down. Carter recorded a quarterback hit on his first snap.
Nolan Smith also had a quarterback hit in the second quarter. Both Georgia players showed how they can reach the quarterback in limited first-half snaps.
Zay Flowers shows excellent distance running skills
Flowers gave Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe and safety Justin Evans everything they had to deal with in the first quarter as he showed what a weapon he can be for Lamar Jackson in the slot or on the outside. The Ravens’ first-round pick just burned Evans on an out route that would have been a touchdown had Evans not pinned it.
Jobe received an illegal handball penalty on a route from Flowers that would have resulted in a first down. Flowers didn’t post a catch but made his presence felt with two penalties and moving the chains on both occurrences.
He also only had a one-yard run, but had a nice move to avoid a negative run.
D’Andre Swift flashes in limited action
Swift didn’t need to see much action in that game as his second carry for the Eagles was enough to keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the game. The Eagles running back tossed a juke to David Ojabo and clipped the left touchline for a 22-yard lead and a first down.
After just two carries for 24 yards, Swift was out. He showed why he will play an important role on the Eagles offense this year.
Tyler Huntley comes into the second half
Huntley, a Pro Bowl quarterback last season, didn’t appear to be in this game. Josh Johnson got the go and played the entire first half, but Huntley came on in the third quarter with the Ravens 13-10 down. He was 4-of-5 for 51 yards and a touchdown and moved the ball with ease against second- and third-team players in the Eagles’ secondary.
Huntley’s second-half effort is interesting because he’s the No. 2 quarterback in Baltimore. The Ravens play to win preseason games, so maybe the madness has a method.
Huntley went out in the fourth quarter, finishing 8 of 11 for 88 yards and a touchdown (126.3 rating). Anthony Brown replaced Huntley midway through the fourth quarter.
Tanner McKee is the clear favorite for QB3
The Eagles had a fight for the third quarterback job, but McKee walked away with it in the preseason opener. McKee delivered some crisp passes and showed poise in the pocket in the second quarter and second half, trusting Tyrie Cleveland and Greg Ward to move the chains for the Eagles.
McKee likely helped Cleveland win the Eagles as sixth receiver (should they have six receivers) since Cleveland was able to separate at the break point and was a reliable target for McKee when he was in there.
The Eagles have a leader in the clubhouse for a sixth wide receiver spot — and McKee looks set to lose their third quarterback job.