Ravens vs. Saints Stock Report: 14 Up, 3 Down

Who made the most of tonight’s matchup?

Preseason action between the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints has come to a close with the Ravens extending their preseason winning streak to 18 by a score of 17-14.

This game displayed areas where the Ravens boast a plethora of depth or a total abjuration of the word. Either way, players stocks are both rising and falling, which leaves us to analyze their performance.

Player of the Game: S Geno Stone

An absolute gem of a game was had by the young safety and former seventh-round pick. In all, Geno Stone notched three passes defensed, two interceptions, and three combined tackles. With the third safety spot up for grabs, a two-takeaway game will keep you on the coach’s radar.

Stock Up

LB Patrick Queen — A brilliant pair of plays executed by the Ravens’ second-year middle linebacker. On the first play, Queen diagnosed a screen pass and was on the pass-catcher in a flash, notching a tackle for a loss. The next play, Queen beats Saints right tackle James Hurst for the sack after quarterback Taysom Hill was flushed from the pocket.

S Ar’Darius Washington — The Saints drew up a great passing play over the middle which by all accounts appeared to be a touchdown. Then, Washington flew in for a perfect tackle, knocking the rock loose and ceasing yet another Saints’ drive. Washington is competing for the third safety role on the roster also. If he can’t find a place here, he’s still auditioning for a spot in the NFL and appears to have what it takes to play in the pros.

CB Chris Westry — The long cornerback was targeted multiple times and he held his own for most. He was also the defender to deflect the ball for Geno Stone’s second interception.

The biggest possible gain Westry would have allowed was dropped by Saints wide receiver Chris Hogan. Unfortunately, Westry then celebrated Hogan’s drop by wagging his finger at Hogan which drew a taunting penalty. This is something the league is for some reason cracking down on, and Westry was the latest victim of such a mistake. Harbaugh initially pulled him off the field, but after speaking with him, allowed Westry to re-enter the game.

DE Justin Madubuike — A good game in which the second-year defensive lineman got on the stat sheet with a forced fumble. Saw some solid penetration from the defensive lineman and this was without Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe.

DE Aaron Crawford — I saw Crawford dole out some push in tonight’s game. His stat sheet won’t show it but he marched a Saints’ center multiple steps backward on at least two occasions.

OLB Daelin Hayes — Think he had a good game. Fast off the edge and performed well. I’d like to see more out of the rookie but that’s not because he performed badly. I’ve seen him in camp and he’s buzzing around the field with an excellent motor. He did well tonight and I’m excited to watch him develop.

OLB Odafe Oweh — Think he looked good and was fast out of the gate. I am more having him on here because he was healthy enough to play, which was a slight concern as he’d been held out earlier this week from practice.

DE Chris Smith — He’s performed well in camp getting pressure and he notched a half-sack tonight, indicating he can do it in live competition.

DB Brandon Stephens — I liked a lot of what I saw out of the rookie. He was all over the field with a half sack, four solo tackles and six combined. However, he was involved in two plays for gains of 35 and 26 yards, including one where he was playing single man coverage. Not pretty when as the play developed, you knew it was going to his guy and he didn’t stick with his receiver well enough. Overall, he’s a rookie and he didn’t allow a touchdown or much on the field.

RB Ty’Son Williams — I liked what I saw from the rookie running back. He ended the night with 10 carries for 42 yards and catching all five targets thrown his way for 22 yards. I’m unsure if the Ravens would part with Justice Hill due to his ability in special teams but he’s making it more of a competition.

RB Nate McCrary — Another solid game from a Ravens’ running back. He rushed for 31 yards on five carries and averaged the most yards per carry of any Ravens running back.

K Jake Verity — Went 2 for 2 on field goals, including one from 53-yards. Nothing like booting a fifty-yarder against a team who is dealing with kicker issues due to their starter being out with injury. Verity may end up as the next Raven to find a long-term team after developing in the Ravens’ program.

QB Tyler Huntley — Of the two quarterbacks, I believe Huntley performed better. He was also doing so against lesser competition. I’d like to see him get the start next week against the Panthers’ starters to measure this more accurately.

Stock Down*

*Players on this list struggled tonight. This isn’t a critique on their character. It’s only fair to judge and analyze both the good and bad.

CB Anthony Averett — Averett started off great tonight with a pass defensed and by all accounts played well. However, the lone touchdown pass by the Saints in this game was scored against Averett’s coverage. That’s not to say he wasn’t in great coverage, because he was, but six points on the board hurts.

Offensive line — It’s hard to sort out who was allowing the penetration and how frequently. The offensive line as a whole played poorly and this will need a rewatch to figure out who struggled most or if it’s an overreaction.

Trace McSorley — According to Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, McSorley was suffering from back spasms entering tonight’s game, so he may have some leeway here. However, not gaining a first down until late in the second quarter was ugly. He was given an opportunity to take the offense downfield in a one-minute drill and on the first play he overthrew wide receiver Devin Duvernay, which went straight into the arms of a Saints defensive back.