RAVENS RIP REDSKINS IN NFL PRESEASON ACTION

The Baltimore Ravens are clearly responding to first year defensive coordinator Greg Mattison.  In Mattison’s debut as an NFL coordinator the Ravens obliterated their regional rivals the Washington Redskins, completing a shutout by a final score of 23-0.  QB Joe Flacco looked solid in his short night of action, but the star of the game was the Ravens’ stop unit who looked to be in regular season form already.

Players who bet on NFL preseason action were rewarded with an investment in Baltimore as -3 favorites, while the 23 points went well UNDER the posted total of 31.  The Ravens offense wasn’t as dominating as their defense, but was efficient in posting 13 points in the first half and 10 points in the second half.

There had been some concern about the Ravens’ lack of depth at wide receiver, but on this night at least that wasn’t an issue.  15 different players caught passes and after the game backup QB Troy Smith said that Ravens’ signal callers had been instructed to get as many players involved in the offense as possible:

"It's been drilled into both our heads to spread the ball around, to not have tunnel vision. The sky's the limit for us."

Starting QB Joe Flacco was also pleased with the effort:

"As an offense, everything felt really good. I was happy with the way our receivers and running backs were moving. Our line did a heck of a job for being their first time out. I didn't have to do anything but sit in the pocket and make throws."

The Ravens defense, meanwhile, was simply stifling.  Washington never got closer than the Baltimore 30 yardline, and 9 of their 12 drives failed to reach midfield.  For that reason, new coordinator Mattison was awarded the game ball in his first NFL assignment.  Head coach John Harbaugh joked about that fact afterwards:

"I don't know how he's going to do it, but he said he's going to divide it up for every one of the 80 guys on the team.”

Redskins’ coach Jim Zorn remained upbeat despite the decisive loss:

"This is a tremendous tool for us to use. We look for these things, these learning situations."

The Redskins will continue their NFL preseason play by hosting the Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.  Baltimore, meanwhile, will welcome the New York Jets to “Charm City” on Monday night.  The Redskins will open the NFL regular season with a big divisional tilt against the New York Giants at The Meadowlands on Sunday, September 13  while Baltimore will host the Kansas City Chiefs.