Ravens vs. Saints grades, preseason week 1

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Aug 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Maxx Williams (87) leaps over New Orleans Saints cornerback Travis Manning (26) during the fourth quater in a preseason NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

After a long, long wait, we finally got to see some real (kinda) football on Thursday night as the Baltimore Ravens took on the New Orleans Saints in week one of the preseason. Despite the long layoff for players, this one actually turned out to be a decent ball game.

Showing no signs of rust, Joe Flacco drove the Ravens down the field right off the bat, capping off the first offensive drive with a Lorenzo Taliaferro touchdown. They followed that up with a defensive three and out and another touchdown, this time a 45 yard bomb from Matt Schaub to Michael Campanaro.

The Ravens posted another three and out on defense, and even though the offense couldn’t respond with another seven points, Justin Tucker nailed a 42 yard field goal to give the Ravens a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Ravens absolutely dominated the Saints on both sides of the ball until Luke McCown put them on the board with a 28 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Cooks. The Ravens responded with a drive that ended in a 25 yard Justin Tucker field goal.

The Saints eventually took the lead, but it was evident that their first and second team units were clearly outmatched by the Ravens. Regardless, the game ended with a nice drive and touchdown by third string quarterback Bryn Renner with three seconds left.

It was a thrilling finish to a solid game for the Ravens. Let’s break down how the team performed in all aspects in our weekly grades.

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