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Injuries Shadow Over Baltimore Ravens Dominant Win

By Chris Schisler

Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Ben Watson (82) is assisted off the field after suffering an injury against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Ben Watson (82) is assisted off the field after suffering an injury against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Ravens had their way with the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately the injury bug had it’s way with two of the Ravens. Ben Watson is out for the season. Kenneth Dixon got hurt as well.

The Baltimore Ravens looked phenomenal in their preseason game against the Detroit Lions. The only thing that went wrong, was what the Ravens couldn’t control. On the first offensive snap, Ben Watson suffered an Achilles tendon tear. Watson is out for the season. According to Jeff Zerbiec of the Baltimore Sun, Kenneth Dixon’s injury doesn’t look devastating but he’s having an MRI tomorrow. It looked pretty bad in the moment.

Last season the Ravens saw their first draft pick sit out the entire season with an injury. This season their first free agent signing suffers the same fate. With the tight end position enduring plenty of drama, Watson’s injury could change a lot for the Ravens.

Other than the injuries, this was a nearly perfect night for the purple and black. The Ravens won the game with a score of 30-9. We saw the return of Joe Flacco and it was a sharp return at that. What Flacco showed was everything you want to see from your veteran quarterback. Throwing tight passes in perfect timing, Flacco looked comfortable and in rhythm. He ended the night’s work completing 11 of 16 passes for 94 yards.

After Flacco made his debut, Ryan Mallet came in and continued the good offensive work. Mallet ended up 10-15 and had 112 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Butler showed impressive ability with his four receptions, 43 yards and a wowing touchdown grab.

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However the most impressive part of this game was the defense. The Ravens defense showed significant improvement. You could not have possibly asked for a bigger leap from Dean Pees’s defense. Terrell Suggs was impressive, and the run defense was greatly behooved. Matt Judon continued to impress (though he has some work to do on fundamentals).

When we look back at this thrilling game, we’re going to see plenty of positives. However the injuries to Watson and Dixon are frustrating.

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