Going into the final game of the preseason, John Harbaugh wasn’t taking any chances. In aftermath of losing tight end Benjamin Watson to a torn achilles, Joe Flacco, Terrell Suggs, and Steve Smith, Sr., spent the entire game on the sidelines.
This contest had a different purpose — to see who was worthy of making the 53-man roster before the start of the regular season. With the Saints choosing to play their starters for the first half, the Ravens backups stood up against a tall order.
Safety Terrance Brooks held Brees and the Saints playmakers in check, leading the Ravens with six total tackles.
Defensive tackle Michael Pierce also made his fair share of plays as well, including a strip-sack on quarterback Luke McCown in the Saints’ own end zone, and then recovered the ball for a touchdown.
The Ravens also wanted to get wide receiver Breshad Perriman some reps as he played in his first ever NFL game on Thursday night after being sidelined with a torn ACL in 2015. While his career has been plagued by injuries thus far, Perriman proved to the world why the Ravens took him 26th overall in last year’s draft.
Perriman showed solid route running and hands as he reeled in two passes for 25 yards against the Saints.
Keenan Reynolds also impressed against the Saints, but for reasons that won’t show up on a stat sheet. Reynolds showed incredible toughness as he took a devastating hit on a two-yard catch and still held on to the ball.
Regardless on if Josh Johnson makes the Ravens final roster, he proved that he belongs on a roster in a quarterback needy league. Johnson torched the Saints defense, throwing for 181 yards. He also showed off his legs to score the Ravens lone offensive touchdown of the game.
Not only did the Ravens close out the preseason with a 4-0 record, they did it in the same stadium they won Super Bowl XLVII in.
The Ravens open up the regular season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 11.
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