Marquise Brown and Lamar Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens to a 23-17 win over Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.
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Final Score
Baltimore Ravens 23, Arizona Cardinals 17
Baltimore Ravens
Matthew Judon and Pernell Mcphee brought havoc on the Cardinals' offensive line. The Baltimore duo constantly made their presence felt in the run game and when rushing the passer.
There appeared to be some miscommunication in the secondary, which led to chunk plays for the Cardinals. Both Tony Jefferson and Marlon Humphrey had their share of coverage woes, as the pair busted a few coverages throughout the game.
It was obvious from the get-go that the offensive gameplan for the Ravens revolved around getting the ball into the hands of second-year tight end Mark Andrews and rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown. Andrews got the scoring started with a touchdown reception down the right sideline with the coverage biting hard on play action. While Brown never separated for any long gains, he collected a good amount of targets to remain a threat, which opened up rushing lanes on RPOs.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson made a pledge during the offseason to cut down on his rushing attempts and focus on distributing the ball through the air. Not to say that the passing attack suffered, but Jackson put on a clinic with his legs reminiscent of his Louisville playing days.
Rookie Takeaways
Brown's best play of the dame came late on a beautifully thrown deep ball from Jackson down the right sideline. He didn't have the day he had in Week 1, but Brown was still a tough matchup for the Cards in coverage.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals' offensive line struggled to contain Baltimore's edge defenders. Both Justin Murray and D.J. Humphries were beaten to the outside, which forced Kyler Murray to make a lot of throws under pressure.
Murray performed admirably against the Ravens' stout defense. He avoided turnover-worthy throws and made some excellent throws downfield. He helped the Cardinals overcome some offensive line woes with accurate throws and crisp decision-making.
The Cardinals' defense dug a hole for itself with missed tackles and over pursuits. In addition, the scrambling success of Lamar Jackson only added the over-aggressive approach, leading to a handful of busted coverages.
Viewing the Baltimore ground game in a vacuum without the quarterback scrambling damage, the Arizona front seven actually played designed runs quite well. The backfield duo of Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards never found opening to make a significant difference in the game.
Rookie Takeaways
Rookie cornerback Byron Murphy had a strong day in coverage. He should finish reviews as one of Arizona's highest-graded defenders.
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