Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Ryan Mallett struggles with short-handed Ravens offense in preseason opener

BALTIMORE -- Ryan Mallett did little to silence concerns about the Baltimore Ravens' backup quarterback situation.

Much like his up-and-down training camp, Mallett was erratic in the Ravens' 23-3 victory over the Washington Redskins in Thursday's preseason opener. This comes at a time when all the talk about Colin Kaepernick had begun to subside in Baltimore.

"We still have a lot to work on, but it is training camp and the preseason," Mallett said. "The farther we go along, the better we will get. ... There are a few plays that I would like to have back."

QB depth chart: Filling in for injured Joe Flacco (back), Mallett struggled with a short-handed Ravens offense. He completed 9 of 18 passes for 58 yards in the first half (a 57.2 passer rating), with many of his throws being overthrown or underthrown. It was a tough situation for Mallett. He was under plenty of pressure because three projected starting offensive linemen were out, and his receivers were a seventh-round pick (Michael Campanaro) and two undrafted rookies (Tim White and Quincy Adeboyejo). But Mallett had trouble hitting his open receivers downfield. Nearly half of his completions (four of them) went to running backs.

When it was starters vs. starters, the Ravens looked dominant on defense: Baltimore got strong early returns on its investment on defense, pushing around Washington up front. The Ravens forced Kirk Cousins into three-and-outs on only two drives of the night, holding the Redskins to minus-1 yard on six plays. For the starting offense, Terrance West scored on a leaping 2-yard touchdown that finished off a drive helped by two Redskins penalties (both of which led to first downs).

One reason to be concerned: See quarterback situation. Mallett's uneven performance will reignite talk that Baltimore needs to improve the backup spot and some will call for Kaepernick. There is still no definitive timetable for Flacco, who has yet to practice in training camp (which is now two weeks old).

Rookie watch: Undrafted rookie cornerback Jaylen Hill showed why he's caught the attention of the coaching staff. He picked off Colt McCoy in the second quarter after running stride for stride with rookie receiver Robert Davis. Another undrafted rookie, defensive lineman Patrick Ricard, showed great hustle by chasing down running back Matt Jones 17 yards downfield to make the tackle. Both Hill and Ricard are making a strong push to make this team.

Strong first impression as starter: Brent Urban isn't looking like a first-year starter at defensive end for the Ravens. The 2014 fourth-round pick was quick off the ball, totaling four tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. That all came in just over one quarter of play. Urban is the favorite to take over for Lawrence Guy, who signed with the New England Patriots in free agency.

Tucker hits 59-yard field goal: Justin Tucker alleviated any concerns with a long-range field goal to end the first half (remember, 64 yards is the longest in NFL history). It's not been a perfect summer for the All-Pro kicker, who missed a handful of kicks in training camp and hit the upright on a 43-yard attempt in the opener (it was negated by a penalty).

Reynolds makes much-needed big play: Keenan Reynolds produced the biggest play of his Ravens career, returning a punt 46 yards in the third quarter. The former Navy quarterback showed his speed and elusiveness by running it back up the middle of the field. This is the type of play that can get Reynolds back into the conversation at returner. Undrafted rookie Tim White was the primary punt returner for the game.

Six projected starters didn't play: The Ravens sat out Flacco (back), their top three wide receivers in Jeremy Maclin, Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman (hamstring), as well as three projected starters on the offensive line in Marshal Yanda (offseason shoulder injury), Alex Lewis (undisclosed) and Austin Howard (not cleared by trainers). Baltimore was also without running back Danny Woodhead, tight end Ben Watson and cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

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