Joe Flacco took a lot of hits Saturday night against Washington. He was sacked two times, pressured quite a bit and was forced to make quicker decisions than he would have probably liked to.
Despite that, Flacco completed 16 of 23 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown during Baltimore's 23-17 win over Washington. He put up those numbers in two quarters of play.
That's quite impressive considering he didn't have the luxury of having all day to throw or a running game to lean on. The Ravens' running backs finished the first half with 17 yards on 12 carries. Pierce was also forced to exit early after heading to the locker room to get tested for a possible concussion after taking a hard hit to the head from Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather.
But Flacco made the Redskins' defense pay, especially on the Ravens' final drive of the first half. Flacco completed four passes to Torrey Smith and two to Steve Smith on the series. Steve Smith's second reception was a 24-yard touchdown throw, one where the 35-year-old receiver adjusted to the ball before diving to snag the pass. Steve Smith finished the game with six receptions for 80 yards and the score.
Another standout in the receiving game was second-year fullback Kyle Juszczyk. It's evident that offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will continue to use him in the passing game as he finished the game with five receptions for 53 yards.
The Ravens' defense, featuring backup cornerbacks Chykie Brown and Dominique Franks getting first-team reps, fared exceptionally well against Robert Griffin III and Washington's first-team offense. Most of that was due to the pressure generated by Baltimore's front seven. Griffin had little time to throw or get comfortable and ended his night 5-of-8 for 20 yards and an interception. Griffin played the entire first half and one play of the second, which resulted in an interception from rookie C.J. Mosley off of a tipped ball from Daryl Smith.
After a sluggish first half running the ball, the Ravens ended the game with 81 yards on the ground.
With the win, the Ravens move to 3-0 during the preseason. Baltimore will cap its preseason next Thursday on the road against New Orleans.