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Ravens News 8/16: Stock watch, nutrition and more

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Green Bay at Baltimore Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images

Stock Watch: Ravens vs. Packers - Garrett Downing

DL/FB Patrick Ricard

The two-way player made an impact on both sides of the ball, which rarely happens at the NFL level. His biggest play came on defense when he hopped on a fumble at Green Bay’s 6-yard line, setting up a Ravens touchdown a few players later. Earlier in the night, he showcased his ability as a runner with a pair of tough carries to move the chains in short-yardage situations on third and fourth downs. The Ravens may not use the fullback too often in their new-look offense, but Ricard showed he’s a valuable two-way player who can make a difference.

OL Ben Powers

The rookie fourth-round pick entered the game with the second-team unit, and he appears to have an uphill climb if he’s going to work his way into the starting group along the offensive line. Powers got flagged for a holding call early in the third quarter, and he’ll have to minimize those kinds of penalties if he’s going to unseat a veteran for a starting job. The Oklahoma product was known as a bruising blocker in college, but right now he’s behind Jermaine Eluemunor and James Hurst in the battle for the open left guard job. Undrafted rookie Patrick Mekari also entered the game fairly early.

ReFocused, NFL Preseason Week 2: Baltimore Ravens 26, Green Bay Packers 13 - PFF

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Rookie running back Justice Hill had a solid game running the ball, forcing multiple missed tackles throughout the night. The former Oklahoma State back showed off great elusiveness and burst.

Ravens offensive linemen Jermaine Eluemunor and Patrick Mekari both turned in strong performances in pass protection, anchoring the team’s offensive line for much of the night.

Asked to play in the slot quite a bit against Green Bay, Cyrus Jones earned several negative marks in coverage on his way to an overall poor performance on Thursday night.

Baltimore Ravens stock watch after win over Packers: 3 trending up, 3 trending down - Aaron Kasinitz

WR Chris Moore: Trending up

Moore has kept a firm grip on a roster spot for most of the offseason, and he took another step toward cementing his place on the team — and perhaps nudging into a larger offensive role — with a strong performance Thursday. He caught four passes for 54 yards, both team highs, and broke free from a Packers defender for a 23-yard touchdown after hauling in a throw from backup quarterback Trace McSorley. Moore was the Ravens’ most productive offensive player, and while several other receivers cope with injuries, he’s showing he could shoulder a heavy workload.

WR Michael Floyd: Trending down

Floyd had a strong week of practice and played more with the first-team offense Thursday than most of the other receivers competing for roster spots. He didn’t take the field much with the backups, like Jaleel Scott and Antonine Wesley did. But Scott and Wesley pulled in two receptions apiece (plus Scott had a hand in two special teams tackles), while Floyd did not record a catch. An eighth-year veteran, Floyd has to earn his place on the roster, and he didn’t make a strong move against Green Bay .

What we learned from Thursday’s preseason games - Andie Hagemann

Eating Like a Raven - Ryan Mink

As Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst came off the field after a high 90-degree day at training camp, dripping with sweat and sighing with relief in the sweet embrace of air conditioning, he stepped up to a rejuvenation buffet.

In one refrigerator there were turmeric and ginger tonics, pickle juice and coffee shots, cherry juice and gelatin protein packs. Next to it were four pre-made slushies – chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana, pineapple/mango/peach and strong lemonade.

Behind Hurst was a snack bar with protein bites (balls of peanut butter, oats, chia seed, honey and protein), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretzels, protein bars, Goldfish, energy chews, granola bars, honey waffles and more.

Before he got to the locker room – just a few feet away – Hurst had his pick between an egg, Canadian bacon and cheese sandwich on an English muffin or turkey, bacon, egg and cheese on a croissant.

“After practice, I’m tired and I don’t want to have to think about what I should be eating and drinking,” Hurst said. “I can just go to her and she just walks me though what I should be eating to replace what I’m losing out here.”