On paper, the Ravens look as though they took it to the Kansas City Chiefs.  While there were many more positives in week two of the preseason compared to week one, there are still a few things that John Harbaugh’s team can work on.  Here’s what I saw:

  • Jimmy Smith has some work to do – Dwayne Bowe was straight up embarrassing Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith.  Bowe had Smith looking uncomfortable in one-on-one coverage, confusing him as to when to look back at the QB and making small moves to separate himself from Smith.
  • Lee Evans fits right in – Joe Flacco and Lee Evans didn’t miss a beat last night.  The two connected for three receptions for 68 yards and looked as though they had been playing together for years.  Evans proved to be a very dynamic receiver for the Ravens and will certainly take some pressure off of rookie Torrey Smith.
  • Vonta Leach is a monster – If the offensive line can hold up and perform at even an average level, Ray Rice is due for an awesome season because of the blocking of Vonta Leach.  The dude is a machine.  He set up Rice’s 26 yard touchdown run in the second quarter and just looks like he enjoys causing misery to defenders.
  • The O-line still worries me – As previously mentioned, the offensive line appears to be a bit of a concern.  Joe Flacco’s pocket presence looked great last night, but he was forced to test it out a little too much.  Michael Oher was on his back a few times and the protection just isn’t there for many deep passes.  They’ve got to improve.
  • Special teams miscommunications – Lardarius Webb attempted to return two punts that he should have fair caught, one of which ended up on the ground and gave the Chiefs an early 3-0 lead.  Perhaps the communication between Webb and his teammates wasn’t there because he caught both punts with several defenders in the area.  That’ll hurt during the regular season.
  • The kickoff rule still stinks – Welcome to the year of the touchback.  Can we change that stupid rule already?
Overall it was a much better effort in week two compared to week one.  The team is starting to come together.  I still think that they will go as far as Joe Flacco can take them, however a lot of that may have to do with the offensive line.