Ravens crash Luck’s homecoming with 20-19 preseason win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass in the first half, Lamar Jackson added another in the second half and the Baltimore Ravens ruined Andrew Luck’s Indianapolis homecoming by topping the Colts 20-19 on Monday night.
Flacco looked sharp, going 7 of 9 for 72 yards before departing.
Jackson then showed flashes of what helped him win the 2016 Heisman Trophy. He was 7 of 15 for 49 yards and carried four times for 26 yards before giving way to another Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, in the fourth quarter.
But Colts fans wanted to see what Luck would do for an encore following a solid start in their preseason opener at Seattle.
This time, Luck had a tough night. He threw an interception before logging his first completion, took a hard hit from Terrell Suggs on the first of two sacks and only led Indy on one scoring drive — setting up 45-year-old Adam Vinateiri for a 57-yard field goal.
Luck was 6 of 13 for 50 yards with a quarterback rating of 24.5.
The Colts (1-1) blew one red-zone scoring chance on Luck’s pick and another when they turned the ball over on downs at the Ravens 3 in the third quarter. They got their first touchdown when Jordan Wilkins’ fumble bounced right into the hands of Chester Rogers in the end zone.
After Tarell Basham’s fumble recovery at the Ravens 9 led to Phillip Walker’s TD pass to Zach Pascal with 2:24 left, giving the Colts a chance to come back, Walker was stopped short on the 2-poiont conversion run.
Baltimore recovered the onside kick to seal it.
Flacco gave the Ravens a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter when he hooked up with John Brown for a 7-yard score.
After Indy made it 10-7 on Rogers’ improbable score, Jackson led a masterful hurry-up drive at the end of the first half, which ended with Justin Tucker’s 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.
The Ravens’ backup quarterback took advantage again after Colts rookie Nyheim Hines lost a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half.
Five plays later, Jackson hooked up with Chris Moore on a 7-yard TD pass to make it 17-10 — a lead the Ravens never relinquished.
Baltimore’s Kaare Vedvik made a 48-yard field goal and Indy’s Michael Badgley also made a 43-yarder in the fourth quarter.
STAYING CALM
Saturday’s joint practice between the teams was marred by two skirmishes, one which resulted in both teams running from the sideline to the middle of the field.
Though the officials called 21 penalties, including five that went for at least 15 yards, there were no such incidents Monday after Colts coach Frank Reich publicly criticized his team for being undisciplined in practice.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
There were no protests by either team during Monday’s national anthem.
During pregame warmups, Colts players donned T-shirts promoting their new message “Breaking Barriers,” a community effort team officials and players hope will promote equality and justice for everyone while unlocking more opportunities for those who don’t always get them.
The Colts say there are three key components: Creating dialogue within the community, inspiring local citizens to lead and funding community initiatives such as the team’s newly established Social Justice Club Fund. The Colts also plan to award grants from the Players Action Fund, which was boosted by a $100,000 donation from team owner Jim Irsay when it formed last year.
INJURIES
Ravens: Right guard Marshal Yanda and cornerback Jimmy Smith did not play. Rookie Orlando Brown Jr. made the start on the offensive line. But the Ravens did not announce any significant injuries during the game.
Colts: Indy played without receiver T.Y. Hilton (shoulder), running back Marlon Mack (hamstring), left tackle Anthony Castonzo (hamstring) and safety Malik Hooker (knee) — all projected starters. Starting safety Clayton Geathers saw his first game action since undergoing offseason knee injury. But after losing their top two running backs in Seattle — Mack and Robert Turbin (ankle) — they lost another one, Josh Ferguson (groin), on Monday. Ferguson did not return.
UP NEXT
Ravens: Visit Miami on Saturday,
Colts: Host Seattle on Saturday.