The Los Angeles Rams sat most of their starters against the Baltimore Ravens in their preseason opener on Thursday, August 9. They paid the price for it in a 33-7 loss in Baltimore.
It got ugly early with the Ravens jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The scoring began on the Ravens’ opening drive with quarterback Joe Flacco hitting Patrick Ricard on a 6-yard touchdown pass. Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson followed it up later in the first quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run.
Meanwhile, the Rams offense struggled with quarterback Sean Mannion at the helm. He completed only 3 of 13 passes for 16 yards and an interception. The Ravens defense kept pressure on Mannion, but the 4th year quarterback often appeared jittery when he had protection.
Brandon Allen stepped in at quarterback in the second half and played reasonably well. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. The Rams’ running backs also performed well. Justin Davis rushed for 41 yards on seven carries; rookie John Kelly turned heads with 77 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, rookie Micah Kiser led the Rams with 6 tackles. Defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks recorded two sacks.
The Rams return home to play the Oakland Raiders at 1:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, August 18. KCBS will televise the game.
