Ravens use prolific pass attack to rout Redskins 23-0 in preseason opener

Ravens beat Redskins 23-0 in preseason opener

BALTIMORE — Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison got a game ball for directing a shutout in his debut and the offense amassed 500 yards, all but 101 through the air.

The Baltimore Ravens’ only lament Thursday night was that their 23-0 rout of the Washington Redskins occurred in a meaningless preseason game.

The Redskins, meanwhile, took comfort in knowing they still have a month before the start of the regular season.

Joe Flacco led the Ravens to field goals on his only two series, Troy Smith tossed a touchdown pass and third-stringer John Beck threw for 105 yards despite attempting only nine passes.

During the offseason, the Ravens feared their lack of depth at wide receiver might be an issue. But 15 players caught passes for Baltimore, eight of them wideouts. Justin Harper led the charge with four catches for 57 yards and a 19-yard touchdown catch with 5 seconds left in the first half.

Flacco was 9 for 15 for 103 yards and Smith completed 14 of 30 passes for 200 yards.

“It’s been drilled into both our heads to spread the ball around, to not have tunnel vision,” Smith said. “The sky’s the limit for both of us.”

The Redskins didn’t fare nearly as well. Jason Campbell went 3 for 6 for 38 yards, and both his drives ended with punts. Backup Todd Collins was 8 for 11 for 70 yards but failed to produce any points, and Colt Brennan threw the game’s lone interception.

Washington never got closer than the Baltimore 30 and failed to cross midfield on nine of its 12 drives. That’s why Mattison, who took over for Rex Ryan, got the game ball.

“I don’t know how he’s going to do it, but he said he’s going to divide it up for everyone of the 80 guys on the team,” coach John Harbaugh said.

If Redskins coach Jim Zorn was disappointed in his team’s play, he didn’t show it.

“This is a tremendous tool for us to use,” he said. “We look for these things, these learning situations.”

Campbell expects his lackluster numbers to improve as the preseason wears on.

“We didn’t attack them just yet because we’re just getting into a rhythm, but I felt good,” he said. “I really felt comfortable. Having some experience helps a lot.”

Flacco directed a 67-yard drive in the first quarter, completing an 11-yard pass to Demetrius Williams and a 34-yarder to Ray Rice, before Steve Hauschka kicked a 21-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

After a Redskins punt, Baltimore covered 71 yards in 14 plays. Key plays included a 15-yard completion from Flacco to Kelley Washington on a third-and-9, and a 9-yarder to Marcus Smith on a third-and-5.

“As an offense, everything felt really good. I was happy with the way our receivers and running backs were moving,” Flacco said. “Our line did a heck of a job for being their first time out. I didn’t have to do anything but sit in the pocket and make throws.”

The march ended with a 37-yard field goal by Hauschka, who is competing against Graham Gano to replace Matt Stover, the last link from the Cleveland Browns’ move to Baltimore in 1996.

Not only did Hauschka make both field goal attempts, he put the opening kickoff in the end zone and also put a pair on the Washington 2. Last year, as Stover’s backup, Hauschka kicked off 43 times but attempted only two field goals.

Gano kicked a 39-yard field goal early in the third quarter and backed it with a kickoff to the Washington 1. But he missed a 28-yard field goal try on the game’s final play.

That, and a few injuries, might have been the only things to go wrong for the Ravens. Marcus Smith hurt his knee and could be lost for an extended period.

“It looks serious,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re not sure what it is right now but it could be an ACL.”

NOTES: Redskins’ DT Lorenzo Alexander and T Mike Williams both left with abdominal strains, and T Scott Burley strained his knee in the fourth quarter. … It was the fourth preseason shutout in Ravens history and first since a 24-0 win over Atlanta in 2004. … It is the sixth time since 1961 the Redskins have been blanked in the preseason, and the first since 2006.