BALTIMORE (AP) — Joe Flacco needed only one series to show why there won’t be any competition this summer to determine the Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback.
Flacco threw a touchdown pass on his only series of the game, rookie Lamar Jackson ran for a score and Baltimore rolled to a 33-7 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Baltimore (2-0) led 17-0 after the first period and cruised to the finish against the Rams (0-1), who rested offensive stars Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.
After sitting out the Hall of Fame Game last week, Flacco went 5 for 7 for 71 yards during a 10-play drive. The 11-year veteran overcame a second-and-25 with a 30-yard pass to newcomer Michael Crabtree and finished with a 6-yard TD throw to Patrick Ricard.
“That’s really all we needed from Joe,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Get Lamar out there with a lot of reps, get Robert (Griffin III) out there.”
Jackson entered the next time Baltimore got the ball and coolly directed a 73-yard march in which he completed a 36-yard pass to Chris Moore and broke two tackles running for a 9-yard touchdown.
“It was a great run Ryan Kesler Jersey ,” Harbaugh said. “I thought he was tackled twice — and then he wasn’t.”
Said Jackson: “They tried to get to me, I made a guy miss. Then I did what I do best and tried to get in the end zone.”
Jackson went 7 for 18 for 119 yards, ran for 21 yards and was sacked twice before giving way to Griffin early in the third quarter.
Griffin went 5 for 7 for 88 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown strike to Breshad Perriman.
Flacco has been named Baltimore’s starter in the regular season. Griffin is seeking a comeback after being inactive in 2017, and Jackson is trying to adjust to the pro game after winning a Heisman Trophy at Louisville and being drafted in the first round last April.
Jackson could learn a thing or two by watching Flacco.
“He was awesome. He was smooth, had a lot of poise in the pocket,” the rookie said.
The Ravens and Rams held joint practices Monday and Tuesday Michael Grabner Jersey , and Los Angeles coach Sean McVay indicated the work against outside opposition would enable him to rest a few of his starters in the preseason opener.
So, Sean Mannion opened at quarterback, Malcolm Brown lined up behind him and the offense sputtered for much of the night.
Los Angeles gained 5 yards and made one first down in the first quarter. The Rams trailed 23-0 at halftime after totaling 45 yards and three first downs.
“We expect to play better and we will,” McVay said. “Sometimes these lessons, these humbling experiences if you will, for everybody is the level of awareness. You can’t wait to get back to work and know that we got a lot work to do. What’s encouraging is we have time to figure it out.”
Mannion played the first half, going 3 for 13 for 16 yards and an interception.
“It certainly wasn’t my best performance. Just wasn’t really able to get into a rhythm early Blake Comeau Jersey ,” Mannion said.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Both teams stood during the national anthem. While most of the Ravens lined up shoulder to shoulder on the sideline, second-year linebacker Tim Williams stood alone in front of the bench with his back toward the field.
INJURIES
It appeared as if both teams got out of the game without any significant injuries.
HELMET RULE
The Rams received successive 15-yard penalties in the first quarter for lowering the head to initiate contact, a new rule this season. Marqui Christian received the first flag, and Blake Countess followed. The penalties attributed for nearly half the yardage in a drive that produced a field goal for a 17-0 lead.
“The preseason offers a great opportunity for all of us to work through some things and learn,” McVay said. “How that can enable us to better coach it, and how we can better understand, how we can expect them to consistently officiate that knowing that most importantly it’s about taking the head out of the game.”
UP NEXT:
Rams: After an extended stay on the East Coast Nathan MacKinnon Jersey , Los Angeles heads home to begin preparation for its next opponent, the Oakland Raiders at home on Aug. 18.
Ravens: Their next preseason game isn’t until Aug. 20 at Indianapolis, but that begins a stretch of three games in 11 days.
The Alliance of American Football is planning to bring professional football back to San Diego with former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz serving as the head coach of the franchise.
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Martz’s coaching staff will be filled with many prominent names with NFL backgrounds as well.
Jon Kitna will serve as the team’s offensive coordinator with former Rams and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marmie serving as the team’s defensive coordinator. Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Dre Bly will also coach on Martz’s staff.
Marmie has 15 years of coaching experience in the NFL serving most recently as a senior defensive assistant under Lovie Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014-15. Kitna spent parts of 17 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL after initially signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996.
Slater played parts of 20 seasons for the Rams before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. He’s spent the last seven years serving as an offensive line coach at Division II Azusa Pacific University. Houshmandzadeh and Bly spent a combined 23 seasons in the NFL with three Pro Bowl appearances between them.