Eagles-Ravens report card: Marcus Mariota struggled some while Tanner McKee stepped forward

BALTIMORE — Grading the Eagles’ performance in the team’s 20-19 loss to the Ravens:

With Jalen Hurts given the night off, Marcus Mariota got the start. The No. 2 quarterback played two series and drove the Eagles into field-goal range both times. It wasn’t exactly pretty. Much like he has in training camp, Mariota struggled with accuracy and feeling pressure. But he did run well. Rookie Tanner McKee took over on the third possession and looked more impressive than he has in camp. He displayed a nice touch on throws, particularly with the back-shoulder pass. Ian Book’s days in Philly should be over in a few weeks.

The Eagles gave their two new tailbacks the early snaps. D’Andre Swift rushed twice, once gaining 22 yards after a nifty sidestep at the line. His night was then done. Rashaad Penny picked up some tough yards on the ground, including a 9-yard rush with the yards all coming after contact. A Kennedy Brooks fumble led to a Ravens field goal.

Tyrie Cleveland was McKee’s favorite receiver and, overall, caught 5 of 10 passes for 68 yards. Joseph Ngata negated a long reception with an offensive pass interference penalty. Greg Ward probably doesn’t have a spot on the 53-man roster, but he was his usual reliable self. The tight ends didn’t do much of anything in the passing game.

Tyler Steen had a strong debut, first at left tackle and then at right guard. The rookie played with an edge and to the whistle. Is “Mean Steen” too obvious a nickname? The rest of the second-unit offense that started did fine in pass protection and opened up some nice holes in the run game. Dennis Kelly allowed a sack in the second half.

Jalen Carter made the most of his short time with a quarterback pressure and hit. The pass rush, overall, wasn’t much of a factor, though. Rookie edge Nolan Smith struggled to get off blocks. Moro Ojomo was active and around the ball on a number of plays.

Nakobe Dean returned from an ankle injury on Thursday, but didn’t dress for the game. The spot alongside him is still up for grabs and none of the candidates — Nicholas Morrow, Christian Elliss, Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham — stood out from the other.

Josh Jobe committed a holding penalty, but he otherwise solidified his standing as the No. 3 outside corner. Rookies Kelee Ringo and Mekhi Garner were victimized by the back shoulder on two Ravens touchdown passes. Greedy Williams missed an open-field tackle. Mario Goodrich made the most of his time. Rookie Eli Ricks had a pick six.

Terrell Edmunds, K’Von Wallace and Justin Evans rotated at safety in the first half. Each had moments, both good and bad, and there didn’t seem to be more clarity on who will start next to Reed Blankenship when the season opens. Rookie Sydney Brown didn’t play on defense until the second half, but he flew around some and seemed to have the necessary speed.

Jake Elliott connected on 45- and 49-yard field goals, but was wide right on a 46-yarder. In the punter competition, Arryn Siposs and Ty Zentner kicked to a stalemate. Zentner also kicked off and had a touchback. Trey Sermon returned kicks and did OK. Garner forced a fumble on a punt. Shaun Bradley suffered a lower leg injury on the play, though, and had to be carted off the field. Zech McPhearson returned punts after Ward left with cramps.

Nick Sirianni kept his offense fairly vanilla. There were some issues with getting the plays in — or at least that seemed to be the case — that resulted in the coach having to burn a couple first-half timeouts. Sirianni used a timeout trying to get the Ravens to jump offsides on fourth-and 1 from the Eagles’ own 33-yard line. He then kept his offense out there and converted. The Eagles failed, though, on a fourth-down gamble at the Ravens 7 later on. New defensive coordinator Sean Desai kept his scheme simple and his unit delivered a respectable performance against a Ravens team that has now won 24 straight games in the preseason.

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