Ravens-Panthers: What We Learned

The Ravens beat the Carolina Panthers 20-3, extending their winning streak in the preseason to 19 games.

Only the Green Bay Packers have a longer preseason winning streak with 23 straight victories from 1959 to 1963.

Here's what we learned:

The Ravens defense had a huge goal-line stand in the first quarter. Safety DeShon Elliott had a big stop after shrugging off the block by a fullback. Elliott finished with a sack and two tackles for a loss. Don Martindale has the defense already playing at a high level. The Ravens were forced to defend a short field three times, but the starters held the Panthers scoreless. Outside linebacker Chris Smith continues to flash and he had a sack on third down that forced the Panthers to punt. Rookie Daelin Hayes had another solid game with pressure on the quarterback.

“Before the game, we talked about running to the ball and just playing with great effort and playing like a Raven," Elliott said. "I think, right now, we’re playing with great effort, and we’re flying to the ball. Now, I see [younger players] being physical. I love what I’m seeing. I feel like if we can get our hands more on the ball, we’ll get a couple defensive takeaways and turnovers and make some touchdowns on defense and finish this game out strong.”

Tyler Huntley started slowly but eventually got into a rhythm. He threw a costly interception in his own territory on the first drive. Huntley was also picked off three times in Thursday's joint practice. Huntley was also stopped for no gain on a read-option when the Ravens were pinned in their own territory. Huntley did manage to complete 15 of his last 16 passes in the first half after starting 0-for-4. He then completed a couple of deft passes to rookie Tylan Wallace to set up the Ravens first touchdown. Overall, Huntley was 24 of 34 with 187 yards and interception (71.6 rating). He's making just enough plays to hold down the main backup job.

Ben Powers got the start at left guard, while Patrick Mekari started at left tackle. The other three linemen are the projected starters — center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Andrew Villanueva. The Ravens were still not comfortable starting Lamar Jackson behind this line. The pass blocking was uneven, but the Ravens ran for 168 yards on 41 carries. The Ravens need to go into the regular-season opener against the Raiders with the offensive line fully healthy.

A pair of young players — Ty'Son Williams and Nate McCrary — continued to make bids to unseat Justice Hill as the third-string running back. Williams had 47 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. McCrary finished with 64 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown.

Jake Verity converted a 44-yard field goal extended the Ravens' lead to 13-3 in the fourth quarter. Verity is 3-for-3 in the preseason, hitting from 42, 53 and 44 yards. He will likely be picked up by another team this season.