BALTIMORE — About two weeks ago, Ben Cleveland approached Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton with the idea of joining the field goal and extra point teams.
John Harbaugh loved the initiative from his veteran backup offensive lineman. However, he didn’t want to give Horton much credit for making this decision, as the Ravens coach claims he’s been “suggesting this for a while.”
Nonetheless, Cleveland — who was the subject of much discussion earlier this season as a candidate for the starting right guard job — stretched both hands as high as he could on Sunday and scored on a field goal try from the kicker Washington Commanders Austin Seibert in the final seconds. of the first half.
“This guy, he’s a great man,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a three-point difference in the game. It was important in this match. You never know which pieces are going to make the difference, but it was great to see.
Cleveland was awarded a game ball for the unexpected climax of Baltimore’s 30-23 victory over Washington.
When Harbaugh announced Cleveland’s name as the third of six receivers for the ball, team cameras from inside the locker room showed the neck of rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten, perplexed and excited for his teammate.
Cleveland has played just five offensive snaps this season, but the 6-6, 360-pound giant has made quick work of his new role.
“I mean, isn’t that special?” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “I mean, it’s great – just finding a role. I mean, he’s the greatest human being I’ve ever seen. It’s incredible to walk in there. … This is his first or second game. It’s crazy. I’m proud of him. He should be able to find a role on the team, and this is a crucial blockage he had. This set the tempo for the second half.
Injury Notes
Cornerback Arthur Maulet made a brief reappearance in practice as a limited participant a few days before the Ravens’ trip to Cincinnati last week. He hasn’t participated since, still out with knee and hamstring injuries after standing out during offseason workouts and the first few weeks of training camp.
Harbaugh hopes to reunite with Maulet this week, which would be ahead of his 21-day window to return to practice and rejoin the 53-man roster. Under NFL rules, if at the end of Day 21 – which would be the middle of next week – Maulet is not ready to return, he will not be able to return to the roster for the remainder of the season.
“I think there’s a good chance he will be [back]” Harbaugh said. “We will see on Thursday or Friday but I think there is a very good chance that he will train this week, and then we will have to see, in training, if he can play [Monday] or not.”
Harbaugh offered no substantial updates on Keaton Mitchell, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of last year. The second-year running back hasn’t changed his status, but Harbaugh is “still very optimistic and positive” about his return.
Ngakoué impresses
In the fourth quarter Sunday, Yannick Ngakoue beat a Commanders offensive tackle off the line of scrimmage, put his left hand on quarterback Jayden Daniels and took him to the ground for his first sack of the season.
Ngakoue was a late addition to Baltimore’s defense and quickly made his presence felt. The outside linebacker was signed to the Ravens’ practice squad on September 23, joining a pass-rushing unit that, to that point, had recorded 10 sacks, the ninth-most total in the NFL.
Maryland’s 2015 third-round pick sacked Daniels, contributing to a group now ranked fourth in the NFL with 19 sacks in six games while adding a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
“He played extremely well,” Harbaugh said, “which wasn’t a surprise because we’ve seen him practice that way. Big addition to our team. Very excited about the way he’s rolling.
Ngakoue also received a match ball after Sunday’s victory. He told his teammates he wasn’t one for public speaking, but he talked about cherishing every opportunity. Ngakoue watched Baltimore’s Week 1 game against the Chiefs and couldn’t wait to get on the field.
The passers played the “best game”
Washington’s standout rookie quarterback said the Ravens defense was definitely the best he’s seen in six weeks. “Honestly,” Daniels said, “what they do, how they operate, how they try to punch you in the mouth.”
Daniels could feel the pressure and how the Ravens were trying to eliminate explosive plays and contain him in the pocket. “Congratulations to them,” he said after throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 22 yards on six carries.
Harbaugh spoke glowingly of the group that kept Daniels and company in check.
“I think the pass rush played its best game in a lot of ways in that last game,” Harbaugh said. “Part of that was who we were playing against. Jayden Daniels is a real threat coming out of the pocket. I think he only really came out of it twice. … Other than that, we kept it inside.
“He goes to his right so many times and throws on the run and makes plays downfield. He didn’t make any of those plays in the game. I thought even when he got out we chased him. But we kept it in there, we threw it back, we hit balls – I think Brent Urban’s bat. The pass rush had a really good disciplined game…guarded the quarterback, which was their best game to do that. This contributed a lot this week in a positive way.
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