We have one whole entire preseason football game in the books. No one will confuse the Ravens' 17-16 win over the Bears in the Hall of Fame Game with a rousing gridiron affair, but there were a few things that we can glean from the first live action of the 2018 season.
Matt Nagy's offense is a work in progress: That certainly isn't groundbreaking information. A new head coach putting in a new offensive scheme is certainly going to create a learning curve. We didn't see many of the projected starters on the field Thursday night and Chicago certainly wasn't interested in showing the world any of the big wrinkles in its new attack. However, as Rich Campbell noted in the Chicago Tribune, it's a bit telling when Chase Daniel -- who has experience with Nagy in Kansas City -- and veteran tight end Dion Sims have a miscommunication on a play that leads to an interception. Maybe it was just a brain fart on the part of one player. Maybe the offense needs more work. Maybe things will look smoother with Mitch Trubisky on the field. We wait to find out.
The Bears might be deeper at WR than we realized: We know that Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel will get their snaps and targets. Rookie Anthony Miller will get his shots to get on the field and Kevin White will get one last chance to make an impact in Chicago. What we might not have counted on is Javon Wims fighting to get more attention. The rookie from Georgia isn't yet a lock to make the final roster but he certainly helped himself out with seven catches for 89 yards -- including an acrobatic leaping catch over a defender on a back shoulder throw. Keep an eye on Wims in the event that he starts to push his way up the depth chart.
Lamar Jackson looks like ... a rookie: For those of us (myself included) desiring to see the Ravens young, athletic quarterback go out and put on a show, we're still waiting. Jackson wasn't terrible on Thursday but he wasn't great, either. That he looked most comfortable while running the football (25 rushing yards) should surprise no one. The next step will be for Jackson to get a little more comfortable throwing it. For now, Joe Flacco is firmly in the starting quarterback role for Baltimore but look for Jackson to get more reps as we move through the preseason. Dynasty franchise owners, don't fret. It's just one preseason game. But speaking of backups...
Should we pay attention to Robert Griffin III?: For a guy who hasn't thrown a regular season NFL pass in nearly two full calendar years, Griffin looked pretty good on Thursday. With the Ravens having a lot invested in both Flacco and Jackson, it's hard to see Griffin sticking on the roster. But his showing could earn him a spot with another squad before we get to Week 1. Considering the frequency with which we see quarterbacks go down with injury, it might not be too far-fetched to imagine RGIII getting on the field sometime during the season if he can hook on with the right team.
We aren't talking enough about the Ravens defense: Last season, the Ravens were the second-ranked DST in fantasy. On Thursday, Kamalei Correa showed up in a big way. The third-year linebacker is trying to erase a disappointing 2017 season and got off to a rousing start with three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. If he can become another consistent pass rusher, this defense gets that much more dangerous. Baltimore is currently the eighth defense being drafted on average ... that could end up being a steal.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who can't seem to get full no matter how many late night snacks he stuffs into his face. Send him your tales of midnight munchies via Twitter @MarcasG. If you read all of that, congrats. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (marcasg9).
