Every Quarterback to Debut Against the Ravens

By making his NFL debut against the Baltimore Ravens, CJ Stroud will join a list that includes Josh Allen and Ben Roethlisberger.

A Harbaugh going up against CJ Stroud is hardly anything new. The colors behind it, however, will definitely require some adjustment.

John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens will plan to grant Stroud, an Ohio State alum and the second overall choice of the most recent NFL Draft, a rude welcome to the pros as the Buckeye officially becomes a Houston Texan on Sept. 10. That christening will be held at M&T Bank Stadium as part of the NFL's Week 1 kickoff action.

While several rookie quarterbacks have given the Ravens a run for their money,  nine NFL quarterbacks have thrown their first professional passes against Baltimore to date:

8/31/97: August Rush

Steve Matthews (JAX): 3-of-5, 23 yards

After three years on the Kansas City sidelines, Matthews briefly came in for Jacksonville in relief of Rob Johnson during the 1997 opener. Bizarrely, Matthew made the only start of his NFL career one week later and threw for 252 yards in a win over the New York Giants.

9/21/97: Two for T

James Ritchey (TEN): 2-of-2, 15 yards

Ritchey, an undrafted free agent out of Stephen F. Austin, relieved Steve McNair toward the end of the Oilers' blowout defeat to the Ravens. Two passes, a sack, and a six-yard rush (the latter occurrences respectively stopped by Peter Boulware and Ray Lewis) wound up accounting for the lone NFL action of Richey's career.

11/9/97: Quinn in a Win

Mike Quinn (PIT): 1-of-2, 10 yards

Quinn was an NFL sideline staple for nearly a decade, serving as a backup and camp arm for six different teams between 1997 and 2004. That trial began with two passes in relief of Kordell Stewart in a blowout win over Baltimore, completing the former to Charles Johnson.

This Day in @NFL History: @steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger makes his debut, tossing two touchdowns off the bench against the Ravens in 2004.

The Steelers would lose the game, but Big Ben became the starter and went on to win his first 14 starts, an NFL record. #TDIH pic.twitter.com/CD2js0SrD9

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 19, 2018

9/19/04: Big Ben's First Chimes

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT): 12-of-20, 176 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

Sometimes, the subtlety of a future football storyline matches that of a Terrell Suggs sack ... which is to say it's non-existent. 

One of the NFL's longest-lasting, most-recurring new century rivalries unofficially began when Ben Roethlisberger made his NFL debut against the purple and black birds. The Steelers originally planned to ease the 11th pick of the 2004 draft into their system but an injury to the afternoon's starter Tommy Maddox (sustained on a strip sack by Gary Baxter) forced their rookie hand. 

Once on the field, Roethlisberger cut a 20-point deficit in half with scoring passes to Antwaan Randle El and Hines Ward but he also threw a pair of interceptions, the first to Adalius Thomas. The latter sealed a 30-13 Baltimore win, as Chris McAlister stifled dreams of a debut comeback with a 51-yard pick-six with just under three minutes remaining.

The rest was literally history: granted the starting duties for the rest of the season, Roethlisberger shattered the freshman franchise thrower record with 13 wins and won a landslide victory in the offensive Rookie of the Year vote

9/10/06: Bucco Bruce

Bruce Gradkowski (TB): 1-of-5, 4 yards

Subbing for Chris Simms in the wake of a 27-0 Baltimore blowout over Tampa Bay, the rookie Gradkowski completed his first pass before earning a rude welcome to the NFL in the form of four incompletions and a Bart Scott sack to close things out. It marked the start of an 11-year for Gradkowski, who served as a spot starter in five different NFL stops.

12/28/14: Cleveland Rocked

Connor Shaw (CLE): 14-of-28, 177 yards, 1 INT

Shaw is a slight footnote in Ravens history in the fact that he's the first quarterback to make his debut start against the team. In what became his only NFL start, Shaw (pressed into service due to an injury to Johnny Manziel) admittedly held his own against a Baltimore group needing the game for their postseason hopes but was sacked four times and lost a fumble as part of a 17-point scoring barrage for the Ravens, who took a 20-10 decision.

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

9/9/18: Just Joshin'

Josh Allen (BUF): 6-of-15, 74 yards

Fresh off his arrival to the Buffalo Bills in the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen made his debut in the ensuing Week 1 ... albeit in the most nightmarish way possible. In one final attempt to make the Nathan Peterman era happen, the Bills had Allen as the second man on the depth chart when the Bills came to Baltimore for kickoff weekend. 

Two interceptions, 13 misfires, 24 yards, and 40 Baltimore points later, Allen was granted entry in the third quarter. While he could hardly beautify what became a 47-3 defeat, he did lead the Bills to their only points of the game, a Steven Hauschka field goal, on his second drive. 

Ironically enough, this game also served as Lamar Jackson's debut: Allen's fellow first-round freshman threw four passes in garbage time relief of Joe Flacco, completing one to Mark Andrews at the onset of the final frame (while adding 39 yards on seven carries).

10/6/19: What the Duck? 

Devlin Hodges (PIT): 7-of-9, 68 yards

Injuries to Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph called for the insertion of Hodges, who nearly played hero to the tune of a 21-yard rush that placed Pittsburgh in Chris Boswell's range for a tiebreaking field goal. That wasn't the winner, however, as the Ravens immediately fought back for two boots from Justin Tucker to take a 26-23 decision that was claimed in overtime. 

Hodges briefly became a bit of a folk hero with his unlikely NFL path (Samford University) and duck-calling prowess (hence his nickname) but he retired from football after six starts with Pittsburgh and a brief CFL tour with Ottawa.

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

11/10/19: Gotta go to Joe (Later)

Ryan Finley (CIN): 16-of-30, 17 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Along with Shaw, Finley is the only other quarterback to make his first NFL start against the Ravens. If one ever wonders how the current Cincinnati Bengals landed superstar thrower Joe Burrow, look no further than the 2019 campaign that saw them work through a two-win slog before landing the lauded LSU thrower.

One of the final passers to occupy the Bengals' starting quarterback was Finley, a fourth-round choice out of North Carolina State at a time when the team began to prepare for passing life after Andy Dalton. Winless after eight games, Finley got the nod for the Ravens' annual visit. The good news was that it didn't take long to throw his first NFL touchdown pass. The bad news was that it went to Marcus Peters, who took an 89-yard pick-six the distance to build a 28-3 lead. 

A 49-13 shellacking marked an ugly start to Finley's career as a starter, which lasted two more games (with the exception of one in 2020 after a Burrow injury) before the Bengals moved back to Dalton to resume their Burrow-clinching year.