It's been widely assumed that Ryan Mallett has all but locked up the backup quarterback job, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that Josh Johnson remains very much in the conversation.
Harbaugh's comments came after Johnson capped off a 19-18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Johnson completed 11-of-16 passes for 72 yards and one touchdown and rushed five times for 40 yards.
Johnson led a late second-quarter scoring drive and then returned to the game in relief of a struggling Jerrod Johnson late in the third quarter and set the Ravens up for a key field goal.
"I just thought he was very poised, he was very accurate with his throws," Harbaugh said. "He is making a case to make this team. There is a competition for that spot. It's been ongoing through training camp. I thought he played well and I don't take anything away from Ryan, either. I thought Ryan played well, too. You just go back and look at it and keep building on what those guys are doing."
Starting in place of Joe Flacco, Mallett has been solid over the first two preseason games. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 91 yards, a touchdown and one interception last week against the Carolina Panthers, and 6-of-8 passes for 47 yards and one touchdown against the Colts.
However, he's not been as dynamic against Johnson, who has played mostly against second and third-stringers. The journeyman, who hasn't thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2011, was at his best in the 2-minute drill late in the second quarter.
It ended with him hitting Jeremy Butler in the back of the end for a 12-yard touchdown.
"He just operated very efficiently and got us to the line and got the plays called, and put everybody in the right spot and made throws," Harbaugh said. "And then later in the game, when guys got covered a little more, he was able to find space in the pocket and protect the football when he did it. And he used his legs to make a plays on critical third downs."