PHILADELPHIA - It was an ugly enough night for the Baltimore Ravens to spawn alarmist reactions, just not in their locker room.

The Ravens' sloppy defeat to the powerhouse Philadelphia Eagles exposed several problem areas, though, losing 13-6 to open the preseason Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Some of the issues were chalked up to rust following an NFL lockout that spanned four months.

"You ain't went against another team since January," Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "I highly advise not to hit the [expletive] panic button."

The Ravens' pass blocking was suspect with the quarterbacks pounded for six sacks, a shortcoming that suggests the team needs to acquire an experienced offensive tackle. Offensive tackles Michael Oher, Oniel Cousins and Jah Reid struggled to deal with the Eagles' pass rushers. There were way too many penalties upfront.

The tackling was suspect at times, and there was a big lapse in pass coverage early in the game that set up the Eagles' lone touchdown.

And the wide receivers gained precious little separation as rookie second-round draft pick caught no passes despite being targeted three times. And former Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin was shut out, too.

There are persistent trade rumors surrounding Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans, who's being linked to the Arizona Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens' most glaring issues were continually exposed by a talent-rich squad known as the Dream Team that loaded up in free agency with cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins defensive end Jason Babin and running back Ronnie Brown.

"I think we're going to be a good football team, I told them that," coach John Harbaugh said. "We have a chance to be a great football team, and that's going to be on us. How much we improve from now until next Friday is going to be our next test and see how much better we can get. We should make our most improvement next week. We have to determine ourselves to do that."

Rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor displayed his toughness, coming back in the game after a punishing hit to the back that required medical attention.

Overall, he didn't look ready to be the primary backup to Joe Flacco. He was intercepted twice and completed 19 of 28 passes for 179 yards.

The bright spots for Baltimore were undeniably tight end Dennis Pitta hauling in four passes for 47 yards as he made his bid to replace Todd Heap as the starter with Ed Dickson sidelined with a pulled hamstring along with backup outside linebacker Paul Kruger hustling for five tackles and a sack.

Pitta's acrobatic 27-yard reception where he reached over safety Kurt Coleman was arguably the Ravens' top play of the night.

"Dennis made some great catches," Harbaugh said. "He's capable of being one of those receivers that can make spectacular catches consistently. Kruger has had a heck of a camp and it showed up in the game, especially in the pass rush."

Before heading into halftime, Harbaugh was candid about where his team stood this early in the preseason.

"Never pleased," Harbaugh said. "We're on our way. It's a start."

It was a night where cornerback Lardarius Webb had a 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown that would have tied the game nullified by the officials.

The officials conducted an instant replay review, overturning the call as they ruled that quarterback Mike Kafka's right arm was already going forward as rookie defensive end Pernell McPhee jarred the football out of his hands.

That triggered a 10-point swing as the Eagles' 24-yard field goal on the subsequent play boosted their lead to 13-3.

"Most of the time we win all the preseason games," Webb said. "This time, we start out with something a little different this year. You keep fighting to the end."

All the other times most of the time we win all the preseason games start out with something a little different his year. Keep fighting to the end.

Quarterback Joe Flacco connected on 3 of 6 throws for 60 yards with no turnovers.

In relief of Flacco, Taylor scrambled for 59 yards on six carries and was the Ravens' leading rusher.

"I though Tyrod did some great things," Harbaugh said. "He's going to learn more from this game than any game his whole career. He was electric at times.

"Toughness was never a question. I thought poise was big. He commands the offense well. I think he's a pin-point passer if you look at him and he's an excellent thrower. He made some big plays in the pocket scrambling around."

The Ravens opened a 3-0 on kicker Billy Cundiff's 53-yard field goal that clanged off the left upright.

That first drive began well with Pitta's big catch followed by a 21-yard completion to running back Ray Rice.

However, the drive stalled as Oher was penalized for illegal formation on third down.

"I thought the offensive linemen did okay," Harbaugh said. "The pass protection was pretty good. A couple of the false starts were a problem and that's got to be corrected. I thought they did pretty well for themselves for their first time out there."

On the Eagles' ensuing drive, cornerback Chris Carr bit on a fake. And safety Ed Reed was too late to prevent wide receiver Riley Cooper from hauling in a 42-yard bomb down to the Ravens' two-yard line.

That set up tight end Brent Celek's three-yard touchdown. And the Ravens never caught up.

The Ravens were threatening to score in the third quarter with Taylor under center.

However, the former Virginia Tech standout short-armed a pass intended for rookie wide receiver Tandon Doss was intercepted by safety Jarrad Page at the goal line.

"As a young guy, there's a lot of things I can get better at," Taylor said. "Just to take care of the ball in the red zone, we had an opportunity to score and I tried to make a play. It's something I can learn from.

"If I could have the play over again, maybe I would throw it early or throw it out of bounds. You see a touchdown and you want to get it, but, at the same time, you have to be smart because you've got points in the pocket."

The Ravens are expected to eventually add a veteran backup as insurance behind Flacco. Among the available veterans: Jake Delhomme, Brodie Croyle, Charlie Frye and J.P. Losman

"Tyrod did some good things," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "He's a young man who learns quickly, and you almost see improvement every play. I'll say one thing: It's not too big for him. He has poise."

In his first game with the Ravens since signing a two-year contract, former Houston Texans safety Bernard Pollard did intercept Kafka and returned it 39 yards.

"I was playing back, and you have to help out, do whatever you can to protect your corners and make a play," Pollard said. "We did a great job on that drive, but as a whole, we need to tighten up on some things."

Defensively, there were plenty of breakdowns in tackling and coverage.

The Ravens converted only 3 of 12 third downs, a 25-percent success rate. Conversely, the Eagles converted 10 of 16 third downs.

"We were in position to make the tackle in the backfield, including two sacks, and we didn't make the plays," Harbaugh said. "We have to get off the field in those third-down situations and we didn't in the first half. Converting third downs on offense and getting off the field on defense on third downs is what we have to do better."

Offensively, the Ravens are still adjusting to the losses of veteran tight end Todd Heap and wide receiver Derrick Mason.

"These guys are doing a good job," Flacco said. "As you could see, we've got guys like Dennis who are making plays. All these young guys are out there fighting and making plays. That's exciting to watch. Like I said from the beginning, it's tough to lose [veteran players], but you have to move on.

"And I'm confident we have the guys who can step up and do it. I think we have a different team and I may need to take a different role on the team. I will need to help lead the team and help people to work even harder."