Baltimore didn’t need to show much Friday night to finish off a perfect preseason, and that was exactly the point. Jesse Minter kept the regulars tucked away, the Ravens rolled Washington 31-0 at M&T Bank Stadium, and the game turned into a long look at the back end of the roster. Even with all that, a few things came through loud and clear.
The biggest one: Tyler Loop has left the Ravens with a problem. The rookie kicker missed his first attempt in the stadium, just as he had on his first try of the preseason, and the miss wasn’t close.
From 58 or from shorter range, the ball kept drifting left or sailing right. He also missed another field goal before halftime, and his kickoffs have been an issue dating back to last season.
Baltimore has too much riding on this season to keep pretending that’s enough. At the very least, this has to trigger real competition, and quickly.
The calls for a veteran like Matt Prater only got louder after Friday.
The defense, meanwhile, spent the summer looking like a machine. It was fast, aggressive and relentless, even with backups doing most of the work.
Undrafted rookie linebacker Ethan Burke forced another fumble on the defense’s first snap, and that set the tone for the rest of the night. Baltimore stayed clean on penalties again, kept pressure on Washington, and barely had to defend long drives because of all the three-and-outs.
Across the first half of the three preseason games, before the deepest reserves took over, the numbers were absurd: 3 points allowed, 108 yards per half, 3-for-19 on third and fourth down, 4 plays per drive, 3.1 yards per rush and a 77.1 quarterback rating allowed.
On offense, rookie coordinator Declan Doyle has made his preference obvious. Under center is the way this thing is being built.
The Ravens leaned into play-action bootlegs, especially the kind that get tight ends involved, with Tyler Huntley and Joe Fagnano operating from under center. That approach has been a major part of the preseason offense, and it’s easy to see why they’ve kept hammering it.
Huntley and Fagnano combined to go 10-for-13 for 95 yards in Friday’s game from under center. For the preseason, they were 27-for-32 for 301 yards in those looks.
Fagnano may have been the best find of the summer. The undrafted quarterback out of UCONN, after Maine before that, didn’t hit everything perfectly, and a few of his bigger plays disappeared because of penalties.
Still, he looked composed and efficient again. At 25, he’s older than the usual rookie, but he played like someone with real backup potential.
He threw a touchdown to LaJohntay Wester, fitting the ball into a tight window rather than forcing it. He also showed he can work through his reads and take what the defense gives him.
His preseason line ended at 56-for-75, 509 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. With Skylar Thompson on IR, Baltimore needs to keep Fagnano in the quarterback room.
There were also encouraging signs from the fifth-round pick, who should have a role in the passing game right away. The offense is built around having a “Joker” who can create inside and outside as a hybrid RB/TE/FB, and Payton clearly believes this player fits that mold. He had focused on pass protection and running in the first preseason game, then missed last week with a minor injury, but came back Friday and flashed the full package.
Randall finished with 70 scrimmage yards, including five carries for 25 yards, and he was especially good in the screen game. Fagnano left a few yards on the field by missing him when he was wide open, and Randall could have been sitting on 100 scrimmage yards in limited work. He logged 22 snaps and made the most of them.
Not everything was clean on the offensive side, though. The line still looks shaky in spots, and the penalties up front have been a problem for two weeks running.
Ethan Pocic got work at center to help get him ready for Week 1, but there’s little doubt he belongs ahead of Jovaughn Gwyn. Baltimore was helped by field position, turnovers and a Washington backup group that struggled badly, but the line still got beat up enough to raise eyebrows.
That’s why a veteran swing tackle still makes sense. The depth there doesn’t look finished, and the Ravens have already spent enough time this offseason circling that issue.
In Other News...
Ravens Preseason Finale Raised One Roster Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Ravens preseason finale against Washington gave Baltimore a little something to chew on as camp winds down, with a few fringe players doing their best to force the coaching staffs hand. Adam Randall made the most of his chances on the ground, Joe Fagnano showed up with a passing performance that stood out, and the offense under coordinator Declan Doyle looked far more organized than it had earlier in the summer.
Not every evaluation went the same way, though, and that is where the real roster tension comes in. Tyler Loop had a rough outing as the kicking battle keeps hanging around, while wide receiver Elijah Sarratt did not do enough to separate himself in a crowded group. With the roster decisions now looming, the game left Baltimore with a clearer picture in some spots and at least one debate fans will keep watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Blowout Could Not Silence One Week 1 Concern
The Ravens 41-3 preseason win over Washington gave Jesse Minter a clean first impression, and the head coach leaned into the bigger picture afterward, stressing identity and standards more than the scoreboard. Baltimore looked sharp in all three phases, but even a lopsided victory can still leave a coaching staff with a few items to sort through before the games start counting.
One of those reminders came from Tyler Loop, who missed two field goals and turned a comfortable night into a small but noticeable question mark. Loop said he remained confident, and the Ravens have bigger roster business ahead as they move toward final cuts and start shaping the 53-man group, but kicking is the kind of detail that tends to linger when the margins get tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Head Into Cuts With One Roster Concern Suddenly Feeling Urgent
The Ravens closed out the preseason in emphatic fashion, rolling past the Washington Commanders 41-3 and finishing unbeaten while the defense continued to set the tone. Baltimore allowed only one touchdown in each exhibition game, a stretch that made the roster picture on that side of the ball look steadier than it did a few weeks ago. It also gave a handful of hopefuls, including Joe Fagnano, a chance to make a late push as the team moved toward cut-down decisions.
One spot that feels less settled is kicker, where Tyler Loops recent work has turned a normally routine part of the roster into something worth watching. With the preseason now in the books, the Ravens still have the kind of competition front offices prefer to resolve before the real games begin, but Loops situation adds a bit of urgency to what should otherwise be a relatively straightforward set of cuts. [Read more 🡒]