The Ravens’ second preseason game in Minnesota comes with most of the familiar names parked on the sideline and a few roster battles pushed into the spotlight.
Baltimore and the Vikings wrap up their week together on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
ET, and the game follows two days of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The expectation is that the established starters will sit after getting plenty of work in those sessions, leaving the focus on rookies, reserves and players trying to carve out roles.
That puts a handful of young Ravens in the frame, including Joe Fagnano, Adam Randall, Elijah Sarratt and Matt Hibner. It also sharpens the attention on the center competition, which has taken on more weight after Danny Pinter’s injury.
Pinter will not play after tearing his patellar tendon during Wednesday’s joint practice. He had been in the mix for the starting center job and is expected to miss an extended stretch, with the possibility that he misses the entire season.
With that opening created, Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic are the main candidates to handle the snaps. Jesse Minter has not announced the starter for the game against Minnesota, but both players are expected to get meaningful work as Baltimore continues sorting out its Week 1 center. UPDATE: Gwyn will get the start, while Pocic will work with the next unit.
Baltimore entered the day without any other formal game designations announced, though final availability updates were still expected before kickoff.
The Ravens opened their preseason with a 24-7 win over the Eagles on Saturday, Aug. 15.
After Minnesota, they finish the exhibition slate at home against the Washington Commanders on Friday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. ET.
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There has even been unease in 7-on-7 work with Kyler Murray, adding another layer to an offense that has not yet settled into a rhythm. Minnesotas ground attack is averaging less than four yards per carry with no touchdowns through two games, and for a team trying to sort out its identity before the games count, the questions are piling up faster than the answers. [Read more 🡒]