The Breakdown: Ravens Look Ready for the Regular…

The Ravens look ready for the real thing.

Friday night’s 41-3 victory over the Washington Commanders concluded a perfect preseason for the Ravens, as their defense continued to dominate. Baltimore surrendered just 13 points and one touchdown during the preseason, and almost any defensive play dialed up by Head Coach Jesse Minter worked well.

Baltimore’s offense flexed as well, with undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano (19 for 27, 162 yards, one touchdown) putting a bow on an impressive preseason.

With both teams resting almost every starter, the performance must be kept in perspective. But the Ravens look like they can’t wait for their regular season to begin in about two weeks on Sept. 13 when they visit the Indianapolis Colts.

“I just love the energy that we started the game with,” Minter said. “Proud of these guys, happy the way training camp has gone overall, like where our team’s at.”

In the meantime, Baltimore must reduce its roster from 91 to 53 players by Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline.

Here are my five thoughts on the preseason finale:

Baltimore Is Playing Defense With Attitude

Again, this was preseason, but this was impressive defense. The Commanders’ offense looked overwhelmed with just one first down in the first half, and seven total for the game.

Baltimore is defending with the physicality and precision that Minter and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver are seeking. They want opponents to feel like Baltimore has more than 11 defenders on the field, and that mission was accomplished in this game.

A Decision on Starting Center Is Coming Soon

With the regular season looming, the center competition between Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic has reached the final stages.

Gwyn started against the Commanders and played 15 snaps. Pocic relieved Gwyn after Baltimore’s first two drives and played into the third quarter. His biggest mistake was a holding call that wiped out a nice gain on a catch-and-run off a screen pass from Fagnano to Rasheen Ali.

Danny Pinter was the frontrunner for the job before suffering his season-ending injury in a joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings. Gwyn, who was signed by the Ravens in March, has clearly made strides this summer, but he never started during his first three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. The 31-year-old Pocic has far more experience with 97 starts over nine seasons, but he’s coming off a torn Achilles tendon suffered in December while with the Cleveland Browns.

Will the Ravens go with the younger, more athletic Gwyn, or the more experienced Pocic? It will be an interesting decision, but Minter expressed confidence in both.

How Will the 53-Man Roster Shake Out?

The Ravens have some tough decisions to make, and Fagnano has made a case to be kept on the roster as a third quarterback.

“To his credit, yeah,” Minter said. “It started with that first preseason game. He’s put it on tape. He’s been really consistent. He’s played a certain way almost all three games. That’s something we’ll certainly have to take a look at.”

For the preseason, Fagnano was 56 for 75 for 489 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception. He was poised in the pocket and accurate.

Will that be enough to convince the Ravens they should keep another quarterback on the 53-man roster behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley? And if they don’t, will another team sign Fagnano to their 53?

Adisa Isaac, who’s also competing at outside linebacker, had an outstanding game with six tackles and a sack.

What’s Next for Tyler Loop?

Loop finished 5-for-8 on field goal attempts during the preseason, and this game was a mixed bag for him after making a 74-yard attempt in warmups.

Loop missed 58-yarder wide left in the first quarter, then bounced back to make a 51-yarder in the second quarter. However, he missed wide left on his next attempt from 54 yards before making a 24-yarder in the third quarter.

“You want to see makes in games,” Minter said. “It’s something we’ll continue to look at. He has had a good camp overall. But again, it comes down to making the kicks in the pressure situations in the game. That’s something we’ll always be looking at to make sure we’re doing what’s best for the team.”

Extra Points

• Veteran wide receiver Chris Moore (three catches, 54 yards) scored Baltimore’s first touchdown by making an acrobatic leaping catch in the end zone. The ruling on the field was an incomplete pass on the field, but the Ravens challenged, and the call was overturned.

• Lardarius Webb Jr., son of former Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb, forced a fumble on a kickoff return that the Commanders recovered to keep possession.

• Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Ethan Burke forced a fumble on a first quarter kickoff that was recovered by Ravens defensive lineman C.J. Okoye.

• Huntley started the game at quarterback and had a perfect night on his one touchdown drive, completing all four passes for 61 yards.

• Minter said Ali left the game early to be present for the birth of his child.

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