Late FG halts Ravens’ skein at 24.
Monday, August 21, 2023: Traveling to this nationally televised preseason game involved a mere bus ride to Landover’s FedEx Field following two days of joint practices at the Ravens’ practice facility in suburban Owings Mills. MD. For the visiting team, the quest was extending a league-record string of preseason victories that began in 2015. A victory would also mean winning its sixth straight preseason victory over the Commanders franchise and 12th in 15 lifetime August meetings.
But in a surprisingly dramatic preseason game, Joey Slye’s 49-yard field goal with nine seconds left gave Washington a 29-28 win before an announced crowd of 54.404. It was the fifth — and last — lead change of a compelling exhibition contest.
Washington’s last preseason win over Baltimore was in 2015, the same year the Ravens lost a preseason game, falling at Atlanta, 20-19, on September 3 of that year. Baltimore also leads the regular-season series against its Mid-Atlantic rivals, 4-3.
But Washington offensive lineman Sam Cosmi headed into the game unimpressed by the Ravens’ streak. “I don’t give a s–t about the streak,” he said in a training camp TV interview. “I think it’s a stupid record. If we break the streak, fine.” Cosmi’s comments seemed to reflect a resentment of Baltimore’s success and a weariness with Washington’s recent past.
The tradition-rich Washington franchise has been a doormat throughout its stewardship under former owner Daniel Snyder, who was forced to sell the team earlier this summer to a group led by Josh Harris, including basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Harris is a general partner for two other pro franchises, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Since the sale, optimism has abounded among the Commanders’ fan base.
But optimism didn’t help at the game’s start as new Washington quarterback Sam Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick in his second season with the team, was overwhelmed by the Ravens’ defense at critical points in an opening 14-play drive.
Travis Jones, a young mid-round pick at defensive tackle two years ago, took down Howell for a 13-yard loss. Following two subsequent completions, DelShawn Phillips forced an end-zone incompletion, and the hosts had to settle for Joey Slye’s 21-yard field goal.
Howell didn’t hesitate to test the Ravens’ banged-up secondary on the next drive, but corners Ar’Darius Washington and Kevon Seymour each broke up deep passes. Jones would later get his hands on a fourth-down pass, but it deflected to a receiver for a fluke completion. That set up Antonio Gibson’s scoring catch after the first-half two-minute warning that put Washington ahead, 10-7.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens didn’t play first-stringers at the outset. Lamar Jackson did not play, and primary backup Tyler Huntley was nursing a hamstring injury incurred in the preseason opener against Philadelphia and did not play. Instead, Baltimore was led by journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson and fourth-stringer Anthony Brown, and each signal-caller threw two touchdown passes.
The Ravens only had to face second down once on their opening drive, one dominated by shifty rookie wideout Zay Flowers and backup running back Justice Hill. The pair combined for five first downs in a six-play drive that ended with Flowers’ 26-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Johnson that provided the game’s first points a mere 2:39 into the contest. All that work came against a Washington defense coordinated by ex-Baltimore linebackers coach Jack Del Rio.
After a well-placed punt, Johnson directed a long Ravens drive from their own two, highlighted by a 28-yard catch down the middle from tight end Charlie Kolar. But a subsequent end-zone pass was intercepted when it bounced off James Proche’s hands. But Kolar got free again, this time for a 33-yard catch before Tylan Wallace was interfered with on a deep ball. Wallace then caught a seven-yard back-shoulder throw — a big part of the Ravens’ offseason preparations — to put the visitors back in front before halftime, 14-10.
Howell found Diami Brown from 11 yards out to restore the Commanders’ lead that didn’t stand. In the second half, a 31-yard-run by reserve back Keith Mitchell — son of 2000 champion special-teamer Anthony Mitchell — set up rookie tight end Travis Vokolek’s scoring catch from Anthony Brown that put the Ravens back in front, 21-17.
Slye’s 49-yard field goal cut the Baltimore lead to one before Malik Hamm forced a fumble that DeAndre Houston-Carter ran deep into Washington territory.
For the win (photo, FirstSportz)
As the fourth quarter began, the Ravens capitalized via Washington’s fourth-down offsides penalty and Vokolek’s eight-yard touchdown catch. A false start wiped out a two-point try, but Justin Tucker’s conversion made it 28-20. Reserve corner Tae Hayes then picked off Jacoby Brissett to kill Washington’s next drive.
The Commanders did get into the end zone with about four minutes left, but rookie fifth-round draft pick Kyu Blu Kelly made a spectacular play, stopping the two-point play by tackling a receiver one yard short of the goal line. But the Commanders got another chance and made the most 0f it with Slye’s game-winning kick and a last-ditch interception.
The Ravens will now turn attention to its preseason finale, which takes place this weekend on the road at Tampa Bay (Saturday, August 26, 7 p.m.; WBAL-TV, WIYY-FM). The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, site of the Ravens’ first championship in Super Bowl 35.
