Getty Ravens QB Anthony Brown drops back to pass in a preseason game on August 27, 2022.
The Baltimore Ravens extended their historic winning streak to 23-0 by completing their sixth straight perfect preseason with a 17-15 victory over the Washington Commanders on August 27, 2022. The annual ‘Battle of the Beltway’ saw several players and multiple position groups stand out and step up.
The Streak Lives On!
Even though things got a little tight at the end and were pretty contested throughout the night, the Ravens’ offense made enough plays to get the lead and their defensive depth came up clutch to secure the win late. While the Commanders dominated the time of possession by nearly 20 minutes (39:29 – 20:31) and outgained them by 86 yards (388 – 302), the Ravens come up with explosive plays on the offensive side of the ball and made timely stops on defense to force field goal attempts, the first of which was missed.
New No. 2 Wide Receiver?
The biggest star of the night was the Ravens’ newest addition at the wide receiver position, Demarcus Robinson. The seven-year veteran showed off his nuance as a route runner, speed, and playmaking ability on his way to leading the team in receiving yards with 135 on four receptions. He caught a pair of long gains of over 50 yards in which he got the defensive back to bite on double moves each time, including one that went for a 67-yard touchdown. Robinson ended his long score by high-stepping into the end zone which is exactly what he likely did up the Ravens’ wide receiver depth chart after such an impressive debut. Pairing him with second-year wideout Rashod Bateman who will be the No. 1 suddenly looks a lot more exciting than it did less than a week ago when he was officially signed on August 23, 2022.
.@Demarcus TO THE HOUSE ❗️
Tune in on WBAL!
“It was a pretty good debut for Demarcus Robinson,” head coach John Harbaugh said in his post-game interview on August 28, 2022.
Rookie Center Will be “100-percent come Week 1”
While most of the healthy members of the Ravens’ rookie draft class sat out or just performed minor holding duties in the case of punter Jordan Stout, first-round center Tyler Linderbaum made his NFL debut against the Commanders. He opened the game as the starting center and even though he played less than 10 total snaps, Linderbaum showed off some of the promise and traits that made him one of the highest graded prospects at his position in the last decade.
.@Ravens @TLinderbaum made his rookie debut; enough to glimpse what all the fuss was about. Your offense starts with the snap and the center! #ravensflock #BaldysBreakdowns
He returned to practice for the first time in two weeks earlier in the week after avoiding what he said could’ve been a major foot injury similar to one he suffered but still played through in college. Nevertheless, he was happy to be out there, get a taste of his first live NFL action, and get “‘first game jitters’ out of the way”.
“I have no doubt that I’ll be a full, 100 percent come Week 1,” Linderbaum said in his post-game press conference. “We have a great training staff and doctors here to get me ready. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Anthony Brown’s Big Night
After primary backup quarterback Tyler Huntley exited the game following the first quarter, the undrafted rookie out of Oregon played the remainder and made the most of his opportunity for extended playing time. Brown was impressive throwing from the pocket all night, dropping multiple dimes in the breadbaskets of his wide receivers deep down the field.
His accuracy and ball placement on the long gains to Robinson and fellow receiver Binjimen Victor were pinpoint. He went 15-of-19 for 256 yards and a touchdown and ran in a six-yard score after going through his progressions and not finding an open target in the passing game. The Ravens likely won’t carry three quarterbacks but if Brown clears waivers, he’d be an ideal candidate for the practice squad or a potential replacement for Huntley as Lamar Jackson’s backup if another team entices the Ravens enough to trade him.
Former Oregon Duck Anthony Brown is having himself a game 🙌 #RavensFlock
📱: Stream #WASvsBAL on NFL+ https://t.co/ban2xDl7Z8
Decision for Last ILB Spot Will be Tough
One of the most exciting position battles to watch on the night was at inside linebacker where undrafted rookie Josh Ross and former undrafted free agent Kristian Welch were battling for what will likely be the fourth and final spot on the inside linebacker depth chart. Both players made their fair share of plays and mistakes on defense as well as special teams and have presented the Ravens with a tough decision to make at the final cut-down time on Tuesday.
Ross has been the team’s brightest and most consistent performer on defense throughout the preseason and ended it with another bang by leading the Ravens with a game-high 11 total tackles which included a game-high seven solo tackles. Welch has been a staple of the special teams unit for the past two years and showed that he could contribute on defense in the game playing downhill and on blitzes. He tied for the second most total tackles on the team with nine and led the team with 2.5 sacks albeit some of which were of the cleanup variety as the quarterback was on the verge of escaping the pocket.