By Jordan Long
The Baltimore Ravens faced the Washington Commanders last night in their second preseason game. Washington came away with a 29-28 victory. This ends a streak of 24 consecutive wins in the preseason for Baltimore.
Preseason games usually don’t have a lot at stake. Starters will play a drive or two depending on the preseason game. Sometimes they play a quarter or even a full half. It is the player’s opportunity to show the coaching staff they deserve a roster spot facing NFL competition in the regular season.
The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the more consistent NFL teams when it comes to preseason games. Before last night, Baltimore’s last loss in preseason action came on September 3rd, 2015. They dropped that game 20-19 to the Atlanta Falcons. This incredible winning streak began on August 11, 2016, when Baltimore knocked off the Carolina Panthers 22-19. That means for 7 full NFL preseason years, the Ravens never lost a game.
Going into last night’s game, the Ravens were anticipating making it 25 straight preseason wins. Baltimore held a 28-26 advantage with 2:54 left in the game. Baltimore punted the ball to Washington and Washington started their final drive at their own 46-yard line. 3rd string quarterback Jake Fromm drove the Commanders down to the Ravens’ 31-yard line with 14 seconds left. Kicker Joey Slye attempted a 49 yard field goal which was good to give the Commanders a 29-28 lead with 9 seconds left. Baltimore had one last chance, but they couldn’t get the job done.
The Ravens tasted their first loss in preseason action. According to ESPN.com, kicker Justin Tucker said, “It’s definitely strange because it’s been talked about so much. It’s one of those things that we understand what the preseason means, but every single time we take the field, we want to win. We want to play well. At the end of the day, it’s not necessarily going to be recorded as some dramatic loss. But what really matters is playing well in the regular season.”
After the Baltimore loss, the Las Vegas Raiders now have the longest preseason winning streak in the NFL, standing at 6. This is on the line as they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys this Saturday.
For the Ravens, they can now focus their attention on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their final preseason game on Saturday. They don’t have to worry about the preseason winning streak anymore. Once the game is over on Saturday, the Ravens will get ready to host the Houston Texans for week 1 of the regular season.
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