NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
With the offseason officially in the rearview mirror, the 2026 Baltimore Ravens began their preseason schedule against the Philadelphia Eagles. In a 24-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, the offensive rookies showed their talents on the field.
In preseason game #1, the Ravens saw many positives and some negatives that come with the preseason. The positives were those of some of the Ravens’ rookie offensive pieces. 3rd-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane continues to impress on the field Saturday with 3 catches for 38 yards and 1 touchdown. As the buzz continues, Lane is continuing his phenomenal training camp, where he could solidify himself as WR #3.
Not only did Ja’Kobe Lane have a good preseason debut, but both 4th-round selections also had a good night. Both TE Matthew Hibner and WR Elijah Sarratt had their fair share of catches on Saturday night in their debuts. Both had over 60 yards receiving; Sarratt had 6 catches for 66 yards, and Hibner had 5 catches for 61 yards.
5th-round pick RB Adam Randall had a day running the ball on 12 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown. And the running game, as usual, ran for 100 yards on the ground against the Eagles.
1st-round pick G Vega Ioane was looking as advertised in his preseason debut. Looked polished in pass protection for the quarterback to make those throws, and run blocking looked great. The offensive line will be key in Lamar Jackson making a run for his 3rd MVP in 2026.
Undrafted QB Joe Fangno had an impressive night in his 1st preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. On the night, Fangio went 22 of 28 for 224 passing yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The touchdown came on a throw to Ja’Kobi Lane for 16 yards. While the Interception happened at the end of the 1st half by Eagles DB Keele Ringo. If there’s one thing for certain, Joe Fangno might have the early advantage for the 3rd-string quarterback job.
On the defense side of the ball its looking like the Baltimore Ravens defense of old with different blitz packages. On Saturday night, the Ravens used some very excellent disguised blitzes to pressure the quarterback and nearly got some sacks. CB Keyon Martin had the only Ravens sack in the game, which came in the 3rd quarter.
With positives, there are some negatives, and there were some negatives coming out of this game on Saturday night.
One big negative is kicker Tyler Loop, who continues to be inconsistent with kicks as he missed one from 49 yards. While he did make one from 42 yards, there’s still some uneasy feeling with him on special teams. One negative on the offense side of the ball was Elijah Sarratt, fumbling while trying to get more yards.
The Backup offensive line, besides Vega Ioane, was having a very long night on the football field against Philly. The QBs were hit 7 times by the Philly defense but only got sacked 3 times, which is a plus.
With 1 game down and 2 to go in the preseason, the Ravens still have question marks before September 13. Tyler Loop will need some competition to see if he is trustworthy going into the 2026 regular season and beyond. The OL backups will need to have a much better performance to see who makes the 53-man roster week 1. To see if the Baltimore Ravens will carry either 2 or 3 quarterbacks into the regular season on September 13. And see what the players on the bubble can make a push for a 53-man roster spot.
The Baltimore Ravens’ next preseason game will be against the Minnesota Vikings next Saturday at 1:00 in Minneapolis. And, close out the preseason against their Beltway neighbor, the Washington Commanders, on Friday, August 28.
