NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
The Baltimore Ravens ended their 2025 preseason undefeated against their neighbors down the beltway, the Washington Commanders, with a decisive 30-3 victory on Saturday afternoon, after creating four turnovers, including three interceptions and a pick-six to go with it.
Today’s game saw several contributions from both the running game and the secondary that will give coaches and the front office tough decisions on who makes the 53-man roster week 1. The secondary had a phenomenal game from the start, intercepting the Commanders three times, including a 26-yard pick-six from UDFA CB Keyon Martin, who had another excellent game for the second week in a row. After his performances against both Dallas and Washington, I believe Keyon Martin has secured a spot on the 53-man roster come week.
Also, the running game had some good moments as both Rasheen Ali & D’Ernest Johnson had decent days running the ball. Ali continues to make a push to be the 4th running back as he ran the ball 9 times for 36 yards, including a touchdown on the opening drive. And Johnson ran the ball 17 times for 45 yards, including a touchdown in the second quarter. Both Ali and Johnson have been pushing themselves to be part of the 53-man roster, and I believe this would give Ali the edge over Johnson for the 4th running spot.
Tyler Loop, the 6th round pick from Arizona, continues to impress as he went 3/3 today, as he nailed all of his field goals from 46 yards, 52 yards, including nailing a 61-yarder in the 4th quarter. Loop, who is replacing Justin Tucker at kicker, is proving to the coaches and the front office that he was the right choice to replace arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, Justin Tucker. LaJohntay Wester, despite only one return today, will primarily serve as the Ravens’ kick-off and punt returner, as well as the 6th wide receiver on the offense. This year will be a new era of special teams for the Ravens, as they move forward without Justin Tucker for the 1st time since the 2011 season.
Now that the preseason is over, the Ravens will have to make some difficult decisions on who will make the 53-man roster for Week 1 and see who will be on the practice squad come September 7th. The toughest decision will be on the defensive side of the ball, as we have some UDFA who made some noise in the preseason that can crack the Week 1 roster. The three UFDA will make the 53-man roster for Week 1. Those three will be CB Keyon Martin, LB Jay Higgins, and S Ruben Lowery. All three of them made some noise in the preseason, and I believe they can be great depth for the defense, where I don’t see a weakness in any spot in the defense.
The next time the Baltimore Ravens take the field; it will be for real as they look to start their road to Santa Clara and Super Bowl LX. With a divisional playoff rematch against the team that knocked them out last year, the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens will be looking to exact their revenge against Buffalo for ending their season, and to start the road to the Super Bowl the right way.
This Ravens team has all the tools to win a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson. If they can limit the mistakes in the postseason and make plays when they need to, there is no reason why this team can hoist up the Lombardi Trophy come February in Santa Clara, California. And it all starts with Quarterback Lamar Jackson.
