The Commanders vs Ravens Preseason Recap is a short, ugly one. Baltimore blew out Washington 41-3 in Friday’s preseason finale, closing out an exhibition slate that ends with the Commanders winless in their final two games. Washington held 41 players out of the game entirely, an unusually high number even for a meaningless finale two days before roster cuts.
A Lopsided Night From the Start
Baltimore struck early, needing a replay reversal to overturn an incomplete call before Chris Moore’s touchdown put the Ravens up 7-0. Washington never found an answer.
The Commanders’ only points came on a field goal, while Baltimore added touchdowns throughout, capped by a 20-yard Cornelius Johnson catch that made the final 41-3.
Rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis got the start, continuing his audition for the No. 3 quarterback job after a strong outing against Detroit the week before. He didn’t have nearly the same success behind a similarly patchwork offensive line facing Baltimore’s defense.
The Commanders could not move the ball. They had three three-and-outs in the first half, and managed just 60 yards and one first down to the Ravens 275 yards and 17 first downs. Pitiful.
A Few Individual Bright Spots
The game wasn’t a total loss on an individual level. Defensive lineman Byron Cowart blew up a run play for a loss early, continuing a strong camp that could still land him a roster spot. Especially given the Johnny Newton injury.
Safety Tyler Owens made another very physical play on a hit on Adam Randall on the goal line. Baltimore would score on the next play, but Owens has flashed enough to warrant some serious roster consideration.
Receivers Luke McCaffrey and Van Jefferson each caught a pass for 17 yards, though both also had drops, Is their roster bubble status murkier rather than clearer following the preseason?
Receiver Jaden Bradley fumbled a kickoff return in the first half, a costly mistake given how competitive Washington’s receiver room already is heading into cuts.
Surprises
It was a little surprising that Dyami Brown and Treylon Burks did not dress. That would seem to indicate that both are making the team.
McCaffrey might end up being the seventh receiver, but right now, the top six would appear to be Brown, Burks, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams and Jaylin Lane.
Fabian Moreau also sat out – another surprise roster evaluation. He was drafted by Washington in the third round, and was with the team from 2017-2020. Perhaps his familiarity served in his favor. He has spent time on seven different rosters since leaving in 2020.
Some seemed surprised to see Quan Martin sit out too, but he seemed safe as soon as they cut Will Harris earlier this week. Back-to-back games with an interception definitely helped his cause.
Cute
Dan Quinn let new kicker Drew Stevens have a go at a field goal from 62 yards. It wasn’t really very close. Still, it was closer than Washington got on any other first half possession.
The Head Coach was not happy with the effort on Friday night.
“It was not good enough. It wasn’t up to our standards,” Quinn said after the game.
What This Preseason Game Means
A 41-3 preseason finale loss means little in a vacuum, and Washington held out nearly every meaningful contributor, including Jayden Daniels, McLaurin, Diggs, and the bulk of the starting offensive and defensive lines. Still, it caps a rough final week of preseason for Washington, following an equally ugly joint practice against this same Baltimore team days earlier. You never want to back into the season though, so the terrible performance is still a mild concern.
The Commanders now turn fully to roster cuts, with the 53-man deadline set for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, ahead of a September 13 regular-season opener at Philadelphia.
Game Note:
Here are the players that did not participate in the game against the Baltimore Ravens. Added just for later context that they really sat nearly a complete roster.
- No. 0 CB Mike Sainristil
- No. 1 RB Rachaad White
- No. 2 CB Amik Robertson
- No. 3 WR Stefon Diggs
- No. 4 LB Frankie Luvu
- No. 5 QB Jayden Daniels
- No. 6 WR Dyami Brown
- No. 8 QB Marcus Mariota
- No. 13 WR Treylon Burks
- No. 14 WR Antonio Williams
- No. 17 WR Terry McLaurin
- No. 20 S Quan Martin
- No. 22 RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
- No. 23 CB Trey Amos
- No. 25 S Nick Cross
- No. 26 RB Jeremy McNichols
- No. 30 CB Fabian Moreau
- No. 31 S Rasul Douglas
- No. 39 S Jeremy Reaves
- No. 45 OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
- No. 52 LB Sonny Styles
- No. 54 LB Leo Chenal
- No. 58 LB Jordan Magee
- No. 67 OL Nick Allegretti
- No. 71 T Andrew Wylie
- No. 72 T Josh Conerly Jr.
- No. 74 OL Brandon Coleman
- No. 75 G Chris Paul
- No. 76 G Sam Cosmi
- No. 78 T Laremy Tunsil
- No. 82 TE Ben Sinnott
- No. 83 WR Jaylin Lane
- No. 85 TE Chig Okonkwo
- No. 87 TE John Bates
- No. 90 DE Charles Omenihu
- No. 91 DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
- No. 92 OLB Dorance Armstrong
- No. 94 DT Daron Payne
- No. 95 DT Jer’Zhan Newton
- No. 98 OLB Odafe Oweh
- No. 99 DT Javon Kinlaw