ExtremeRavens Posted Sunday at 10:30 AM Posted Sunday at 10:30 AM The Ravens improved to 2-0 with a 31-13 preseason win Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys that put any leftover kicker concerns to rest and showcased young defensive depth. Here are five things we learned from the game: Tyler Loop ‘earned it’ A section of fans sitting in the upper deck at Jerry’s World stretched out homemade white and purple signs that read, “Loop there it is.” It made for worthy fodder on the broadcast. AT&T Stadium, a dome in Arlington, Texas, is less than an hour from where Tyler Loop grew up. He had plenty of family and friends there to support with their cheesy one-liner. He guessed maybe 30 people. This was as close to an authentic home game as the rookie kicker will have all winter — at least until he gets comfortable swinging his leg in Baltimore’s more unpredictable weather conditions. Loop delivered. He made 5 of 6 field goal attempts, making 2 of 3 from 50-plus yards. By himself, Loop outscored the Cowboys, 16-13. This, after his 1-for-2 showing in the preseason opener. But it wasn’t as if the coaching staff left that game scratching their heads about the lone miss. They could tell right away that Loop scraped his foot before striking the ball. That gets washed away when he made his next try from beyond 50 yards. Baltimore’s trust is evident by how willing the organization was to release his competitor, John Hoyland, and hold off on bringing in a veteran to force reporters to keep tracking every kick, every day in what would be the only true training camp positional battle. Loop’s preseason has quieted any of that discourse. He’s ready to be the starter. After splitting the uprights on a 50-plus yarder Saturday night, he looked confident as ever. Maybe more than that, he never showed signs of nerves while cameras zoomed in on the baby face with some stubble hiding behind that face mask. “He’ll be the kicker,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s earned it.” Loop didn’t even know that it became official. “That’s fun,” he exclaimed to reporters. Field goals are the money-making side of his job. He’s still responsible for booting the ball downfield on kickoffs. While preseason is the time to try throwing wrinkles in the operation, Loop did look frustrated after he opened the second half with a knuckleball that dribbled out of bounds. Per the NFL’s new kickoff rule, any ball that falls short of the landing zone puts the opposing offense at their own 40-yard line. Don’t read too far into that. What matters is that Loop is making field goals, and he’s got the leg to drive the ball like Bryson DeChambeau. Punter-holder Jordan Stout told The Baltimore Sun recently that Loop has “the biggest leg I’ve ever seen.” Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush completed 20 of 30 passes for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against his former team. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Cooper Rush takes a step forward In Harbaugh’s words, Cooper Rush’s 20 completions on 30 passing attempts for 198 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions is “what we expect from him. That’s what we’ve seen from him every day.” Rush handled first-half duties Saturday night. He wasn’t revelatory but, to Harbaugh’s point, he did what he would be called on to do should the Ravens need to go to their backup at any point this season: Not sink the ship and let the defense carry the brunt of the work. Give Rush some credit. His first interception appeared to be a forced throw with no help from his receiver, LaJohntay Wester, who got tied up and turned his head to the ball too late. It looks even worse on the stat sheet when you see that Dallas’ Andrew Booth took it back to the end zone for a pick 6. Rush’s second interception simply slipped through Rasheen Ali’s hands into those of a waiting defender. Beyond that, his coach thought that the 31-year-old veteran was “accurate” and “on time.” That was true for a while on throws only to Devontez Walker. After one quarter, Walker had five catches on seven targets for 47 yards (he finished with six for 61). No one else had more than a catch by that point. It wasn’t until later, settled into the flow of the offense, that Rush made the highlight of his Baltimore tenure thus far: a scramble drill touchdown to Keith Kirkwood in the back of the end zone. The Ravens thought that they might be getting an upgrade at backup quarterback when they signed Rush to a two-year, $6.2 million deal this offseason. It’s hard to stamp that as the truth. Saturday was at least a slight improvement from a 20.8 passer rating against the Colts to 68.5. Earlier this week, Rush was asked if a preseason game in Dallas might be an opportunity to show his former team he’s doing just fine without them. Rush let out a half-chuckle, “I’ve been really trying to show my current team I’m doing well.” That point of proving himself to his peers was reintroduced after the win. “I thought ball control, lot of completions, keeping the defense off the field, we were really good on third down. Then make the plays when they’re there,” he said. “Missed one scramble TD but had another one there. Bounced back after negative plays.” Who might back up center Tyler Linderbaum? It’s becoming clear. The mistakes are far louder on tape than the positive reps. Looking back on this game, it will be Corey Bullock’s false start in the red zone that pushed the Ravens into an unfriendly first-and-goal from the 16-yard line that yielded only three points that will be harped on in the offensive line room. It seemed that was Bullock’s only gaffe. The Prince George’s County native signed out of the University of Maryland is fighting for a roster spot after spending all of 2024 on the practice squad. Stacking a second solid outing as Baltimore’s starting center in both preseason games indicates that he’s the favorite to back up two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. “He’s fantastic,” Rush said. “He runs the show. … Guys were going to the right places, that’s all Corey.” Added Ali: “Corey’s my dog. He communicates well. He’s real. He just lets me know everything that happens pre-snap just as far as protections, the IDs and everything. And even in the locker room, we just talk a lot. That’s my guy.” Bullock graded out well in run blocking against the Colts last week (75.5, according to Pro Football Focus) but struggled far more in pass protection. Saturday night was a similar tale. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said this week that he has been excited for what Bullock has shown through camp thus far. “He’s a very conscientious young man, and he’s playing a really high level right now,” Monken said. The alternative to back up Linderbaum would be Nick Samac, who replaced Bullock before halftime. Rookie guard Grant Dellinger is the other. Like Bullock, he brings an intriguing positional versatility. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Bullock was an offensive tackle in college, then spent this summer making himself an option at center. Bullock told the team website, “If I want to stick around, versatility is key.” Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III throws a pass under pressure from Ravens linebacker Jay Higgins IV. Higgins has a chance to make the team as an undrafted free agent. (AP Photo/Richard Rodriguez) Don’t overlook these young defenders Keyon Martin shoved Miles Sanders back 5 yards on Dallas’ second play from scrimmage. Moments later, Martin burst into the backfield on a designed blitz that left quarterback Joe Milton III crumbling to the ground in the back of the end zone for a safety. Before halftime, Milton unloaded on a deep ball looking for Jonathan Mingo. It was intercepted by another undrafted free agent who has turned heads all summer, Reuben Lowery. The versatile defensive back high-pointed the football in the end zone for an uncontested catch. Still, it was the kind he can’t afford to drop. It swung the pendulum back in Baltimore’s favor after an interception from Rush on the previous play. “I thought all the young DBs stepped up and played well,” Harbaugh said. “I’m proud of that whole group. You can mention any one of those names, those guys all played very well.” Then linebacker Jay Higgins IV joined the fun. The undrafted rookie from Iowa forced a fumble in the fourth quarter for his second turnover in as many preseason appearances. Baltimore has included at least one UDFA on its final 53-man roster in 20 of the past 21 seasons. Lowery is constructing the best case to make it 21 of 22, considering he can fit in at safety or cornerback. Higgins is a close second option if the roster construction allows for a fifth linebacker primarily playing special teams. After Saturday night, and as the secondary has thinned out with season-ending injuries for sixth-round picks Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam, Martin won’t let anyone forget about him, either. Adisa Isaac vs. David Ojabo Harbaugh told reporters after the game that outside linebacker Adisa Isaac suffered a dislocated elbow that will keep him out for “at least” the next few weeks. It’s an unfortunate reality for a sophomore who missed most of last year because of injury and had been constructing a preseason camp worthy of roster contention. It stinks to see a positional battle tilt because of injury. Isaac and David Ojabo, both of whom entered the league as highly touted prospects, have flashed their moments this summer in a competition to be the team’s fifth pass rusher behind Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson and second-round pick Mike Green. Saturday night, Ojabo’s pass-rush win rate was fourth-best on the team (14.3%). Harbaugh thought that he “had a really good night from what I saw.” Isaac’s sample size was too small to judge, although he played well in the preseason opener. There’s a world in which the Ravens knock off a spot at another position to keep a sixth pass rusher. There’s room for roster Jenga, having seen the defensive back room thin out over the past week. It’s more likely that Isaac opens the year on the injured reserve and elevates Ojabo from bubble designation to a likely roster spot. Either way, it’s a shame if this gets decided in the short term by an unfortunate preseason injury. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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