The Washington Commanders improved to 2-0 in the preseason with Monday night’s 29-28 win over the Baltimore Ravens. While preseason wins mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, Monday night’s win was a bit different as the Commanders ended the Ravens’ 24-game preseason winning streak.
Washington chose to play its offensive starters for the entire first half. That meant a lot of work for newly-named starter Sam Howell. Howell responded, completing 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
The Commanders did not play their starters on defense, with the exception of linebacker Cody Barton and Jamin Davis and first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.
Washington will wrap up the preseason Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s doubtful the starters will play for the Commanders. NFL teams will cut rosters down to 53 players next week, giving them one last chance to evaluate potential roster hopefuls.
What did we learn from Washington’s win over Baltimore? Here are five takeaways from Monday’s victory.
Sam Howell continues to get comfortable
The Commanders named Sam Howell starting quarterback last week. The decision was a long time coming and not a surprise. So while Howell is officially the starting quarterback, he still needs reps. On Monday, head coach Ron Rivera gave the offense the first half, giving Howell some critical reps as they ramp up preparation for Week 1.
Howell responded. He took two sacks, humbly admitting they were on him after the game. On the first sack, Howell responded in a big way, with a 16-yard completion to tight end Cole Turner on third-and-15. It was a beautiful, accurate throw from Howell. He continued to make impressive throws from the pocket and on the move. He gave receivers room to run after the catch, and most of the six incompletions were throwaways.
It was good work for Howell. The Commanders weren’t looking for Howell to lead them to a preseason win but for him to continue developing a rapport with his receivers and gain precious live reps in Eric Bieniemy’s offense.
Mission accomplished.
Commanders may have dodged a bullet with McLaurin
Washington fans held their collective breath when star wide receiver Terry McLaurin limped off the field just before halftime. McLaurin went into the locker room and received X-rays, which were negative. That’s terrific news. McLaurin now has almost three weeks to get ready for Week 1.
The Commanders got lucky here. While we don’t know if McLaurin’s injury will linger, there shouldn’t be any long-term concerns here. McLaurin won’t play in the preseason finale, and he probably wouldn’t have even if the injury didn’t happen Monday.
Where was the pass rush?
Yes, we know Montez Sweat, Chase Young, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne didn’t play. But where was Washington’s pass rush? The Commanders love their defensive line depth, and that group struggled against the Ravens, particularly in the first half. Throughout the game, Baltimore quarterbacks had plenty of time in the pocket. It was an opportunity for some of Washington’s young defensive ends to make a play, and they were mostly quiet. The Commanders were credited with one QB hit for the entire game.
Seventh-round pick Andre Jones Jr. did have another outstanding play, stopping a Baltimore running back in the backfield for a loss.
Cole Turner as TE1?
Yes, we know Logan Thomas is Washington’s starting tight end. But you can’t help but wonder if the calf injury he’s battled for weeks now will linger into the season. After all, Thomas is 32 and coming off a couple of injury-plagued seasons. That has allowed John Bates and Cole Turner the chance to be more involved in the passing game.
Bates and Turner have had good camps. Turner has been terrific in both preseason games. On Monday, Turner caught two passes for 24 yards, including a 16-yard reception on third-and-long from Howell.
If Turner can stay healthy, he could develop into Washington’s top tight end in 2023. He and Howell have a nice rapport already.
The fans brought the energy
Yes, it was a preseason game. Yes, the stands weren’t full. But Washington fans were tailgating at noon on gameday, on a Monday of a preseason game. The fans in attendance were loud and involved. And those who stayed late were cheering the Commanders on late in hopes they would end Baltimore’s preseason streak. The energy surrounding the team right now is real.
I’d say they’re a bit hungry for any success. It’s been a minute. So even a fun preseason win leads to this… pic.twitter.com/68V0OJhyyX
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 22, 2023
