Baltimore Ravens football is back. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in their preseason opener, 24-7. Safe to say, the introduction to the Jesse Minter era was remarkable.
There was a whole lot of good in Saturday night’s game, and honestly, not a lot of bad. While the offense got off to a slow start, it turned into a complete team performance from end to end.
It’s only preseason, so there’s a long way to go from here, but it’s hard not to love the product on the field at M&T Bank Stadium. With so much excitement in Charm City, here are our 11 instant reactions from the win.
11 instant reactions from Baltimore Ravens’ dominant preseason opener
1. What a performance from Jesse Minter! The first-year head coach wasted no time impressing. Every time the camera panned to him, you could tell he was locked in, and it showed in the results. The Eagles were held to 159 total yards, and only managed one touchdown.
2. We have to keep hyping up the defense. The Eagles looked uncertain on almost every dropback, the middle of the field was locked down in both the run and pass, and as the cherry on top, Philadelphia only entered the red zone once. Baltimore's defense might be back.
3. Coaches are going to want more production from the pass rush since Keyon Martin had Baltimore's only sack of the night. There were some near-sacks, though, and the defensive front made the Eagles’ passing offense uncomfortable. They just need to start converting those pressures into sacks.
4. Vega Ioane was aggressive. He wasn't perfect, but he played mean. He was very good in pass protection, played through the whistle, and played with a level of tenacity that Baltimore's interior offensive line missed in 2025. It was a great start for the first-round rookie.
5. The Tyler Loop concerns persist. He improved his kickoffs; however, he remains far from a sure thing on field goals. He missed a 49-yard field goal on the team’s first drive of the night, one that sailed wide right (a familiar sight on his misses in 2025). Thankfully, he made one from 42 yards out later on, but the jury is still out on Loop.
6. Over the past two weeks at Ravens camp, the name you constantly heard was Ja’Kobi Lane. Lane backed up that hype against the Eagles. He finished the night with 3 receptions, 38 yards, and his first career touchdown. He was more than just a contested catch threat, too, as he found consistent separation over the middle of the field.
7. You know what? Let’s talk about the entire WR3 battle. In addition to Lane’s performance, Devontez Walker and Elijah Sarratt stood out. Walker made 3 catches for 31 yards, and Sarratt had 6 catches for 66 yards. It’s looking like Baltimore might have a pretty deep wide receiver room after all.
8. Speaking of rookies, how about Matthew Hibner? It turned out he’d be one of the go-to weapons in this one. He caught all 5 of his targets for 61 yards. He impressed vertically and after the catch, which may hint at him eventually taking over the Isaiah Likely role. There’s a long way to go, but he looked outstanding.
9. Another year and another preseason of Keyon Martin and Keondre Jackson being preseason darlings. You can bet on the duo giving 110% on every snap, and both did damage during Saturday night’s action. Martin showcased a dangerous motor with 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack. Jackson was flying around like a heat-seeking missile in coverage, closing on passing lanes with tremendous anticipation.
10. The Ravens really, really, really wanted to get Adam Randall going. He just couldn’t get the motor running. He had his moments where he was tough to bring down on first contact, one of which saw him find the end zone for a touchdown, but his upright running style made him an easy target. Over 12 carries, he finished the night with 46 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, and a long of 7. He also caught 1 pass for 2 yards.
11. It might be fair to say Joe Fagnano has locked up the QB3 job. After taking over for Tyler Huntley in the second quarter, he wasn’t subbed out until the second drive of the fourth quarter. He went 22-for-28 through the air for 224 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. While the arm strength isn’t there, his accuracy certainly was, as he consistently put the ball on the numbers of his wide receivers.
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