2 great Ravens debuts: recovered fumbles and intercepted passes

The Ravens dropped their first mid-summer game in 25 attempts and for the first time last losing one in 2015 when they fell 29-28 to the Washington Commanders on Monday at FedEx Field.

The defining moment came with 9 seconds left on the clock as that was the moment Joey Slye's kicked ball split the crossbar and gave the hosts the lead, helping them break the 24-game-winning streak put together by Baltimore over the last eight years.

The Ravens can feel proud about leading the game into single-digit seconds left, while the Commanders should feel ashamed of beating Baltimore by a measly single point even though they deployed their starters and used them for most of the matchup while facing second, third, and fourth-string players.

Sam Howell, the Commanders starter on Monday and also for the regular season, had himself a good outing but couldn't handle two of the most recent Ravens hirings: cornerbacks DeAndre Houston-Carson and Tae Hayes.

Houston-Carson and Hayes made their Ravens debuts with gaudy outings

The Ravens signed former Chicago Bears CB/S on Aug. 14, adding another member to their depleted secondary after he visited the team a few days earlier.

Houston-Carson might not find a role as a starter either outside or in the slot in Baltimore, but he's surely making a case for himself already by recovering a fumble and scooping up the rock after a hit by Malik Hamm, regaining possession for his team.

DAHC grabbed the loose ball and rushed it forward for a few yards, getting Baltimore to the Commander's 15-yard line on the play.

For his part, Tae Hayes had another extraordinary action on defense on Monday facing Washington. The corner, a former USFL champion with the Birmingham Stallions, was cut by the Detroit Lions after their first preseason game and instantly claimed off waivers by Baltimore.

Hayes, also making his debut last Monday against the Commies, got himself a sweet interception (h/t @TheDailyRaven) in the fourth quarter with Washington already trying to get deeper in Ravens' territory.

The former Lions corner got the fourth-most snaps on Monday, getting to play in 41 of them for a 48% share through the matchup. Houston-Carson led all Ravens' safeties with 63 snaps or 73% of all defensive snaps played by that unit against Washington.

While none of these two are locks to make the final 53-man roster, their impact has already been felt on the field in just their first game with the franchise.

In the worst of cases, the Ravens would do good to keep them around as members of Baltimore's practice squad as an insurance policy for eventual (and inevitable) injuries that might pop up through the regular season.

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