LANDOVER — Sam Cosmi said in lead up to Monday’s affair that he couldn’t care less about Baltimore’s preseason streak. “Who gives a [blank]?” he told reporters.
But the Washington Commanders guard also guaranteed a victory — a declaration that came true.
The Commanders knocked off the Ravens with a 29-28 victory Monday to end Baltimore’s 24-game preseason winning streak. Kicker Joey Slye made the difference late, nailing a 49-yard field goal to give the Commanders the lead in the final 10 seconds. Third-stringer Jake Fromm put Washington in position for the kick by leading a gutsy 14-play, 50-yard drive.
Baltimore, too, hadn’t lost in the preseason since 2015.
Call it a new era.
Here’s what else you need to know from the game:
Spreading around: Sam Howell did plenty to impress against the Baltimore Ravens.
Howell threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 19 of 25 passing with a quarterback rating of 123.4 — providing the national audience a glimpse of why the Commanders have high hopes for their young signal-caller this coming season.
The 22-year-old only played a half, but overcame early mistakes with sharp throws and demonstrated a command of new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense. His two touchdown throws featured pinpoint accuracy to running back Antonio Gibson and Dyami Brown and even gave Washington a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Howell’s performance Monday was how the second-year signal caller spread the ball around. Of his 19 completions, seven different players caught the ball — with Jahan Dotson leading the way with five receptions for 76 yards. Howell often stayed patient in the pocket, so much so that the decision-making cost him early on when he took a 13-yard sack on second down. In that case, coaches likely would have preferred to see him get rid of the ball much sooner.
But, as has been a consistent theme of Howell’s game, the North Carolina product didn’t let a negative play affect his steady demeanor. On the first next play, facing third-and-15, Howell found Turner down the field for a gain of 16.
Later on, following a seven-yard sack, Howell gained the yardage back with an 8-yard run. Baltimore was also called for defensive holding on the play, giving the Commanders a first down.
“The reality of it is, (preseason) doesn’t mean anything,” Howell said. “We did some good things on offense tonight, but there’s a lot of stuff we can clean up. … It’s all about what can we do better, how can we get better as an offense. If we keep that mindset, we’ll be alright.”
Defensive line fails to take advantage of opportunity: The Commanders rested eight defensive starters against the Ravens — including all four linemen upfront in Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen (plantar fasciitis) and Chase Young (stinger). That gave backups ample room to prove themselves in a crowded competition.
Unfortunately for Washington, no one immediately stood out in seizing the moment. Former Washington starter Josh Johnson — remember him? — led the Ravens’ second-string easily down the field as he carved up the Commanders’ defense. He finished the night 10 of 12 for 145 yards with two touchdowns. The line, and the secondary for that matter, didn’t provide much resistance.
As of now, it’s unclear how many defensive linemen Washington will look to keep. Could the team be open to retaining as many as 11 linemen? If not, someone notable might get squeezed. James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Efe Obada and rookies Andre Jones Jr. and K.J. Henry are among the edge rushers vying for the spots behind Young and Sweat.
McLaurin banged up: As good as Howell looked, the one concern of the evening might reside with McLaurin — who landed hard on a tackle and looked frustrated when he got to the sideline. The No. 1 wideout threw off his shoe before being examined by trainers and later went back to the locker room shortly before halftime.
The Commanders said after the half, that McLaurin suffered a toe injury and was ruled out of the game. X-rays on McLaurin’s toe were reportedly negative.
The handshake seen ’round the world: New Commanders owner Josh Harris appeared on the “Monday Night Football” broadcast, and produced two notable moments. The first: “I have a lot of faith in Sam (Howell) and the team,” Harris said — giving a public vote of confidence to the Commanders’ young quarterback.
The second … he might want back. Play-by-play man Joe Buck stuck his hand out during one moment and Harris went in for an awkward handshake — before pulling it back quickly upon realizing Buck wasn’t extending the invitation.
Eagle-eyed viewers noticed the exchange and the clip spread on social media:
This isn’t “Happy Thanksgiving” level awkward by Josh Harris but it definitely was awkward!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/n4czmKBUW7
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) August 22, 2023
But hey, as my buddy Pete Hailey noted, at least Harris didn’t wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving at an introductory press conference.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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