Most NFL teams certainly love to win in the preseason, but for the Baltimore Ravens it means a little more.
With a 20-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, the Ravens extended their preseason winning streak to 24.
And on Monday night, they have a chance to make the magic 25, but they’ll have to face a tough game against rivals, the Washington Commanders.
The Ravens had already written themselves into NFL lore with the longest streak in preseason history, all the way back to 2015.
The second longest is 19, held by Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers from 1959-1962.
The Ravens (coach pictured, John Harbaugh) extended their preseason winning streak to 24
Baltimore defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20-19 in the preseason opener last Saturday night
Baltimore’s last preseason loss was on September 3, 2015 against the Atlanta Falcons
The last time Baltimore lost during the preseason was on September 3, 2015, in a 20-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that ended with a failed two-point conversion.
But that loss would be the last for now. As the preseason rolled around the following year, the reign of the unbeatable Ravens began.
The streak started with a 22-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Ryan Mallett started the game below center and was the first of 14 quarterbacks to play for Baltimore during the streak.
Among the others are franchise quarterbacks Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III.
Josh Johnson also appeared in the first win, completing eight for 11 passes for 83 yards.
Since then, Johnson has been a bit of a journeyman, bouncing around 11 different rosters, including the San Diego Fleet and the Los Angeles Wildcats, before landing right back where he started with the Baltimore Ravens.
A member of the Ravens’ 2023 preseason, Johnson started in Saturday’s streak-extending game, going 8-12 for 45 yards and a touchdown, and helping seven years after he played in the game that started it all, another to add victory to the series. .
While Johnson is a recurring figure amidst the streak, only two players have played the entire streak; kicker Justin Tucker and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The streak began with a 22-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the 2016 preseason
Josh Johnson participated in the first win and was back on the roster for the win over the Eagles
However, prior to Saturday’s victory, Tucker said the streak is not mentioned at all among the players.
“I said this last year, and the year before and probably the year before that, but obviously it means something to us,” Tucker said via ESPN.
“It is a reflection of our organisation, coaching staff and young players doing their best at this time of year to put a good product on the pitch, and one we can all be proud of. It mainly speaks to the way our coaches develop us and the way they make our young boys believe in what we are doing here.’
In fact, it seems that the first rule of the preseason streak is don’t talk about the preseason streak.
Head coach John Harbaugh also insisted that he not be named in his team’s run of eight perfect summers.
“It’s like a no-hitter (in baseball). It’s like a hitting streak,” Harbaugh said. “It will remain unsaid until maybe after the game.”
Harbaugh has helmed the entire streak, since taking the lead in 2008 and winning the Super Bowl in 2012.
“It’s a credit to Coach Harbaugh and the rest of this organization that this streak has been able to go on for so long,” Johnson said.
Kicker Justin Tucker is one of two players to have been with the Ravens for the entire streak
“With so many different guys playing preseason and going up there and playing above standard, as he likes to say.”
Pre-season often acts as a chance for the players on the fringes to prove themselves and stake their claim to a starting spot.
However, that’s not always the case for the Ravens.
In the win against the Eagles, Harbaugh rolled out 2nd stringers such as Tyler Huntley and Gus Edwards compared to the 3rd and 4th stringers other teams select. Tucker, the NFL’s leading kicker, also played.
However, the Ravens aren’t so desperate to win and maintain their streak that they only select their regular season starters.
Since the start of the streak, 42 different players have scored a touchdown. Meanwhile, their two franchise quarterbacks during the run, Flacco and Jackson, combine just seven starts in the preseason streak.
Whether or not they are actively trying to win is ultimately irrelevant because, as their rivals like to point out, the results mean nothing.
“People have their opinions, and I understand that,” Harbaugh said. “Different things are important to different people, and I know that the guys who played in those games, the guys who made the plays to win those games in the fourth quarter — because most of those games in the fourth quarter were won with boys make plays – they’ll remember it. It’s important to them for the rest of their lives, and that’s why it’s important to me.”
Harbaugh added, “We have a lot of goals (and) a lot of things we’re trying to accomplish. It’s not about that at all, not even necessarily about that. It’s about getting better as a football team, evaluating our players and improving each individual player. So that’s what we’re looking for.’
In the win against the Eagles, Harbaugh rolled out 2nd stringers like Tyler Huntley
But winning in the preseason doesn’t equate to winning in the regular season. Not if the Ravens are anything to go by.
While Baltimore has won records in five of the past seven seasons, it has played just five playoff games since the start of the preseason and won only one.
But Harbaugh hopes to return with Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. a new shiny addition to the roster that will change this season.
First, though, is the hunt for pre-season win No. 25 in a rivalry match against the Commanders.