Ravens Rookie Earns 'A+' Grade in Preseason Win Over Vikings
With the Ravens and Minnesota Vikings engaged in a defensive slugfest in Saturday's preseason game, rookie punter Ryan Eckley had an opportunity to shine. He nailed it.
Eckley earned an 'A+' grade from The Baltimore Sun’s Josh Tolentino for his performance in Baltimore's 13-3 victory.
"What a difference a week makes," Tolentino wrote. "After shanking his first NFL punt for 27 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles, Eckley responded with six punts for 332 yards against Minnesota. The rookie sixth-round draft pick averaged 55.3 yards per punt and placed two inside the 20-yard line, working in a loud but controlled environment at U.S. Bank Stadium. For comparison, Eckley's predecessor, 2025 All-Pro selection Jordan Stout, posted a career-high average of 50.1 yards last season.
"One of Eckley's best punts came with his heels near the back of his own end zone. Minnesota didn't send much pressure, but the rookie out of Michigan State still blasted the ball 59 yards to the Vikings' 37. It might've been a low-scoring affair, but Eckley stole the show."
The Ravens' other kicking specialist, kicker Tyler Loop, also had a good game after getting off on the wrong foot in the preseason opener. Loop received an 'A' grade from Tolentino.
"No Ravens player entered this weekend facing more scrutiny from the fanbase," Tolentino wrote. "The team remains confident in Loop and hasn't brought in outside competition, even after he missed a kick last week against Philadelphia. This time, Loop made both field goal attempts, including one from 49 yards, and converted his only extra-point attempt.
"Loop's real test comes in the regular-season opener at Indianapolis. But after last week's miss, this was a necessary step in the right direction."
Chandler Rivers Draws Comparison to 'Fiery' Former Ravens Safety
Another rookie who stood out on Saturday was cornerback Chandler Rivers, continuing his strong preseason.
Rivers reminds The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn of former Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington.
"Approximately 5 feet 9, wearing number 29. Unafraid to stick his face in the fire, somehow always near the football," Cohn wrote. "In fifth-round rookie cornerback Chandler Rivers, the Ravens might have found an obvious long-term replacement for — rather, reincarnation of — Ar'Darius Washington. …The idiosyncrasies of a player once lauded for his fiery, unexpected contributions are reemerging in new form.
"Rivers logged one pass breakup and two tackles during his preseason debut. He was even better in Minnesota. On third-and-13 late in the first quarter, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy launched a pass 25 yards upfield, looking for Myles Price against the left sideline. Rivers, who appeared a step behind, showed impressive closing speed to whack the ball out of bounds. … Rivers later teamed up with defensive tackle David Olajigba to sack third-string quarterback Max Brosmer."
The Ravens have an abundance of talent at cornerback, led by Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, and fellow nickel Keyon Martin, but Rivers is making a strong case for playing time.
Ravens Trending Up on One Side of Trenches, Down on Other
Improved play in the trenches is among the Ravens' main goals this season. The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han said the offensive line and interior defensive line are trending in opposite directions coming out of the second preseason game.
"[The Interior defensive line] was formerly a position of concern due to the number of injuries," Han wrote. "The performance from the Ravens' depth pieces quells some of that. After whiffing on a sack, Aeneas Peebles rebounded well to affect the quarterback. Rookie Rayshaun Benny recorded a sack, and international players C.J. Okoye and David Olajiga flashed. Veteran Broderick Washington was also disruptive, and the room now seems to be crowded with players vying for the final spots."
Regarding the offensive line, Han wrote: "A potential starter made the first big mistake of the game. First-round pick guard Vega Ioane was called for holding, something that hasn't happened in over two years. He had a decent performance after that, but his teammates along the line also struggled. The quarterbacks were scrambling, and the run game was close to nonexistent. Carson Vinson allowed a sack and almost another, and Emery Jones Jr. was called for a false start. This was consistent with the struggles the line faced through joint practices, and even the starting linemen were not immune."
A closer look at the film showed just how many highly schemed blitzes the Vikings and Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores applied, testing the Ravens' offensive line more than one is usually tested in a preseason game.
Jaylinn Hawkins May No Longer Be Flying Under the Radar
If a player is repeatedly referred to as "under the radar," does that mean he's actually on the radar? If so, safety Jaylinn Hawkins has rightfully exceeded blip status.
Jon Ledyard is the latest NFL analyst to refer to Hawkins as one the best under-the-radar free-agent signings this offseason. Ledyard said Hawkins is the perfect complement to All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton 2025 first-round safety Malaki Starks.
"I think he just gives you something you were missing defensively a little bit," Ledyard said on ESPN’s “The Mina Kimes Show.” "You want to have three safeties, certainly [Head Coach Jesse] Minter does. It's especially helpful if one of your safeties has this really versatile skill set, which Kyle Hamilton does. So if you want to play him down you have the option, but you don't want to be so predictable that he's going to go down all the time and the other guy – Malaki Starks in this case – is just going to be sitting here high. … You also want to move him around and do some things with him.
"So you get the opportunity to have a guy back there as a post safety that can be a rangy, ball-hawky cover type of guy that keeps a lid on everything, can make some plays on the ball while you do the fun stuff with the other guys up front. And yet he's not totally deficient when you want to change it up with him every once in a while also. For certain packages and looks for Minter specifically, you need a guy like Hawkins."
Ravens-Bengals New Year's Meeting Is Among 10 Games That Will Define 2026 Season
With another week of preseason games remaining, Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker looked ahead to the regular season and identified 10 games that will define the season.
The Week 17 meeting between the Ravens and Bengals in Cincinnati on New Year's Eve was among them.
"Year after year, Ravens-Bengals games are must-watch affairs," Locker wrote. "That concept very much extends to this New Year's Eve battle. … Every Lamar Jackson-Joe Burrow matchup regularly produces fireworks and seems to come down to the final possession. Even without Burrow last year, the Bengals spoiled the Ravens' Thanksgiving, with their 32-14 victory helping bury Baltimore's contenting aspirations. This game should mean something for the playoff picture, whether the AFC North crown or a wild-card berth."
The game will take place in prime time, much to the delight of Burrow, who had expressed his displeasure about having to play prime-time games in Baltimore the past four seasons.
