Inside the Ravens' Record-Breaking Preseason Win Streak
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20-19 in their first game of the 2023 NFL preseason on Saturday.
The Eagles had an opportunity to put themselves ahead in the fourth quarter when cornerback Eli Ricks intercepted Anthony Brown's pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. Philadelphia would fail to convert the ensuing two-point conversion, and Baltimore was able to hang on for the win.
It marked the 24th straight preseason victory for the Ravens, a streak that spans all the way back to 2015. The last time Baltimore lost in the preseason was on Sep. 3, 2015 when the Atlanta Falcons defeated them in another game that ended 20-19 on a failed two-point conversion.
The NFL recognizes their 24-game win streak as the longest in the history of the preseason. The second-longest streak was 19 games by the Green Bay Packers from 1959-1962.
A lot has gone into the streak, and a lot has changed since that fateful day in September 2015.
The first win came in 2016, when the Ravens defeated the Carolina Panthers 22-19 in a game that was started by Ryan Mallett. Mallett is one of 14 different quarterbacks that have played in a preseason game for Baltimore during the streak.
Also appearing in that first win was quarterback Josh Johnson. While he isn't the most notable name on a list that includes Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III, he has perhaps the most interesting connection the the streak.
Johnson appeared in the game that started the streak, completing eight of 11 passes for 83 yards. Since then, he has appeared on 11 different rosters including the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football and the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL.
Most recently, he could be found on...the Ravens 2023 preseason roster. In Baltimore's streak-extending win over the Eagles, Johnson started the game, going 8-12 for 45 yards and a touchdown. Seven years after contributing to the win that started it all, he helped extend their streak to 24.
Philadelphia became the sixth team to lose multiple times to the Ravens during the streak. Fourteen different teams make up the 24 losses that Baltimore has handed out since that 2016 game against the Panthers. The Washington Commanders have contributed the most losses in the streak, losing five times to the Ravens.
The entirety of the streak has happened with John Harbaugh as the head coach. Harbaugh has been at the helm for Baltimore since 2008 and won the Super Bowl in 2012.
"That'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. "With so many different guys playing in the preseason and to go over there and play above the standard, as he likes to state"
Preseason is the time for players on the fringes of NFL rosters to shine. That has especially been the case for Baltimore who have had 45 different players score a touchdown for them during their streak.
One consistent piece for the Ravens during this time has been the guy kicking the field goals and extra points. Justin Tucker has made 233 out of 253 field goals and 274 out of 279 extra points in the regular season since the streak began.
Whether or not the streak does anything meaningful for team success is unclear. Baltimore has played in five playoff games since 2016, with only one win.
Next up for the Ravens is the Commanders, again. Baltimore will look to add a sixth victory over Washington and a 25th victory to their record-breaking streak.
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