RAVENS RECAP: Baltimore 13, Minnesota 3

Look, nobody is hanging a banner for an August win in Minneapolis. But if you were paying attention on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium — I’m sure you were — you saw a Ravens team that looks like it has an identity under first-year head coach Jesse Minter, even with the varsity in street clothes. After two chippy joint practices in Eagan both teams sat their starters and let the kids play. The kids in purple pants were better. Ravens 13, Vikings 3, and Baltimore is 2-0 in games that don’t count but performances that absolutely do.

Let’s get to it.

The Good

The defense. All of it. Ten points allowed in two preseason games. Five sacks and nine quarterback hits on Saturday. Minnesota piled up 299 yards of offense and had exactly three points to show for it, going 0-for-1 in the red zone while Baltimore’s reserves stiffened every time the field shrank. That’s not scheme luck — that’s a Minter defense playing Minter football, and it showed up with backups.

The sack party had plenty of invitations: Mike Green, Ethan Burke, Rayshaun Benny and Keondre Jackson each got home, with Chandler Rivers and David Olajiga splitting another. Green’s dip-and-rip around the edge to drop J.J. McCarthy was the kind of rep the Ravens need to see from their former second-round pick if the pass rush is going to take a step forward this season.

Joe Fagnano, again. The undrafted rookie out of UConn keeps making the back-end quarterback math complicated — in the best way. Fagnano went 15-of-20 for 123 yards and the game’s only touchdown, an 8-yard strike to LaJohntay Wester with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. Through two preseason games he’s completed 37 of 48 passes with two touchdowns against one pick. His 27-yard connection to Devontez Walker on the touchdown drive — climbing the pocket against a Brian Flores pressure package, no less — was an NFL throw.  

Joe Fagnano, thru two games against Fangio & Flores Defenses:
37-of-48 Passing
347 yards
2 TDs vs 1 INT pic.twitter.com/IZC2qNnckq

— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) August 22, 2026

Ryan Eckley, weapon. After an uneven debut against the Eagles, the rookie punter boomed it: 60, 59, 59, 56 and 40 yards, plus a 54-yarder that pinned the Vikings at their own 4. Field position was a Baltimore ally all afternoon, and Eckley was the reason. Tyler Loop chipped in a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals from 49 and 20. For one Saturday at least, exhale about the kicking game.

The rookie tight ends. Last week it was Matt Hibner; this week Josh Cuevas took his turn, catching back-to-back balls of roughly 20 yards on the Ravens’ third drive and finishing with a team-high 46 receiving yards. With Mark Andrews sitting out the preseason, the young tight ends keep raising their hands.

Takeaways, finally. Burke stripped Vikings receiver Jeshaun Jones early in the fourth quarter and Amani Oruwariye fell on it — Baltimore’s first takeaway of the preseason. Then, with Minnesota threatening late, safety Silas Walters jumped a Max Brosmer route for the interception that iced it.

The Bad

The ground game was a rumor. Twenty-two carries, 58 yards, 2.6 per pop, and the longest “run” of the day was an 8-yard Fagnano scramble. Jonathan Ward‘s 35 yards on 10 carries led the way, which tells you everything. Yes, the offensive line was a patchwork of unfamiliar combinations, but the Ravens’ brand is built on moving people, and nobody moved anybody on Saturday.

Tyler Huntley‘s outing. Snoop went just 5-of-8 for 63 yards across four possessions, and he spent much of that time running for his life behind a leaky front. He didn’t turn it over — credit where due — but the offense sputtered through three-and-outs on his watch. With Fagnano stacking efficient halves.

Silas Walters, first half. Before he became the closer, Walters was the culprit — beaten for a 50-yard shot to Tai Felton and a 36-yarder to Jeshaun Jones. The late pick was redemption, but coverage tape from the first thirty minutes will make for an uncomfortable Monday film session.

The Ugly

Laundry. Everywhere. Nine accepted penalties for 80 yards, and reserve tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan was flagged for holding three separate times. Three! After a clean opener against Philadelphia, this was the sloppy cousin of that performance. Minter’s teams are supposed to be operationally crisp; Saturday was anything but for the guys blocking on the edges.

Third down. The two teams combined to convert just 10 of 29 third downs, and Baltimore’s early-game offense was a big contributor to that ugliness. Extended drives came courtesy of Minnesota mistakes — including a roughing-the-passer gift — more often than sustained execution.

Player of the Game: Joe Fagnano

Ethan Burke made a strong case — a sack, a forced fumble, two passes defensed and two QB hits in a performance that may have lapped Adisa Isaac in the race for an outside linebacker spot. Eckley deserves a nod too. But the ball goes to Fagnano, who engineered the only touchdown drive of the game, protected the football against a Flores defense designed to confuse young quarterbacks, and continued a preseason that has turned an anonymous UDFA into the most interesting roster question in Owings Mills. Head coach Jesse Minter said afterward that Fagnano came in for the second straight week and managed the offense well while making key throws. Intentional understatement, coach?

Up next: The preseason finale against the Washington Commanders, Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Cutdown day looms — and thanks to Saturday, a few of these kids made those decisions harder.

The post RAVENS RECAP: Baltimore 13, Minnesota 3 appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/08/23/gbu-paige-spiranac/ravens-beat-vikings/