A new era of Baltimore Ravens football began this past Saturday and with it, we kickstart the 2026 season of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” reviews for every game. The Ravens beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-7, in their first game action since a missed field goal to close the 2025 season catalyzed a massive shift in the team. It’s only fitting they opened up with another missed kick as well. Let’s go over it.
The Good:
Rookie class: We have to start with one of the biggest talking points coming out of the game.
It was one of the best nights for an entire rookie class that I can remember for the Ravens. First-round pick Vega Ioane only played two series but showed why he didn’t need much more action, bullying defenders in the run game and being a stalwart in the pass game. The Ja’Kobi Lane Hype Train officially reached a new level with game action on film: three catches, 38 yards and the first touchdown of the game. Elijah Sarratt led the team with 66 yards on six catches. Tight end Matt Hibner followed closely behind with 61 yards on five catches and Josh Cuevas also recorded a reception. Running back Adam Randall averaged 3.8 a carry, broke tackles on the way to the end zone and showed the play strength that has plenty of people interested in his development. Second-round edge rusher Zion Young didn’t blow up the stat sheet but showed the relentlessness that had his name called early in the draft. Cornerback Chandler Rivers came away with two tackles plus a pass breakup. This is a rookie class that’s going to be highly utilized and in their game opportunities, they showed why.
Defense: It took until halfway through the second quarter for the Eagles to get one first down. It was with just over two minutes remaining in the game that they scored their first points. The new Ravens’ defense was simply suffocating. The Eagles converted zero third down attempts out of nine total and had less than 20 minutes of possession time. Head Coach Jesse Minter didn’t waste any time showing off his defense either. He didn’t hold back on letting the world see what this Ravens defense would look like with some exotic looks and rotations. It wasn’t too much, but enough for the Ravens defense to get comfortable in a new scheme and send a message to other teams: they are coming for you. Soon, it’ll be time to see it fully unleashed with the starters.
Quarterback play: Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano stole the show on Saturday. After Huntley’s early series, Fagnano was handed the keys for the majority of the game and found a rhythm. He ended the night 22-of-28 with 224 yards, a touchdown, an interception and led three scoring drives. Skylar Thompson went on injured reserve days before the game, shoving Fagnano as the next man up, and now he’s the clear frontrunner for the third backup spot. Throwing his name into the conversation as well was Austin Reed, who made the most of his one true drive he got: two passing completions with an impressive 14-yard scramble to get into the end zone. Reed looked surprisingly comfortable for a guy brought in just days before kickoff. Entrenched backup Tyler Huntley had a calmer day, going 6-of-7 for 76 yards passing. His chance at a scoring drive was ruined by two quick sacks near the red zone and a missed field goal.
Running back depth: While it may not matter with Derrick Henry leading the charge and Justice Hill firmly entrenched behind him, I’d be remiss not to talk about the guys who toted the rock. With Rasheen Ali injured, three rookies got the bulk of the carries. Randall led the way with 46 yards and a score, showing tough running and never going down on first contact. I’d argue undrafted rookies Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Dontae McMillan might have looked even better. Both averaged over 4.0 yards per carry and, McMillan especially, showed impressive burst. Running back injuries can come out of nowhere (see 2021) and it’s good to have guys who can carry the ball when needed.
Punt returns: While the Ravens’ special teams overall wasn’t great (we’ll get into that later), I was happy with what I saw from the punt returners. LaJohntay Wester looked natural once more fielding punts and had an impressive 19-yard return where he snatched the ball off a bounce and burst directly upfield to get the Ravens into opponent territory. The surprise of the night was Sarratt, who looked very comfortable fielding his punts and showed some juice returning. Wester is clearly the more natural and explosive returner, but there have been rumblings that he could be a roster-crunch casualty with reinforcements needed at corner, defensive line, and edge. If so, it’s nice to see Sarratt look so comfortable despite not doing it at all in college.
The Bad:
Emery Jones Jr./Andrew Vorhees: Both of these guys had a leg up and were practically penciled, not penned, in to be the backup guard depth for this offensive line. Neither had a great preseason opener. Jones got bullied at left guard against the Eagles’ second-team defense, giving up a very quick sack that ruined a drive that got near the red zone. It wasn’t the only pressure he would give up. Vorhees also had a rough night once he subbed in when the openers left. He whiffed on multiple blocks and generally didn’t move defenders in the run game. Both these guys need to improve, with impressive UDFAs nipping at their heels for a roster spot.
Sarratt’s fumble: Despite a terrific night all around for Sarratt, we can’t ignore the fumble. After an impressive catch and run, in an uncanny Zay Flowers impression, Sarratt didn’t feel the defense creeping up behind him as he tried to dance his way through defenders and got the ball punched out. It was a rather deflating moment (as deflating as a preseason fumble up 10-0 can be) for a guy who doesn’t have a single fumble listed on his college stat sheet. Because of that, I don’t expect it to be a long-term issue and it’s good it happened now versus later. For a team that has a history of shooting itself in the foot the last half-decade, though, you don’t want to see that.
The Ugly
Special teams: There’s no other way to put it. After watching the 2025 season end courtesy of a wide right field goal from Tyler Loop, opening 2026 with a wide right field goal from Tyler Loop puts your heart in your throat. Then, on the next drive, rookie punter Ryan Eckley shanked a punt for 27 yards. Special teams was an up-and-down unit for the Ravens last year, largely saved by Wester’s returns and Jordan Stout turning into the best punter in the NFL. If they have playoff and championship aspirations this season, they have got to find stability. Who knows what went wrong. It’s the first time Eckley has held for Loop in game action and his very first punt in the NFL. Both players recovered as Eckley’s next punt pinned the Eagles at the 10-yard line, and Loop finished with a 42-yard field goal made and a perfect 3/3 on his extra point attempts. However, this unit cannot be allowed to swing another season like it did last year.
