If the Washington Commanders remain relatively healthy, 2025 will likely resemble 2024. If there are serious injuries at any position, trouble may arise.
For a third consecutive week, Washington’s backups got pushed around, this time by the Baltimore Ravens in a 30-3 loss at Northwest Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Commanders end the 2025 preseason 0-3.
Quarterback Sam Hartman, given a chance to secure the third-string job, struggled again, completing 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards. He threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.
“Just kind of looking back and visiting with it postgame and talking to the team, to me, the ball was the issue,” head coach Dan Quinn said in his post-game news conference. “And so, for us to finish at minus four, not creating takeaways, man, that is not a recipe. So, not creating them on defense, not taking care of it at a winning level, that is no recipe. I thought, honestly, just got beat in all three phases, but the ball is such a big, big part of who we are and what we do. We’ve got to get that part of our football right. That’s what I told the team tonight.”
The Commanders’ run defense also left a lot to be desired. Backups played the entire game, allowing Baltimore to dominate the time of possession, 35 to 25 minutes.
The Ravens started the game with a 14-play, 70-yard drive, keeping the ball for more than half the first quarter. Rasheen Ali ended the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run to make the score 7-0.
Commanders kicker Brian Gay missed a 50-yard field goal on Washington’s first drive, which is concerning because he has been inconsistent this preseason.
Baltimore took the ball 57 yards down the field with running back D’Ernest Johnson scoring from the two to make the score 14-0.
On Hartman’s third drive, he threw one of his two interceptions that led to a Ravens field goal to increase the lead to 17-0. Hartman spent last season on the practice squad; it remains to be seen if his play this summer earned him a roster spot.
“With [QB] Marcus [Mariota] being out, that created more playing time, and so just like we were saying with the whole team, they got more ops to play than they normally would have, Quinn said. “And so, I think those are important parts of the evaluation as it goes into it, but as far as numbers in terms of how many, we haven’t finalized any of those things yet.”
Washington would cut the lead to 17-3 on a 43-yard field goal from Gay, but Hartman threw a pick-six to Keyon Martin, who returned the ball 26 yards for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead. Hartman was trying to throw a slant to Lawerence Cager, but the ball was tipped at the line.
The bright spots for Washington were few and far between.
Colson Yankoff made the most of his one reception, turning it into a 52-yard catch and run. Running back Chris Rodriguez averaged 6.8 yards a carry, rushing for 34 yards on five attempts.
Defensively, linebacker Jordan Magee had four tackles; he is being counted on to play a significant role in the defense this season after missing most of his rookie year with an injury. Defensive lineman Sheldon Day was also impressive, collecting four tackles as well.
Post Game Notes:
The Commanders will have the next few days off as the coaching staff trims the roster to 53 active players and 13 13-player practice squad.
Quarterback Josh Johnson played the second half, going seven of 13 for 50 yards with one interception.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin was on the sidelines but did not dress. He is still seeking a contract extension.
Bob Matthews is a 33 year veteran broadcast journalist, spending the last 29 years of his career in Virginia. Bob has covered both news and sports stories and for the last three seasons, the Washington Commanders. He looks forward to continuing to provide coverage to Sportsjourney.com both on the website and through his podcast, The Bob Matthews Show.
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