Pro Sports

Ravens lose Dobbins, win NFL-best 20th in a row in preseason

Posted August 28, 2021 7:00 am

By STEPHEN WHYNO

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, hands the ball to teammate running back J.K. Dobbins (27), left, during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - J.K. Dobbins going down with an injury overshadowed the Baltimore Ravens making a little preseason history.

Dobbins injured his left knee, Lamar Jackson made his 2021 preseason debut and Tyler Huntley scored five touchdowns to help the Ravens rout Washington 37-3 Saturday to win their NFL-best 20th consecutive exhibition game. Dobbins' uncertain status is the biggest lingering effect for Baltimore with the regular season on the horizon.

Coach John Harbaugh said Dobbins would undergo tests Sunday but declined to express how concerned he was about the injury. The second-year back was again expected to split carries with Gus Edwards in a run-heavy offense, and Baltimore may now need to get something out of Ty'Son Williams.

'œHopefully we don't miss him,'ť Jackson said. 'œThat's a tremendous back. We have Gus, we got Ty, but hopefully he's good.'ť

After catching a screen pass from Jackson, Dobbins went down awkwardly midway through the first quarter on his third touch of the game. He was attended to on the field before being carted off the sideline and ruled out.

Roughly 90 minutes after Dobbins left the field, agent Zac Hiller tweeted: 'œAll I know is @Jkdobbins22 is one of the toughest guys out there. No matter what it is this is only year 2 of 20.'ť

Jackson played only one series after sitting out Baltimore's first two preseason games. The 2019 MVP was 3 of 4 for 29 yards and was sacked twice on a drive that ended with a missed field goal.

'œ(It was good) to get my feet wet before the regular season and feel the contact -- real contact,'ť Jackson said. 'œGuys in practice are not hitting me or anything like that, so it was great to get my feet wet.'ť

While the Ravens awaited word on , Huntley tore through Washington's reserves by going 24 of 33 with four touchdown passes and a rushing score. Huntley is the second-string quarterback behind Jackson for now with Trace McSorley unavailable because of back problems.

Huntley's 285 passing yards and TD throws to Eric Tomlinson, Binjimen Victor, James Proche II and Tylan Wallace helped Baltimore pass Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers for the longest preseason winning streak.

'œIt's just really cool for the guys,'ť Harbaugh said. 'œThere's a lot of guys watching on TV with their kids, telling their kids about the fact that they were part of it. That's the most meaningful thing.'ť

Green Bay's streak ended with a loss in 1963 to a team of college all-stars and totaled 23 games through that year if only counting NFL opponents - a mark the Ravens would need to go undefeated in the 2022 preseason to match.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, an All-Pro in 2019, also saw his first game action since injuring his left ankle Nov. 1 and missing the remainder of last season.

"It's not much, but it's something," Harbaugh said of his starters seeing limited playing time. 'œAt least you get out there for a little bit of work. That's what we were hoping for before we get into the regular season. We knew they weren't going to get a ton of plays. It's not worth it.'ť

WASHINGTON RESTS STARTERS

Washington's Ron Rivera took it a step further, sitting all his starters.

'œWe didn't want to get anyone hurt," Rivera said.

With presumptive starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and backup Taylor Heinicke getting the night off, Kyle Allen got the nod at QB and completed 10 of 22 passes for 100 yards before giving way to Steven Montez after halftime.

KICKING AND SCREAMING

Baltimore rested kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch and handed those duties to rookie Jake Verity, who was wide left from 40 yards, connected from 25 and had an extra point blocked. Verity made his first three field goal attempts this preseason, including a 53-yarder, and could draw interest around the league.

That could include Washington, now that Dustin Hopkins is 4 of 7 on field goals this preseason. He was good from 48 yards and had a 55-yard attempt deflected before falling well short of the goal posts.

RAVENS TRADES

Baltimore was down to 78 players on the roster after completing another trade Saturday, sending veteran offensive lineman Greg Mancz to Miami for an undisclosed exchange of draft picks. The Ravens earlier in the week traded rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to New England for a 2022 seventh-rounder and 2023 fifth-rounder.

UP NEXT

Ravens: begin the regular season at the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, Sept. 13.

Washington: host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 12.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) lays on the field while being checked by team trainers in the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) is taken off the field after suffering an injury in the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looks downfield before throwing the ball against the Washington Football Team during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Ben Victor (81) makes a touchdown catch against Washington Football Team defensive back Troy Apke (30) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Ben Victor (81) celebrating in the end zone after making a touchdown catch against Washington Football Team during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. Also on the field are Baltimore Ravens tight end Josh Oliver (84) and Washington Football Team cornerback Cole Luke (46). (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens tight end Eric Tomlinson (85) celebrates making a touchdown catch against Washington Football Team cornerback Jimmy Moreland (20) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens tight end Eric Tomlinson (85) making a touchdown catch against Washington Football Team cornerback Jimmy Moreland (20) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens running back Ty'Son Williams (34) runs with the ball against the Washington Football Team cornerback Jimmy Moreland (20) and defensive back Deshazor Everett (22) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) celebrates his touchdown run with teammates Trystan Colon-Castillo (63) and Josh Oliver (84) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with his player Baltimore Ravens offensive guard Ben Powers (72) walk off the field at the end of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. Baltimore won 37-3. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) celebrating his touchdown against the Washington Football Team during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Deon Cain (17) drops a catch as he gets hit by Washington Football Team cornerback Torry McTyler (35) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) takes a drink of water to cool off while sitting on the bench during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) lays on the ground after suffering an injuring during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press

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