Through three quarters on Thursday night, the Ravens and Redskins were locked in a nailbiter.
When the fourth and final stanza of the preseason came, however, Baltimore left no doubt.
The Ravens pulled away from the Redskins for a 20-7 triumph that locked up a staggering fourth consecutive perfect preseason — a statistic as unbelievable as it is insubstantial.
Baltimore won its 17th straight preseason game, finished the 2019 preseason at 4-0 and continued to tell its tale as arguably the greatest preseason football juggernaut of all-time.
A summer ago, the Ravens achieved seemingly unthinkable preseason prowess as they ran the Hall of Fame Game gauntlet and emerged unscathed through a five-game slate.
The Ravens haven’t tasted defeat before the regular season since 2015 and a dismal 1-3.
Trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, this flock of Ravens wasn’t about to let their streak fall to the wayside. Rookie quarterback Trace McSorley (15-of-27 for 171 yards) hit receiver Jaleel Scott (six catches for 87 yards) for a 24-yard score in the second quarter that stood as the game-winner. Running back De’Lance Turner (18 carries for 62 yards) salted the game away with a one-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Baltimore was the only undefeated squad after last year’s preseason, but has company in the club this time around as the Bills and Giants were likewise perfect and two other teams were still vying for spotless slates.
Yet it’s only the Ravens who can say they are perfect once more.