Washington's victory over the Ravens in the preseason had five lessons for the team.

With a 29-28 victory at FedExField, the Washington Commanders have snapped the 24-game preseason winning streak of the Baltimore Ravens. The Maryland Lottery presents five lessons learned from the Commanders' second preseason triumph.

1. Howell performs well in the first half.

Sam Howell demonstrated why Ron Rivera was correct to start him as the starting quarterback in what was probably his final preseason appearance.

Howell was frequently referred to as "poised" last week, and that's precisely how he appeared as he guided the Commanders' attack through just about every scenario imaginable. On Washington's opening drive, he completed five of his first six throws, leading the team down to the Ravens' 3-yard line, where they would attempt a field goal. He proceeded through his progression. Using what the Ravens defense offered him, he opted for smart plays over aggressive ones, tossed darts to receivers in small windows, and stepped up when it mattered to keep the chains moving.

Howell's performance that night was particularly noteworthy because he avoided allowing blunders to spiral into disastrous incompetence streaks. Howell put together a two-minute drive, punctuated by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown, his second of the game, to reclaim the lead just before halftime after the Ravens sped down the field to go up 14-10 in two plays.

Howell finished the game by completing 19 of his 25 passes for a passer rating of 123.4 and 188 yards. If this is his final preseason performance, the team should feel confident in its choice.

2. The defense was sluggish at first.

The commanders have been dealing with slow beginnings for a long time. However, Monday's game demonstrated that there is still more work to be done in that area. The staff intends to get that addressed in 2023.

As Josh Johnson and the Ravens' offense blasted down the field on their opening drive, the Commanders' defense offered little opposition. On the first drive, there were a lot of missed tackles, like Emmanuel Forbes' one on Zay Flowers, and guys made bad angles to avoid them. chase after ball carriers. Baltimore made incremental progress down the field as a result, and Flowers' touchdown reception of 26 yards capped off the six-play, 75-yard opening drive.

Thankfully, the defense didn't continue to play slowly. The Ravens' subsequent drive ended in a three-and-out, and three of their subsequent six possessions in the second half resulted in punts. Baltimore covered less than 30 yards on each of those three drives, and the third-down stop with three minutes remaining gave Washington a chance to win the game.

It's crucial to keep in mind that the majority of Washington's starting defense did not play a single snap Monday night, so the coverage errors did not represent the group as a whole. But it's obvious that the defensive depth has a lot to discover.

3. Quan Martin recovers from difficulties in Cleveland.

Quan Martin made a few blunders against Cleveland in Washington's first preseason game, but head coach Ron Rivera noted after Baltimore's victory that Martin had gained a lot from his little experience in the NFL.

He gave the commanders a glimpse of why they were so thrilled to select him in the second round on Monday night.

At the 21-yard line for the Commanders, the play was made on second-and-3. James Proche, a Ravens receiver, had moved ahead of Martin and was getting ready to catch a touchdown throw from Johnson. Proche's momentum carried him out of bounds and away from the play, but Martin didn't give up on the play. Martin personally intercepted the ball for his first preseason interception.

Martin began to run the other way rather than take a touchback. He sprinted 59 yards before being forced out of bounds after dodging defenders and finding space close to the Commanders' sideline.

Martin serves as an illustration of the need to refrain from drawing conclusions about a rookie based on just one preseason game. Being a rookie, the former defensive back for Illinois will experience growing pains as he learns the defense. Plays like his interception should occur more frequently as he grows more at ease and the commanders determine where he should be positioned.

4. Mental errors are detrimental to both teams.

It took some last-second heroics for the Commanders to pull off a victory because the Ravens had some strong performances, but they also benefited immensely from Washington's own mistakes.

Baltimore had more penalties than Washington, but Washington's penalties were much more detrimental to the team's success. For instance, the Ravens were able to score after being moved to the Commanders' 7-yard line by Rachad Wildgoose's defensive pass interference call. On fourth-and-3 at the Commanders' 7, Isaiah Mack's penalty in the neutral zone gave the Ravens a new set of downs.

The act itself wasn't without fault. After Saahdiq Charles was called for holding, the commanders' second drive finally resulted in a punt. Howell acknowledged that both of the sacks he received were his fault, and while he recovered from them, the offense suffered as a result.

Even though Washington still prevailed, it will need to fix its mistakes before the start of the season in a few weeks.

5. Jake Fromm executes a drive that wins the game.

It may have been the biggest preseason victory in NFL history, Jahan Dotson quipped. However, there was definite drama as the Commanders' offense took the field down by two points with less than three minutes left. Preseason streaks don't matter, regardless of how long they are to be played.

It was not a pleasant drive. Jake Fromm managed to make important throws to keep the club in the game despite fumbling the ball for a nine-yard loss at Washington's 23-yard line and being saved by a pass interference flag on fourth-and-11. To put an exclamation point on a 14-play, 60-yard drive, Joey Slye kicked his third field goal of the game from 49 yards out, capping it off with an eight-yard pass to Kazmeir Allen on third-and-8.

In the locker room, the guys didn't make a big issue out of it. Of course, they shouldn't have because preseason victories are irrelevant. However, they did admit that it was a wonderful time, and while snapping a 24-game winning streak in preseason play won't assist them in 2023, it was a moment that pulled the team closer together and demonstrated their potential.