Baltimore Ravens tie preseason win streak record [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The Ravens beat the Panthers 20-3, matching Lombardi’s Packers with 19 straight preseason wins. They’ll go for 20 wins in a row in preseason play when they face the Washington Football Team in Week 3. Baltimore also covered the 3.5-point spread, making it the 17th time the team has covered against the spread in the preseason.

For NFL franchises, wins and losses in the preseason normally aren’t that important. Talent evaluation and roster development are the biggest priorities for coaching staffs throughout the month of August. But for the Baltimore Ravens, a win tonight could put them in elite company.

Having won 18 straight preseason games, the Ravens will have a chance to tie the all-time preseason win streak record when battling the Carolina Panthers tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Charlotte. The current record is held by Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, who ran up a 19-game winning streak in exhibitions from 1959 to 1962.

When asked about the streak last week, head coach John Harbaugh said it “means a lot” and credited the organization for its preparation towards every game, preseason or not.

Coincidentally, the streak began on August 11, 2016 against these very same Carolina Panthers. It was a 22-19 win where Ryan Mallett took a majority of the reps at quarterback and a fledgling second-year tight end by the name of Darren Waller caught five receptions for 48 yards. Baltimore has not faltered in the preseason since and has covered against the spread in every game but two.

After scrimmaging the Panthers a few times this week, the Ravens enter tonight’s ballgame as a 3.5-point favorite at -105 to tie the all-time record in Charlotte per DraftKings Sportsbook. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson could possibly get a series or two in the contest before handing things off to backup Tyler Huntley.