Ravens Tyler Loop Staves Off Any Talk Of Kicker Competition For At Least Another Week

Tyler Loop was steadfast leading up the season opening game that the Ravens signing of a veteran kicker to push him was just we he needed. And in Week 1, that certainly appeared to be the case.

Loop, much embattled after missing a 44-yard field goal in Pittsburgh in Week 18 that sent Baltimore from the playoffs to end his rookie season, shrugged off a poor preseason and was perfect against the Colts Sunday, including drilling a career-best, 57-yard field goal that never looked anything but good. Loop, a 2025 draft pick, nailed his other field goal attempt, too, and had no issues with extra points, leaving veteran Jake Moody as an afterthought heading to the home opener against the Saints this weekend.

The competition is hardly put to bed, as Moody continues to work in practice and take up a spot on the practice squad. He was selected for good reason (he has ties to head coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle) as insurance should Loop’s slide continue into the regular season. The very nature of Loop’s position puts him under intense scrutiny, and he knows this is a week-to-week proposition, at least for a while.

“My confidence in him has never really shaken,” head coach Jesse Minter said of Loop after the 41-23 win. “Obviously, you have to make kicks and things like that, and in the preseason, he had a couple of mishaps. But just the work ethic and the trust in the process in so many different things that he's been working on, I expected nothing less. I am really happy for him that he performed that way today."

General manager Eric DeCosta, however, was not nearly as emphatic in his appraisal of the situation heading into the game at Indianapolis and Loop’s consistency and ability to hit from distance will determine the outcome of this roster spot.

Good From Deep

The Ravens weren’t exactly searching for ways to test Loop from distance – and the offense did just fine putting the ball in the endzone five times and rolling up 500 yards with Lamar Jackson looking like an MVP – but watching Loop attempt one from 57 also checked a critical box at this moment in his development. Loop said he was speaking positive thoughts to himself ahead of the kick, which put the Ravens up, 31-13, heading into the half.

"I have everything I need to go make this kick,” he said. “Let's go do it. Let's go out there. There is the ball, let's put my foot on the ball and swing. I have everything I need. I've got it."

Loop previously was good only once from 50-plus, hitting from 52 in his debut last season (he is 2-for-5 from that distance). He missed three of eight kicks this summer – all at home, it’s worth noting – and even his second attempt Sunday, though from a manageable distance of 45 yards, carried weight with is, as Minter explained at his Monday press conference.

“Clutch, clutch field goal,” Minter said of the fourth-quarter kick, “to go from a two-score game to a three-score game.”

Ravens kicking coach Randy Brown was the greatest factor in them drafting Loop and he has tremendous currency in the organization and throughout the league. Clearly, they believe Loop has the goods physically and they can work with him on his process and the mental side of things to prevent his accuracy holding him, and the team, back. Others, like former NFL kicker Nick Novak (Maryland) who trains kickers, believes the same.

Sunday was the first real step forward in that regard. Another test awaits this weekend.

"It was fun,” Loop said after the victory. “That was a blast. Felt good with where my head was at. Felt really thankful. That is just where I have been pulling my heart to.

“It is like, 'Hey, let's be thankful for all this.' It is a gift. It is a privilege to go do it. The expectation is to make kicks, so let's go do it."

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