Sports
‘Got To Find Our Mojo’: Baltimore Ravens Falling to 0-2 Was Biggest Week 2 Surprise
In a weekend of upsets in the NFL, from the Saints throttling the Cowboys in Dallas to the Buccaneers edging out the Lions in Detroit, nothing was more surprising than the Ravens falling to 0-2 after a loss to the Raiders in Baltimore.
The Ravens blew a 10-point lead as the Raiders scored 13 unanswered in the final 10 minutes for a 26-23 victory. Baltimore, the AFC’s top overall seed in the playoffs a year ago, is off to an 0-2 start for just the second time in John Harbaugh’s tenure.
“We’re not going to be defined by everyone that’s saying we’re not any good, that we’re good (or) that the season is over after two games,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what’s going to be said, and we understand that, but they’re not here; they’re not inside. No one inside is going to say that. We know that we’re a good football team, and we’re going to go keep getting better and better and better and define the season by the way we play.”
The Ravens lost by a toe, literally, in the season opener at the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 1. In Week 2, they were heavy favorites to knock off a Raiders team that has posted consecutive losing seasons.
After running back Derrick Henry scored a touchdown to make it 23-13 early in the fourth quarter, it seemed like the Ravens would cruise to a victory in their home opener. Then the Raiders had three straight scoring drives to finish the game while forcing a couple of three-and-outs by the Ravens’ offense.
Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson finished 21 of 34 for 247 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception, and he rushed for 45 yards on five carries. According to ESPN, Jackson is just the fourth reigning MVP to lose his first two games of the season since the 1970 merger and the first since Kurt Warner in 2002 with the Rams. The Rams went 7-9 in 2002, a year after reaching the Super Bowl.
“I’m definitely going to talk to my guys because we’ve got to find our mojo,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to find (it), and do what we do, because that’s not us at all.”
The season is still young, of course, but an 0-2 start has been historically difficult for teams to battle out of, with less than 10 percent of teams to start this poorly reaching the postseason in the expanded playoff era.
Getting out of this hole won’t be easy for Baltimore, either. The Ravens’ next game is at the Cowboys, a fellow 2023 playoff team that will be looking to bounce back after a forgettable performance. Then, Baltimore hosts Buffalo, a team that has made five straight postseason trips and is off to a 2-0 start.
But the schedule could be viewed as an opportunity for the Ravens. They can turn their season around and reestablish themselves as legitimate contenders. However it’s viewed, there’s no question; it’s surprising to see Baltimore in this position this early on.
Most would have expected Baltimore (0-2) to be flipped with Pittsburgh (2-0) in the AFC North given the Ravens returning the MVP at quarterback and the Steelers bringing in rebuilding projects at the position.
As the great Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are. And the Ravens are 0-2.
“Our standard is very high,” tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “That’s definitely not OK for us to start that way.”
Sports
Offensive eruption helps Orlando City take down Charlotte FC
Apr 22, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando City SC defender Zakaria Taifi (19) celebrates a goal by midfielder Luis Otavio (5) against Charlotte FC in the first half at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Martin Ojeda scored his third and fourth goals of the season early in the second half to help Orlando City to a 4-1 victory over visiting Charlotte FC on Wednesday night.
Luis Otavio added his first career MLS goal early and Ignacio Gomez added his first late for Orlando (2-6-1, 7 points), which had scored only six times before Wednesday’s victory.
The 20-year-old Gomez was making only his second MLS appearance, playing on a short-term loan from Orlando’s MLS NEXT Pro reserve team.
The Lions also continued their recent defensive improvement, allowing only one goal in each of their last three matches after conceding 23 in their first six.
Morrison Agyemang’s header pulled Charlotte (4-3-2, 14 points) level late in the first half in their second of three consecutive away matches.
Charlotte conceded three or more goals for only a second time this season, the first coming in a 3-0 loss at the LA Galaxy in their second match of the campaign.
Ojeda’s multi-goal performance was his first since a brace in last season’s 3-2 win over Nashville on Sept. 20, the final two tallies of a 16-goal campaign.
Wednesday’s tallies came 12 minutes apart, with the first arriving in the 49th minute.
As Orlando worked the ball down the left flank, Ojeda drifted into space in front of Charlotte’s back line, which appeared to lose sight of him.
Eventually, the ball came to Justin Ellis, who drew multiple defenders on the left side of the penalty area, then dropped a pass to Ojeda near the penalty arc.
Ojeda hit it with his left foot, guiding his finish beyond Kristijan Kahlina’s dive and inside the right post.
His second came from a free kick earned when Zakaria Taifi absorbed Harry Tofolo’s foul above the right side of the penalty area.
Charlotte set up a three-man defensive wall. But Ojeda was able to curl a low, left-footed shot around it and into the bottom right corner.
This time, the lunging Kahlina reached it, but without enough power to push it clear of danger.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dramatic goalkeeper goal earns Toronto FC draw with Philadelphia
Apr 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran (1) looks on against Austin FC during the second half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images A header from goalkeeper Luka Gavran six minutes into second-half stoppage time gave Toronto FC a dramatic 3-3 draw with the visiting Philadelphia Union on Wednesday.
Gavran was downfield with the rest of his teammates during Daniel Salloi’s late free kick, bidding for an equalizer. Salloi’s initial shot was deflected back out to Alonso Coello, whose pass into the box found Gavran’s head for his first career goal.
The draw extended unbeaten streaks for both clubs. Philadelphia is 1-0-2 in its last three matches while Toronto FC are 3-0-4 in their last seven. Toronto is also 4-0-9 in its last 13 home matches dating back to last June.
Josh Sargent and Kobe Franklin scored for Toronto (3-2-4, 13 points) earlier in the second half as it recovered from a 2-0 deficit.
Milan Iloski, Danley Jean Jacques and Nathan Harriel scored for the Union (1-6-2, five points). Harriel was almost the late-game hero for Philadelphia after the defender converted a header off a corner kick in the 89th minute.
Frankie Westfield’s eighth-minute free kick off the goalpost highlighted a dominant opening 25 minutes for Philadelphia. Toronto then controlled the rest of the first half, but Union defenders Westfield, Harriel, and Japhet Sery all made impressive individual plays to disrupt scoring chances.
With the back line helping stifle Toronto FC’s attack, Iloski put Philadelphia ahead four minutes into first-half stoppage time. Jovan Lukic’s through-ball found Iloski moving between two Toronto FC defenders and Iloski buried the shot after entering the box.
It was Iloski’s second goal of the season, then Jean Jacques followed with his second goal in the 52nd minute. On something of a broken play for Toronto, Jean Jacques beat Zane Monlouis to a loose ball in the box and his one-touch strike sailed into the net.
Sargent and Franklin then recorded their second goals of the season, as Toronto FC roared back to quickly level the score.
Four minutes after Jean Jacques’ tally, Sargent took the ball in the box and made a canny move to find space before burying his second goal. Franklin then banked a shot off the post and into Philadelphia’s net for the 64th-minute equalizer.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cincinnati tallies twice in closing minutes, earns draw vs. NYCFC
Apr 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Agustín Ojeda (26) runs with the ball during the first half against FC Cincinnati at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Andrei Chirila scored in two minutes into second-half stoppage time and Evander converted a penalty kick three minutes later, helping FC Cincinnati rally to a 4-4 draw against host New York City FC on Wednesday.
Chirila, a 17-year-old homegrown defender, converted from outside the box for his first career MLS goal in his second match. NYCFC’s Kevin O’Toole subsequently was whistled for a foul in the penalty area, setting up Evander’s heroics.
FC Cincinnati’s Kevin Denkey scored two goals in his return from a suspension due to yellow-card accumulation.
Roman Celentano made five saves for FC Cincinnati (2-4-3, 9 points), who are 0-3-2 on the road this season.
NYCFC’s Nicolas Fernandez scored two goals in the first half to boost his team-leading goal total to eight in nine matches. Fernandez, who scored three goals in 11 matches last season, became the fourth player in franchise history to score at least 10 goals within his first 20 regular-season appearances.
Agustin Ojeda and Talles Magno tallied in the second half and Matthew Freese turned aside two shots for NYCFC (3-3-3, 12 points), who are winless in their past five matches in MLS play (0-3-2).
Fernandez gave NYCFC a 2-1 lead in the 35th minute after running into a through ball from Maxi Moralez and sending a shot past the extended right leg of Celentano.
Ojeda extended NYCFC’s advantage in the 53rd minute after chasing down a through ball from Aiden O’Neill before scoring from a sharp angle.
Denkey converted a loose ball following a free kick by Evander to trim NYCFC’s lead to 3-2 in the 65th minute, but Magno deftly curled a shot into the far corner of the net in the 79th minute.
In the 20th minute, Celentano was unable to cleanly field a twisting service, and Fernandez alertly deposited the loose ball into the net to open the scoring.
Denkey forged a 1-1 tie 12 minutes later, a converting a cross from Ender Echenique with a leaping left-footed finish at the doorstep.
–Field Level Media
Offensive eruption helps Orlando City take down Charlotte FC
Dramatic goalkeeper goal earns Toronto FC draw with Philadelphia
