OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Toward the end of a minicamp practice, the Baltimore Ravens put kicker Tyler Loop in a pressure-packed situation.
Ravens coach Jesse Minter huddled the team up and said all of the post-practice meetings would get canceled if Loop made a 40-yard field goal. Loop then told Minter, "All right, get ready to go home."
Loop went on to drill the kick, and the players celebrated an early start to their break before training camp.
"It's fun," Loop said. "It's the same swing, same foot-to-ball that I've been doing for years and years and the same process. So, going out there for it felt good."
While this felt like a perfect way to close out the spring workouts, Loop has a ways to go to prove he has truly moved past a painful end to last season, when his missed 44-yard kick abruptly cost Baltimore the AFC North title in a 26-24 loss at Pittsburgh. The Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and John Harbaugh was fired as head coach after 18 seasons with the team.
Loop's ability to bounce back -- and the Ravens' faith in him to do so -- is among the biggest storylines surrounding the team. After the game on Jan. 4, Loop stood in a somber locker room and answered every question from reporters about slicing the kick wide right. In talking for the first time since that devastating loss five months ago, Loop sounded like a player who had come to terms with his mistake.