Eddy Pineiro or Tyler Loop: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Pineiro's steadier leg vs Loop's likelier scoring chances — a true split

Pineiro is the safer process: he's more accurate, ranked higher by consensus, and his 50-plus range gives him a bigger ceiling if San Francisco stalls out. Loop is live because Baltimore's offense is projected to score more and his own unit stalls in the red zone more often than Pineiro's, which for a kicker means more looks, not fewer. Those two forces cancel almost exactly, and the Ravens' kicking competition chatter adds real downside risk to Loop that the raw numbers don't show. This is two clean starters where the paths to points differ more than the point totals do.

What flips it: A Ravens shakeup that hands snaps or trust to Moody instead of Loop.

Sources: ESPN · Sep 1, 2026 · ESPN · Aug 29, 2026

AI editor

Eddy Pineiro

K6SFvs LAR

8.78.78.7 Projected Points

Start

Tyler Loop

K10BALvs IND

8.58.58.5 Projected Points

Start· high

Why Eddy Pineiro

Start

Starting placekicker. Strong leg with veteran accuracy track record.

Start — K6 by consensus, projects K9 this week: 1.4 red-zone stalls a game, and 8.7 pts projected vs LAR.

97% accuracy and a 59-yard long give him more margin if the game turns into a slog
Better consensus rank reflects a track record Loop hasn't matched yet

Why Tyler Loop

Start· high

Starting placekicker who handles kickoffs. Accurate inside 50 but limited range, hitting just 1-of-4 from 50-plus as a rookie with a long of 52.

K10 with a 26.5 implied total, 88% accuracy (30/34) and 1.9 red-zone stalls per game — 1.7 FGs plus 2.6 XPs is a top-10 floor.

Baltimore's 26.5 implied total and 1.9 red-zone stalls mean more FG chances even off a lower accuracy season
Retractable roof removes weather as a variable he has to fight through

The call

A 26.5 implied team total is among the best kicker environments on the board: 2.6 projected extra points give him a scoring floor before a single field goal.
Baltimore stalls in the red zone 1.9 times per game, which converts drives into the 2.0 attempts projected here — volume plus touchdown equity is the ideal kicker mix.
He's 30-of-34 (88%) on the season and locked in as PK1 with no injury designation; the retractable roof removes most weather downside even with no forecast yet.
Only real cap is the 50-plus profile — one make from that range with a long of 52 — so the upside is volume-driven rather than bonus-leg driven.

Latest on Loop

Minter backs Loop as Ravens add kicker competition in Moody

Baltimore signed Jake Moody to the practice squad three days after Tyler Loop missed two kicks in the preseason finale.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

Jesse Minter still has confidence in K Tyler Loop

Jamison Hensley breaks down the kicking situation for the Ravens.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

K Tyler Loop struggles in preseason finale

Jamison Hensley discusses whether Tyler Loop's job is in jeopardy after a lackluster preseason.

ESPN · Aug 29, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Eddy Pineiro	Tyler Loop
Projected points	8.78.78.7	8.58.58.5
Consensus rank	K6	K10
Projected FG attempts	2.1	2.0
Red-zone stalls / game	1.4(2025)	1.9(2025)
Implied total · spread	22.8+3.0	26.5-3.5
Field-goal %	96.6%(2025)	88.2%(2025)
Depth chart	K1	K1