The first evidence of a legitimate competition for the Baltimore Ravens’ starting center job came in the team’s 13-3 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings Saturday.Veteran Ethan Pocic, who didn’t play until the fourth quarter in the preseason opener and has been mostly operating with the third team throughout camp, replaced Jovaughn Gwyn in the second quarter and played well into the fourth.Pocic played 31 snaps, compared to 19 for Gwyn, according to Pro Football Focus. Corey Bullock then entered the game in the fourth quarter and finished things out.Ravens coach Jesse Minter has repeatedly declined to limit the center competition, but it’s believed to have become a two-man race between Gwyn and Pocic after the presumed front-runner, Danny Pinter, sustained a season-ending knee injury in Wednesday’s joint practice against the Vikings.Top Plays from Ravens @ VikingsMinter didn’t rule out adding another center from the outside, although the immediate plan appears to be drastically accelerating the acclimation process for Pocic, the former Cleveland Browns center who signed a one-year deal with Baltimore about a week before training camp.Pocic is only eight months removed from Achilles surgery, so a slow ramp-up this summer was believed to be a nod to him needing to get healthier and get a better grasp of the Ravens’ offense. Minter said the second week of the preseason was the planned timeframe to up Pocic’s activity level and give him more of an extended look.That happened, but what happens next will determine who starts at center when the Ravens open the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Indianapolis Colts. Will Minter give Pocic first-team reps in practices this week and in Friday’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders, or will the Ravens continue to give Gwyn the first shot?At the very least, Saturday was a step in the right direction for Pocic.Strong day for kicking batteryIt was fitting that Tyler Loop’s first attempt Saturday was from 49 yards, the exact distance of his first miss in the preseason opener that intensified the talk that the Ravens should bring in competition for the young kicker. Loop delivered Saturday and also made a 20-yarder and an extra point in the second half.It’s going to take Loop regularly delivering in regular-season games and in big spots to distance himself from last year. It was important, though, for Loop to respond Saturday after his rocky start to the preseason. Another miss inside 50 would have been tough for the coaching staff to overlook.“That’s what you want to see,” Minter said. “I thought he did a great job on kickoffs, as well, for the second week in a row. So, good to see him make them, and (we’ll) just keep trying to get those situations, but it’s always obviously good to see him make those kicks.”Rookie punter Ryan Eckley also had a really good bounce-back from his preseason debut, which started with a 27-yard punt. On Saturday, he averaged 55.3 yards on his six punts and dropped two of them inside the 20-yard line.Uncertainty at running backBeyond center, one of the few other decisions the Ravens have to make on the offensive side is whether they keep three or four running backs. If it’s three, will they go with veteran Rasheen Ali or rookie fifth-round pick Adam Randall?No clarity was added to that decision Saturday because neither played. That was expected with Ali, who has been out for the past couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury. Randall, however, had taken part in both joint practices, and there was no indication that he was dealing with a physical issue until Saturday, when Minter said he was sidelined with “something minor.”Even with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano continuing his impressive preseason performance Saturday, the Ravens are almost certainly going to keep just two quarterbacks. Their six wide receivers seem set, and LaJohntay Wester’s touchdown Saturday probably means he’s in lock territory. They’ll keep four tight ends, too. So that leaves running back and offensive line as the offensive decisions to be made in the last week of the regular season.Burke shinesEthan Burke was once expected to star in a different sport. Burke was a coveted lacrosse recruit from Texas who originally committed to play the sport at the University of Maryland. He, however, decommitted from Maryland and then Michigan, where he was going to play both football and lacrosse, to focus on football at in-state Texas.The Ravens’ top four outside linebackers are set, leaving Burke as a roster long shot. Still, he’s made a compelling roster case. He’s flashed throughout training camp, and he was one of the biggest defensive standouts Saturday with three tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, forced fumble and two pass deflections.“My goal is just to continue doing what I’m doing, keep getting better, just having fun and enjoying celebrating with my teammates and whatnot,” Burke said.Other news, notes• Yes, it was against a guy in Henry Byrd, who is listed as a third-string right tackle on the Vikings’ depth chart. Still, Ravens second-year outside linebacker Mike Green needed the two-play sequence he had in the first quarter Saturday. Green beat Byrd for a sack of J.J. McCarthy and then drew a holding penalty on the next play, nullifying a Vikings completion. Green has had a relatively quiet summer, and the Ravens want him to build some momentum.• The defense had a strong week in Minnesota, both in the joint practices and in Saturday’s game. However, if there is one area that Minter will want addressed, it’s the defense in two-minute situations. The Vikings got points on all four two-minute drives against the Ravens’ ones and twos in the joint practices. In Saturday’s game, the Ravens allowed the Vikings to go 57 yards on eight plays and get the game-tying field goal just before halftime. The Ravens have been stressing two-minute situations all summer. Minter will want to see better execution in that area.• Veteran inside linebacker Jamon Johnson exited the game late in the second quarter with a thumb injury and didn’t return. Johnson was considered a long shot to make the team, but the Ravens continue to struggle to keep the necessary number of healthy bodies at inside linebacker. Carl Jones Jr. has remained sidelined since early in camp, and Teddye Buchanan is ramping up slowly in his return from a knee injury.• It was not a good first half for undrafted rookie safety Silas Walters out of Miami, Ohio. Walters was beaten on Tai Felton’s 50-yard completion, and then he fell down in front of Jeshaun Jones on his 36-yard connection with Carson Wentz. However, Walters got some redemption when he picked off Max Brosmer late in the game to preserve the Baltimore victory.• Right tackle Gerad Lichtenhan has gotten a ton of run over these first two preseason games, and he played extremely well in the preseason opener against Philadelphia. However, he was flagged three times against the Vikings.• Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s original plan was to call plays from upstairs in the preseason opener, which he did, and then be on the sideline for Saturday’s preseason game. He’d then make a decision about where he’d call games from during the regular season. Doyle, though, apparently had a change of plans and called plays from upstairs for a second straight week. Minter said Doyle feels comfortable calling plays upstairs.• Minter declined to comment on wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s arrest back in June, referring to the team’s statement that was released Friday. Bateman and most of the Ravens’ starters didn’t play against the Vikings.