LANDOVER, Md. – Haruki Nakamura took the direct snap with Sam Koch lined up behind him surprising the Redskins with a trick play.

Nakamura bolted upfield on the fake punt, brushing past linebacker H.B. Blades before reversing field and juking Brandon Banks to the ground.

The Baltimore Ravens’ backup safety nearly scored a touchdown before being tackled at the Washington Redskins’ one-yard line by Lorenzo Alexander.

It was an effective special-teams gamble.

On the ensuing play, running back Willis McGahee forced his way into the end zone for the touchdown.

“The fake was called, I had an option to get out of it, but I saw that the hole was open before the snap,” Nakamura said. “Once I got the ball, the linebacker stepped in the hole and I had to bounce it outside. I just kept cutting back. On the second cutback, I thought I was going to score. After that, I just hit the wall.”

Between Nakamura’s trick play, a pair of field goals by Billy Cundiff and a sharp cameo appearance by backup quarterback Marc Bulger, the special teams and reserves helped the Ravens (2-0) manufacture a 23-3 victory over the Redskins on Saturday night at FedEx Field.

“Haruki made the plays on the fake punt,” special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said. “A guy jumped in the hole, and Haruki made him miss. That was the key. The Redskins had it blocked pretty well, and Haruki did a good job moving the ball.”

The McGahee touchdown boosted the Ravens to a 10-0 advantage late in the second quarter. In his first field goal tries of the preseason as he battles Shayne Graham for the kicking job, Cundiff knocked in field goals from 26 and 42 yards.

However, the first-team offense was out of sync.

“I was happy that our punt team set us up and that we were able to score a touchdown,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “But the offense needs to be more consistent and we need to be the ones putting us in scoring position.”

Meanwhile, Bulger put on a show.

He completed 13 of 16 passes for 130 yards and a 105.1 passer rating.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection expertly led Ravens on a 14-play, 94-yard drive in the third quarter that lasted eight minutes and 31 seconds.

Signed to a $3.8 million contract in June as an insurance policy behind Flacco, Bulger demonstrated that the Ravens’ offense would be in sound hands if anything happens to Flacco.

He completed 5 of his first six passes in the second quarter.

On the scoring drive, Bulger hit rookie wide receiver David Reed four times for 38 yards.

The Ravens played it extremely safe with Flacco in the first half.

He passed 16 times, completing nine for 72 yards and a pedestrian 67.7 passer rating.

In the first quarter, Flacco completed only four of seven passes for 25 yards.

At least he wasn’t sacked after the Ravens allowed six sacks last week against the Carolina Panthers.

His top throw was a completion in traffic to three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

“I think the Redskins did a pretty good job against us in the first half,” Flacco said. “We just need to move the ball a little better and convert those third downs. We have to keep the chains moving, and we can’t make those mistakes.”

Another highlight was cornerback Cary Williams, whom the Ravens wish was eligible to play at the start of the regular season.

Williams is suspended for the first two games without pay for violating the NFL personal conduct policy

Against the Redskins, he picked off franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Williams instinctively jumped in front of a deep McNabb throw intended for Santana Moss for his second interception of the preseason.

He returned it 37 yards to the Redskins’ 37-yard line.

Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs applied some heat to McNabb in the first half, dominating rookie offensive tackle Trent Williams with his superior speed and technique.

The three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher sacked McNabb once.

He also seemed to intimidate Williams, who left the game with his arm in a sling with a right elbow injury.

Down 20 pounds from last year and noticeably slimmer after a sluggish season where he recorded a career-low four sacks, Suggs appears to have regained his old form.

“I just wanted to get it going,” said Suggs, who cut down on junk food to get in shape. “When the ball moved, I moved with explosion. It could be because I’m lighter and had one hell of an offseason: a great workout program and diet. So, yes, that could be it.”

Following Suggs’ sack, Dawan Landry dropped an interception.

McNabb completed just 11 of 26 passes, but did pile up 206 yards.

“It was good, but it can be better,” Suggs said. “It can be great, but this was only the second preseason game and it’s a long way until Monday night [Sept. 13 season opener against the New York Jets]. We need to keep trucking along and climbing that ladder until we get where we are supposed to be.”

The Ravens were vulnerable over the middle in pass defense, allowing tight end Chris Cooley to catch an 18-yard pass.

Moss caught four passes for 79 yards with Anthony Armstrong catching three passes for 75 yards, including a 45-yard gain.

Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice looked rusty as he fumbled twice in the first quarter in his first carries of the preseason.

Rice recovered his first fumble and managed to gain three yards.

On his second fumble, Rice picked up a first down when Boldin recovered the loose football.

“Our ball security has to be better,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said.

Rice rushed for 17 yards on three carries.

The Ravens used him sparingly last week as a precautionary measure.

It felt really good,” Rice said. “I like to get hit. Getting hit is one of the things that gets me going. I haven’t been hit all preseason, so it felt good to actually get tackled. I hope I don’t get tackled too much, but it did feel good to get hit.”

The Ravens fumbled it three times in the first half, but only lost one.

“We can’t fumble the ball that many times,” Flacco said. “We need to eliminate those turnovers and take better care of the ball.”

In the fourth quarter, David Reed dropped a potential touchdown pass from third quarterback Troy Smith.

The Ravens had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Graham, a former Pro Bowl kicker with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Through three quarters, the Redskins had 255 yards and converted just 3 of 10 third downs.

They rushed for only 23 yards on 13 carries, averaging 1.8 yards heading into the fourth quarter.

“We had a focus on stopping the run, and we did much better than the last game,” defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. “Obviously, we have to do a better job of getting off the field on third down. Donovan did a great job of avoiding the sacks and making plays downfield.”