Past games between the Ravens and Washington have brought more quirky footnotes than any semblance of a rivalry.
The series history hasn’t even been lopsided with Baltimore winning four of seven meetings and five outcomes decided by one score, but it’s tough to gain traction for a rivalry when you play a real game once every four years. Safety Kyle Hamilton quipped that the Ravens “might be a little mad” about the Commanders ending their 24-game preseason winning streak last year, but that and a couple dustups during last summer’s joint practices in Owings Mills are about it in terms of recent history, especially with one team clearly lagging behind the other in terms of relevancy.
In the first-ever meeting in rainy Landover in 1997, Ravens fans took great satisfaction in watching Bam Morris run for 176 yards in a 20-17 win against the team whose late owner, Jack Kent Cooke, had tried his hardest to claim Baltimore as part of his NFL territory and keep another team out of Charm City in the wake of the Colts’ departure in 1984. But much of that animosity would wane in the coming years as the Ravens rose to prominence and the team formerly known as the Redskins failed to recapture its glory days and became more embarrassing than prosperous under owner Daniel Snyder.
The 2000 clash was between two teams sporting winning records in mid-October, but the Ravens’ 10-3 loss marked their third of five straight games without scoring a touchdown, a streak that prompted a quarterback switch from Tony Banks to Trent Dilfer and a turnaround that resulted in the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory. Meanwhile, Washington would collapse down the stretch and fire head coach Norv Turner before season’s end.
In 2004 and 2008 wins for Baltimore, Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed shined with defensive touchdowns, but you’d probably be challenged to remember much else from those Sunday night games.
Washington won a 31-28 overtime thriller in 2012, but that one is remembered more for the knee injury that ultimately derailed the electric start to the career of quarterback Robert Griffin III. The Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron the next day and surprisingly went on to win their second Super Bowl less than two months later. Yes, losing to Washington has twice served as a Super Bowl good luck charm for Baltimore.
A Washington victory in 2016 prompted head coach John Harbaugh to fire offensive coordinator Marc Trestman the following day, but that defeat and coaching change failed to provide a spark as the Ravens finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs that season.
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As for the most recent meeting during the 2020 pandemic season, you’re forgiven if you don’t remember who played quarterback for the Washington Football Team — the late Dwayne Haskins — in that 31-17 win for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
But Sunday’s tilt brings real buzz and anticipation with rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and the 4-1 Commanders coming to town against a Ravens team that’s won three straight to move into first place in the AFC North. Ticket prices reflect that with the dual-threat Daniels bringing hope to Washington for the kind of prosperity that the Ravens have enjoyed with Jackson at quarterback since 2018.
The Commanders haven’t faced the most challenging schedule to date, but the NFL’s top two scoring and rushing offenses threaten to produce a shootout. At the very least, it’ll be a good test for both teams as Washington will be hard-pressed to stop a dynamic ground attack led by Derrick Henry and Baltimore needs to reverse its early-season woes against the pass to fortify its Super Bowl aspirations.
Having already faced the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow, the Ravens know they’ll have their hands full with Daniels, who isn’t playing like a quarterback with five career starts under his belt.
“He looks really comfortable out there, [and] he’s continuing to get better every week,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “The thing that has impressed me the most is they do a lot at the line. They really don’t huddle up a lot. They do a lot of different tempos, a lot of different cadences, and he just seems like he handles it really well, so hats off to him.
“We don’t look at him as a rookie. We look at what we see on film, and what we see on film is one of the top quarterbacks in the league.”
Of course, Washington’s defense has to figure out how to slow Jackson, who is 21-1 in games he’s started against NFC opponents. The lack of familiarity makes a generational talent at quarterback and his offense even more challenging to contain, which is saying plenty.
8Sunday may not spark a rivalry with the next guaranteed meeting not scheduled until 2028, but it could produce the kind of exciting clash this series has lacked with the Ravens being a model franchise and Washington trying to play catchup after the last quarter-century.
Three Ravens starters return to practice
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (ankle), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (toe), and wide receiver Rashod Bateman (groin) all returned to practice on a limited basis a day after sitting out, which should quell concerns about their availability for Week 6.
Right tackle Roger Rosengarten remained limited for Thursday’s practice due to ankle and hand issues.
Meanwhile, the Commanders practiced without running back Brian Robinson (knee) for a second straight day.
Below is Thursday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu (back), LB Malik Harrison (groin), CB Arthur Maulet (knee/hamstring), DT Broderick Washington (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Rashod Bateman (groin), CB Marlon Humphrey (ankle), OT Roger Rosengarten (ankle/hand), OT Ronnie Stanley (toe)
FULL PARTICIPATION: RB Rasheen Ali (neck), WR Deonte Harty (knee), TE Charlie Kolar (toe), G Andrew Vorhees (ankle)
WASHINGTON
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DT Phidarian Mathis (illness), S Tyler Owens (shin), RB Brian Robinson (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: G Nick Allegretti (ankle), WR Noah Brown (groin), S Percy Butler (groin), DE Clelin Ferrell (knee), S Quan Martin (neck)
FULL PARTICIPATION: RB Austin Ekeler (heel), CB Emmanuel Forbes (thumb), OLB Dante Fowler (illness), LB Jordan Magee (knee), DL Efe Obada (tibia/fibula)
