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Week 6 - Washington Commanders (4-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: October 13, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium - Baltimore, MD
How to Watch: CBS
Matchup History: Baltimore leads all-time series 4-3
Last Meeting: Baltimore def. Washington 31-17 on 10/4/20
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington +6.5
Over/Under: 51.5
Prediction: Washington 23, Baltimore 27
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 4-1 record in Washington)
Record: 4-1 (1-0, 1st in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Cleveland 34-13 on 10/6/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels
For the first time since 2008, the Washington Commanders are 4-1.
That year, Jason Campbell was the quarterback and Clinton Portis was the running back as Jim Zorn led the team as head coach.
Through five weeks, the 2024 Commanders have been compared to the 2012 team with Robert Griffin III. However, that team started 3-6 before railing off seven straight wins to secure an NFC East division title.
The 2024 team is different. Washington has its most dynamic quarterback since RGIII, but rookie QB Jayden Daniels is performing not just like a Rookie of the Year candidate, but more like an MVP candidate.
Through five weeks, Daniels is 12th in the league in passing yards, 1st in completion percentage (77%), 3rd in QBR, and is 16th in the NFL in rushing, trailing only Lamar Jackson among league quarterbacks in the category.
Now, the rookie sensation gets to take on the present-day QB he is most-compared to in Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP is coming off an incredible performance in Cincinnati last week and now hosts the young Daniels at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The DMV-area matchup has only happened a handful of times previously, and this is the most anticipated matchup between the two maybe ever.
Both teams have dynamic quarterbacks who can change the game in the blink of an eye. For Daniels, he gets to once again play with house money on Sunday with his team sitting as 6.5 point underdogs in Baltimore despite back-to-back wins of 20+ points.
Should Washington pull this off, it would likely result in Daniels turning into the MVP front-runner with Washington vaulting into a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Either way, the QB of the future is here for Washington. And with a head coach, offensive coordinator, front office, and skill players around him, the future is as bright as it’s been for Washington in the last 12 years.
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (17th season, 163-101 record in Baltimore)
Record: 3-2 (1-0, 1st in AFC North)
Last Time Out: Won @ Cincinnati 41-38 on 10/6/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Lamar Jackson
Last season’s NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson, is coming off one of the more impressive games of his career.
This past Sunday in Cincinnati, a 41-38 win for Baltimore, Jackson threw for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns to go along with 55 rushing yards in the overtime victory.
Now, coming back home to host the Commanders, Baltimore is riding a three game winning streak after back-to-back losses to the Chiefs and Raiders to start the season, defeating Dallas, Buffalo, and Cincinnati in consecutive weeks to get to this point.
The big story the past few weeks for Baltimore has been the emergence of running back Derek Henry. The 30-year-old running back had spent his entire career with the Tennessee Titans before this season and has been one of the more consistent players at any position since he entered the league in 2016.
Henry has scored in every game this year and has rushed for at least 92 yards in each of Baltimore’s wins this season, including back-to-back 100+ yard performances against Dallas and Buffalo. On the year, he is averaging 6 yards per carry.
Simply put, between Jackson and Henry, the Ravens have the scariest and most dynamic running attack in the NFL. For Washington to have a chance on Sunday, they will have to sell out to slow down the run, and even that may not be enough.
If they don’t slow down Henry and Jackson, the duo is likely to lead the Ravens to yet another runaway victory to move to 4-2.
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