ExtremeRavens Posted October 10 Posted October 10 Lamar Jackson’s time to enjoy football as a fan is sparse. Aside from watching film of his upcoming opponents, highlights and online clips are most of what he gathers from the rest of the NFL. Jayden Daniels has populated Jackson’s social media feed for the past few weeks. The Ravens quarterback said it’s hard to escape constant updates about how Washington’s rookie sensation is tearing through opposing defenses. If Jackson had a vote for the Heisman Trophy, the award he won at Louisville in 2016 and Daniels won last year at LSU, it would have been cast for the current Commanders star. “I’m glad teams are accepting that now,” Jackson said when asked about the evolution of his position. “Guys have proven they can step into the league and do what they’re supposed to do.” The dynamic quarterbacks will be on the same field Sunday when the Ravens, winners of three straight, host the Commanders, who have won four in a row. The NFL has yet to solve Daniels, who’s logged 1,435 total yards and eight total touchdowns through his first five games. The Ravens hope to be one of the first to do it. Baltimore is historically one of the NFL’s best teams against rookie quarterbacks — John Harbaugh is 23-7 against them since he became the coach in 2008. This is the Ravens’ first test against one this season. Daniels presents a difficult matchup for a Ravens defense that has yet to get going, and the No. 2 overall draft pick has succeeded in some areas Baltimore has conversely struggled in. The Commanders’ 31 points per game lead the NFL (the Ravens rank second with 29.4). Washington also has the best third-down conversion rate in the league, while the Ravens’ defense has allowed the 11th most third-down conversions. The Commanders are top five in total offense, while the Ravens’ defense has allowed the second-most passing yards per game through five weeks. “Just hit him. Just get in his face and hit him,” defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. “That’s the approach every week. Just stop his confidence, stop whatever he feels like is gonna work and try to make him one-dimensional. That’s when you can really have fun.” Teams are throwing on more than 67% of their offensive plays against the Ravens, the second-highest rate in the NFL. That’s in contrast with what Washington does. The Commanders pass at the lowest rate in football, and Daniels’ 131 attempts this season rank 24th. How do the Ravens plan to slow down Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on Sunday? “Just hit him. Just get in his face and hit him,” defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. (Kim Hairston/Staff) But when the rookie does drop back to pass, it usually results in a big gain. His 8.5 yards per pass attempt ranks second in the NFL behind only San Francisco’s Brock Purdy. And the Ravens have been as susceptible as any defense in allowing those game-changing plays. “Especially against somebody like him, it’s just a matter of decreasing those plays happening,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “I feel like other than that, we’re having pretty good games.” “Stopping any explosives, I think that’s really the challenge,” cornerback Brandon Stephens said. “They hit a lot of explosives, not only in the pass game but the run game. We gotta limit those.” To help slow Daniels and future opposing quarterbacks, the Ravens brought in Dean Pees as a senior advisor for the defense this week. The 75-year-old, who’s been away from the league since 2022, will be with the team in practices throughout the week and on game days, Harbaugh said. In some ways, the Ravens are already prepared to face a quarterback like Daniels. Their defense battled Jackson in practice almost every day this summer, and although they don’t go live against each other as much once the season starts, they remember the discipline required to contain a dual threat like Daniels. The Commanders are 4-1 for the first time since 2008 and in first place in the NFC East through five weeks. Their rookie quarterback, the early favorite for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, is largely why. But, as Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith said, “he definitely hasn’t seen a defense like ours.” Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons. View the full article Quote
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