ExtremeRavens Posted October 13 Posted October 13 Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s Week 6 game at M&T Bank Stadium. Brian Wacker, reporter: The Ravens’ offense proved to be the best defense against the NFL’s top offense. Baltimore put together scoring drives of 93 and 94 yards and mostly kept Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels in check. The Commanders kept chipping away at Baltimore’s lead, but the Ravens never felt in danger of losing this one. Zay Flowers had a monster game and Washington’s shaky defense could do little to stop or even slow him or Lamar Jackson, who was in command most of the day. Daniels played well, but the bigger issue was that the Ravens controlled the ball and therefore the game, moving down the field seemingly at will. Baltimore’s defense still yielded plenty of yards, but it stiffened when it had to and, by not blitzing much, forced Daniels to try to find windows that were often not there. Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens separated from the Commanders with a 94-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that put them up 27-13. To that point, they had outplayed their upstart southern neighbors but had allowed Washington to hang around. A shaky Commanders defense simply could not stop a Baltimore offense that’s looking like the NFL’s best. The Ravens moved the ball easily to start the game but scored just three points on their first two drives because of a red-zone interception (Lamar Jackson’s inaccurate throw tipped off Mark Andrews’ hands) and a botched snap by center Tyler Linderbaum. It wasn’t the start they needed against a frisky opponent, but they kept driving — the Commanders could not cover Zay Flowers — and eventually, the touchdowns flowed. After they were torched in Cincinnati, the Ravens covered better in the first half. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels made a couple of superb throws into tight windows on a touchdown drive in the second quarter, but Washington’s high-octane offense remained grounded for the most part. That was less the case in the second half, when Daniels probed the soft middle of the Baltimore defense. The Ravens didn’t send many extra rushers, choosing to make him win playing target practice. Daniels was very good. He just couldn’t match Jackson and Co. drive for drive. Mike Preston, columnist: This game and the outcome had all the drama of watching a rerun of “Gilligan’s Island.” Unless the Ravens turned the ball over or allowed big plays, they were going to win. Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has an excellent future and it’s easy to see why Commanders fans are excited. But at this point, he doesn’t have a lot of offensive weapons and the Washington defense can’t get off the field on third down. In the NFL, it’s all about keeping drives alive and getting off the field, especially in passing situations. The Ravens basically did whatever they wanted offensively, as this became a 7-on-7 practice session. Seldom has a team had so many receivers open. Except for a few occasions, quarterback Lamar Jackson had multiple options because there wasn’t much pressure. The Ravens still have some defensive lapses, and it was hard to get a good read on the group Sunday. But this game was an easy read: The Ravens are a team that has legitimate Super Bowl hopes, and the Commanders are dreamers at this point. Sam Cohn, reporter: xxx C.J. Doon, editor: Admit it. When Washington cut its deficit to 27-20 in the fourth quarter after a terrific touchdown catch by Terry McLaurin on fourth-and-goal, you started to worry. We’ve seen this movie before. But the Commanders were missing defensive linemen Dorance Armstrong and Jonathan Allen, and the Ravens appropriately marched the ball right down the field to effectively seal the win with a nine-play, 57-yard drive that took 5:54 off the clock. They settled for a field goal after a sack stalled the drive, but it was nonetheless encouraging for an offense that can sometimes get in its own way late in the game with some questionable play-calling and self-inflicted mistakes. Those ugly fourth-quarter collapses in recent years have usually featured a turnover or a three-and-out at the worst possible moment. Not today. Not with Derrick Henry wearing down the Commanders’ defense with bruising run after bruising run. This Ravens offense is truly something to behold when it’s firing on all cylinders. Henry and Lamar Jackson are on a historic pace as a rushing tandem, and this performance showed what Baltimore’s passing attack can look like when Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews are prominently involved. It was always premature to worry about the Ravens’ 0-2 start. They’ve won four in a row, the AFC North looks extremely winnable and a home playoff game seems likely. The ceiling might even be higher than last year’s team because of what Henry offers in the backfield, something Baltimore painfully lacked against Kansas City in January. Now, let’s see if the defense can improve. Bennett Conlin, editor: This game gave me contender vs. pretender vibes. Washington is entertaining — and a playoff-caliber team — with rookie Jayden Daniels at quarterback, and the Commanders have a shot to win the NFC East. They’re in a great position to make a playoff game through the early portion of the season, and fans should be excited about the franchise trending in the right direction. But the Ravens are a Super Bowl contender. The Commanders aren’t there yet. Washington hung tough for much of the game, but the Commanders had no answer for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense. At no point during the game did I ever think the Ravens would lose. Baltimore held the ball for well over 30 minutes, outgained Washington by a significant margin and committed fewer penalties. With four consecutive wins under their belt, the Ravens have reestablished themselves as the top contender to Kansas City in the AFC. The duo of Jackson and Derrick Henry once again looked dynamic in the running game, and Jackson rekindled his passing connection with tight end Mark Andrews, who found the end zone for the first time this season. Washington looks like a solid team, just like Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati the previous few weeks. That hasn’t stopped the Ravens from stacking wins. View the full article Quote
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