(Photo: Sporting News)
Intriguing Game- NFL, Week Six
Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens
Commanders: Welcome to the National Football League where the unexpected happens. Let’s look at the NFC for a brief moment. Coming into the year, there were a few teams that were expected to be on the radar. The San Francisco 49ers are still the team to take down and the conference travels through them, they’re struggling at this moment. Whoever would’ve thought the Minnesota Vikings would be 5-0 and Sam Darnold would be a starter once again? Now, let’s go to the NFC East where unpredictability is the theme. As always, this was expected to be a two-team race between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys as it’s been for the last three years. Dallas has looked shaky at times early on and the Eagles look soft, plus I don’t think they want to play for Nick Sirianni anymore. I’ve loved what I’ve seen from the team in Landover, Maryland. After losing their opening game, the Washington Commanders have won their last four games and sit atop the NFC East. Jayden Daniels has been the best rookie Quarterback in the NFL this year and I love his approach. In college last year, he could beat you with both his arm and his legs. As a pro, he runs when the opportunity presents itself. What I like about Jayden so much is how mature he is to be a rookie and he plays with the mindset of a guy who’s been in the league for many years. He’d be my Offensive Rookie of the Year and Dan Quinn would be my Coach of the Year. He got another chance to coach and is taking full advantage of the second opportunity. The Commanders will look to win their fifth-straight game over another team on their own winning streak.
Ravens: They could be sitting at 4-1 right now if we’re being realistic. Isaiah Likely was an inch away from a touchdown in Kansas City on opening night and they blew a ten-point lead against the Las Vegas Raiders in week two. After the loss to the Raiders, I had my questions about them and even called them out on the radio for the misuse of Derrick Henry. What you saw from them against the Dallas Cowboys was who they are as a football team, and then the cycle repeated in week four against the Buffalo Bills. This is a football team that wants to ugly the game up meaning they want to slow the game down, run the football, dominate the Line of Scrimmage, and play that physical brand of defense. That has been the mantra for the Baltimore Ravens and it’ll never change either. At one point in Cincinnati, things weren’t necessarily looking the greatest. The Bengals appeared to be having their way and Baltimore was down by ten points at one time. A game is never over until three zeros are on that clock and that final whistle has blown. In these last two games, Lamar Jackson has shown why he’s won MVP and on the road in a tough divisional game last weekend, he took the game into his own hands and made some incredible plays. Most importantly, he threw four touchdown passes with no interceptions and helped lead his team to a comeback win in overtime which gave them their third consecutive win in a row since the 0-2 start. The only thing that concerns me is their pass defense which is ranked 31st in the league. They return home Sunday for an inter-conference showdown.
Commanders X-Factor: Dyami Brown– When everything clicks, they have a scary group offensively. Jayden, Brian Robinson, Terry McLaurin, and Dyami into the fold. He was drafted by the Commanders in 2021 out of North Carolina and he’s still been trying to find his footing within the offense. This year, I see him becoming another target for the Quarterback. Dyami is a deep threat that will make the tough catches in between two defenders. I can see him giving the Ravens secondary that struggles against the pass all the problems in the world on Sunday. He’s sneaky and is quick enough to release off the snap, start, stop, cut in or out and he’ll have the ball.
Ravens X-Factor: Nnamdi Madubuike– I feel he’s one of the more underrated Defensive Linemen in the league today. With how the game is nowadays, you must be able to do more as a defensive player, and for Defensive Linemen, that means being able to play on the edge and inside. Nnamdi can do both! He has long arms which he uses as shields, has a quick get off the ball, and plays with the mean streak of some Offensive Linemen. Nnamdi is strong enough to charge through a guy, then when he has you where he wants you, he will use the finesse moves and you’re done for. He gives Offensive Lines problems in and out.
Final Thoughts: This is the game of the week in week six and let’s hope it lives up to the billing. We have two teams both on winning streaks and we also have a pair of Quarterbacks who both won the Heisman. Lamar won his in 2016 and Jayden just won his last season. This will be the best defense that Washington will have seen since week one and they will be in for a challenge. I expect Baltimore to mix up the looks and send many different blitzes at Jayden. The Commanders have one of the more balanced offenses in the NFL this year as they rank second in rushing. The Ravens are the best when it comes to stopping the run, so for the Commanders to win this game, it’ll have to be in the air throwing the football against a secondary that’s struggled this year. The Ravens must feed Derrick Henry early and often. Washington’s defense has allowed 5.1 yards per carry to opposing Running Backs. This is the worst weakness you could have against a Ravens team that leads the league in rushing. I expect lots of points in this game. The Ravens will extend their winning streak to four games, I like Baltimore at home.
Prediction: Ravens 34, Commanders 31.
