Game Preview, Week 4: Baltimore at Washington

October 1, 2020

by Steve Thomas

Welcome to week 4, folks!  This is obviously one of the tougher games Washington will face all year.  The Baltimore Ravens got pasted by the Kansas City Chiefs in front of the whole country on Monday Night Football last week, and that surely doesn’t bode well for Washington’s chances this week.  However, this is another important game, even if it in another AFC game – despite their 1 – 2 record, Washington is actually still in the race in the pathetic NFC East, and they desperately need a win.  In order to do that, Washington will need to figure out how to stop or at least slow down one of the top running teams in the NFL.  It strikes me as very unlikely that the Ravens are going to lay a second egg in a row next Sunday, so Washington will have to play a perfect game in order to have a shot at a victory.  Is it possible?  Sure, albeit very unlikely.  Read on for our game preview.

Game time & location:           Sunday, October 4, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Raljon, MD; no fans

Television:                               CBS

Television announcers:         Andrew Catalon, James Lofton, A.J. Ross

TV broadcast map:                 click here

 

DC-area radio:                         The Team 980

Washington radio networkclick here

Ravens radio network:          click here

Satellite radio:                        XM: 234 (Wash. broad.) Sirius: 119 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)

 

Redskins roster:                    click here

Redskins depth chart:          click here

Ravens roster:                       click here

Ravens depth chart:             click here

 

All-time head-to-head record vs Ravens: 3 – 3 (streak: 2 – 0)

Last meeting:  W, October 9, 2016, 16 – 10

Early odds: Ravens, -13.5

 

3 KEYS TO THE GAME

Limit Lamar Jackson’s damage on the ground and make him inefficient in the air

Unless you are the Kansas Chiefs, it’s probably not realistically possible to slow Jackson down too much.  He’s not a scrambler like Johnny Manziel was; the Ravens call his number and give him a number of outside zone runs and other plays.  He’s an outstanding runner, and his speed and agility makes him almost unstoppable.  Nonetheless, Washington needs to figure out a plan of action one way or the other, or else this is going to be a long game.  Safety Troy Apke is probably the only Redskins Washington defender who has the footspeed for such a job, but he’s probably not the right person for the role.  I don’t have a good answer here; hopefully the coaches do.  In passing situations, Washington needs to put as much pressure as possible on Jackson to make him uncomfortable.  Washington’s best skill on defense is their pass rush, and they need to make the most of it.

Lock down Marquise Brown

Baltimore’s best receiver is Marquise Brown, and he’s also Jackson’s favorite target.  I don’t see Washington playing much man coverage in this game, so it may be a team effort, albeit primarily led by Kendall Fuller.  Brown is a burner who can tear up defenses if given the opportunity, and the last thing Washington needs in a game like this is for the opposing team’s #1 receiver running free.  Limiting him as an option makes the Ravens’ already rarely used passing offense that much less effective.  Making Baltimore even more one dimensional is key.

Dwayne Haskins needs to be effective

Haskins obviously had a very poor game last week and it’s not exactly a revelation to suggest that he needs to play much better.  Last week wasn’t all his fault; the offensive line wasn’t particularly good, especially Geron Christian and Wes Martin, but after watching the All-22 film from the Browns’ game, I thought that most of the blame should probably on Haskins.  He needs to see the field better and stop staring down his receivers.  There’s not much anyone can do about the quality of Washington’s receiver corps right now – the lack of talent is what it is, and Haskins is going to be to figure out how to make it work.  This is especially important against the Ravens, because Washington needs to come out strong and score points early.

3 KEY MATCHUPS

Montez Sweat vs. Ronnie Stanley

I said above that a key to this game is making Lamar Jackson uncomfortable.  With Chase Young being out with his groin injury, the job of Washington’s #1 blind side edge rusher falls to Sweat.  For his part, Stanley was a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler last season, so this is the premier matchup in the trenches.  Sweat winning this battle and being able to get to Jackson would be a tremendous benefit to Washington.

Terry McLaurin vs Marcus Peters

McLaurin is Washington’s best weapon, and Peters is a 2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, and a 3x Pro Bowler.  McLaurin has faced many elite corners during his short career, and Peters is one of the best.  Washington needs Scary Terry to do his thing in order to make the offense viable against one of the better defenses in football. This is probably one of the best receiver – corner battles in the NFL this week, so keep a close eye on how it’s going.

Mark Andrews vs Shaun Dion Hamilton and Kevin Pierre-Louis

Washington historically has had problems with opposing tight ends, and Andrews happens to be Jackson’s second-favorite target.  Making Andrews less available further limits Baltimore’s offensive options, which will be important.  This job will probably fall more to Dion Hamilton and Pierre-Louis more than anyone else, so watch to see how close they are covering Andrews, who has a big size advantage over both of them.

OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Thursday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)

LP – limited practice                           FP – full practice                     DNP – did not practice

NIR – not injury related                      Q – questionable                     O – out

D – doubtful                                       NL – not listed

Washington Ravens
DE R. Anderson, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q LB L.J. Fort, thigh; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q
LB C. Holcomb, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: O S A. Levine, abdomen; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q
WR D. Inman, wrist; Wed: DNP; Thurs:  FP; Fri: FP CB J. Smith, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: Q
DE R. Kerrigan, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP T R. Stanley, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q
T M. Moses, hip; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q DE D. Wolfe, elbow; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q
WR S. Sims Jr., toe; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O RB J. Hill, thigh; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q
DE C. Young, groin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O DT J. Madubulke, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q
T S. Charles, thigh; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP WR C. Moore, finger; Wed: FP; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: Q
WR T. McLaurin, thigh; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: Q DT B. Williams, NIR; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP
LB K. Pierre-Louis, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: DNP; game: Q OLB P. McPhee, NIR; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: DNP
RB B. Love, knee; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: DNP/IR  

TEAM STATISTICS

Washington:

Washington’s offense has for the most part picked up where it left off last season, with rankings primarily remaining in the bottom 10 of the league.  Washington is 26th points, 30th in total yards, 29th in passing yards, 25th in rushing yards, and 29th in rushing yards per attempt.  Dwayne Haskins’ completion percentage is ranked 32nd of 33 quarterbacks who have started a game this year.  Washington has been particularly bad on third downs, converting on just 34.15% of their first down attempts.

Washington’s defensive numbers are much better than their offensive stats, with 81 points surrendered (ranked 19th).  The team is ranked 6th in total yards surrendered, 5th in passing yards surrendered, and 22nd in rushing yards.  They are also 8th in the NFL in third down conversions.  However, it is important to note that because this is only game 4, Washington’s statistically dominant performance over the terrible Philadelphia Eagles skews the data a great deal.  We’ll have to wait a few more games to see where Washington really stands.

Record: 1 – 2 (1st) (Home: 1 – 0); AFC: 0 – 1)

All-time franchise record: 604 – 605 – 28

Offense

Offensive rankings 26 (points) / 30 (total yards) / 30 (yards per game) / 31 (yards per play) / 29 (passing yards)  / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 25 (rushing yards)  / 29 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for 62
Yards per game 288.0
Passing

 

101 att (21st); 57 comp; 56.4% comp per. (32nd); 6.2 Y/A; 564 net yds; 4 TD; 3 Int
       Passing leader Haskins (101 att, 625 yds (25th), 56.4% comp perc (32nd), 4 TDs / 3 Int, 75.7 QB rating (29th))
      Receiving leader McLaurin (269 yds (7th), 25 tgts (15th), 16 rec (21st), 1 TD, 16.8 YPC (14th))
Rushing 356 att (31st); 1583 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 98.9 Y/G (22nd); 9 TD
      Rushing leader Gibson (31 att (33rd), 140 yds (35th), 2 TDs, 4.5 Y/A (20th), long 20)
Sacks surrendered / rank 10 / 28
Ave time of possession / rank 27:19 / 27
3rd down conversion rate / rank 34.15% / 30
TD percentage in red zone / rank 70.0% / 11

Defense

Defensive rankings 19 (points) / 6 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game surrendered) / 7 (yards per play) / 5 (passing yards) / 8 (passing yards per att.) / 22 (rushing yards) / 17 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against 81
Yards per game surrendered 334.3
Opponent’s passing 103 att (15th); 66 comp; 64.1% comp perc. (10th); 6.6 Y/A; 628 net yds; 5 TDs; QB Rating 88.3 (8th)
Opponent’s rushing 86 att (20th); 375 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 4 TD; 125.0 Y/G (22nd)
Sacks / rank / Sack leader 13 / 2 / Young (2.5)
Tackles leader Bostic, Pierre-Louis (24)
Int / rank / Int leader 3 / 12 / Collins, Moreland, Moreau (1)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank 37.78% / 8
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank 58.33% / 11

Special Teams

Kick returns 14.0 Y/R (31st), 3 returns, long 20 yards (29th), 0 TDs
Punt returns 5.2 Y/R (21st), 11 returns, long 19 yards (10th), 0 TD
Kick return defense 15.5 Y/R (3rd), 2 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense 4.3 Y/R (6th), 7 returns, 0 TDs
Punting 47.5 Y/P (10th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 7 / 4 / -3 / 27

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 17 / 15

 

Ravens:

The Ravens’ offensive statistics show that this is first and foremost a rushing team.  They are 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt and 5th in total rushing yards despite being only ranked 12th in rushing attempts.  In contrast, they’ve made the fewest pass attempts in the NFL.  The Ravens are 5th in the NFL in points scored.  They haven’t been especially good in the red zone, converting touchdowns at a rate of just 53.8%, which is ranked 24th.  As is the case with Washington’s defensive numbers the Ravens data is skewed by their awful performance against the Chiefs.  Their rankings will most likely stabilize at higher points in a few weeks.

The most telling stat posted by Baltimore’s defense is that they are still ranked 3rd in the NFL in total points surrendered despite the Chiefs putting up 34 last week.  They are currently ranked 19th in total yards, 26th in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards, and 14th in rushing yards per attempt.  Baltimore’s biggest statistical weakness is in the red zone, where they have given up touchdowns at a rate of 83.33%, which is ranked 31st.  Again, though, these stats are skewed by the limited sample size and the huge numbers given up to the Chiefs.

Record: 2 – 1 (3rd); Away: 1 – 0; NFC: 0 – 0

All-time franchise record: 216 – 170 – 1

Offense

Offensive rankings

 

5 (points) / 23 (total yards) / 23 (yards per game) / 15 (yards per play) / 32 (passing yards) / 17 (passing yards per att.) / 5 (rushing yards) / 2 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for 91
Yards per game 338.7
Passing 78 att (32nd); 54 comp; 69.2% comp per. (10th); 7.5 Y/A; 517 net yds; 5 TDs; 0 Int
      Passing leader Jackson (77 att, 576 yds (27th), 68.8% comp per. (12th), 5 TDs / 0 Int, 112.3 QB rating (7th))
      Reception leader Brown (156 yds (45th), 18 targets (54th), 12 rec (58th), 4 TD, 13.0 Y/C)
Rushing 88 att (12th); 499 yds; 5.7 Y/A; 166.3 Y/G (5th); 3 TDs
      Rushing leader Jackson (32 att (31st), 182 yds (20th), 0 TDs, 5.7 Y/A (9th)), long 30 yds); Ingram (26 att, 114 yds, 1 TD, 4.4 Y/A)
Sacks surrendered / rank 10 / 28
Ave time of possession / rank 30:17 / 16
3rd down conversion rate / rank 41.18% / 19
TD percentage in red zone / rank 53.8% / 24

Defense

Defensive rankings 3 (points) / 19 (total yards) / 19 (yards per game surrendered) / 20 (yards per play) / 26 (passing yards) / 14 (passing yards per att.) / 10 (rushing yards) / 14 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against 56
Yards per game surrendered 375.7
Opponent’s passing 117 att (27th); 77 comp; 65.8% comp per. (17th); 7.3 Y/A; 806 net yds; 6 TD; QB Rating 97.1 (18th)
Opponent’s rushing 75 att (11th); 321 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 1 TD
Sacks / rank / Sack leader 6 / 21 / Bowser (2.0)
Tackles leader Clark (22)
Int / rank / Int leader 2 / 24 / Humphrey, Peters (1)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank 47.06% / 23
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank 83.33% / 31

Special Teams

Kick returns 34.0 Y/R (1st), 7 returns, long 93 yards (1st), 1 TD
Punt returns 12.5 Y/R (5th), 4 returns, long 17 yards (13th), 0 TDs
Kick return defense 18.0 Y/R (8th), 2 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense 6.0 Y/R (10th), 3 returns, 0 TDs
Punting 45.8 Y/P (18th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 2 / 6 / +4 / 4

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 16 / 13

 

* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com