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 network: click 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