Commanders key numbers, Week 6: Washington falls short despite spirited effort

You know times have changed when the first emotion you feel after a loss is hope. The Washington Commanders fell short to the Baltimore Ravens in the Battle of the Beltway, but one thing the team didn’t do - which was often the case in previous years - was roll over and call it quits. 

Even when the team was down 14, you saw the fight. You saw Jayden Daniels dropping dimes while facing constant pressure in the backfield. You saw Terry McLaurin holding on to a pass while getting rocked by Kyle Hamilton. You saw key contributions from free agents like Noah Brown, Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, and Austin Seibert. All you could do was smile. 

Sure, the secondary still has major issues. But in a game where the Commanders were without Brian Robinson Jr. and on the wrong side of several questionable calls, to still have a chance late in the fourth speaks volumes. 

But in the end, Derrick Henry did what he does best. After setting up the game-winning field goal in overtime last time around with a 51-yard run, the running back gained 27 yards on 2nd-and-8 right before the two-minute warning to all but seal the deal for Baltimore.

Let’s get to the key numbers from the Commanders' Week 6 loss to the Ravens. 

Commanders' key numbers from Week 6 loss at the Ravens

114: It wasn’t clear that these were the top two offenses in the league in the first quarter, with the teams combining for only 114 yards of offense and six points.

52: The Ravens came into the game allowing only 60.4 rushing yards per game coming in. The Commanders were missing Robinson and didn’t even match that total, gaining only 52 rushing yards. 

22-1: Lamar Jackson’s streak against the NFC continues. The quarterback has only one loss in 23 games when facing the opposition within the conference.

100: The Commanders’ success on fourth down continued. The team is now 9-for-9 (100%) in this key statistic throughout the campaign.

Down by two touchdowns and facing a 4th-and-6, Daniels made a clutch throw to McLaurin in the end zone, in a location where only the receiver had a chance to get to the ball. The broadcasters mentioned that the signal-caller does a good job of throwing to the correct shoulder, with Tony Romo predicting a bright future for the No. 2 pick.

187: The positive news for the Commanders is that Tress Way is still good despite limited chances to punt this season. Twice in the game, he pinned the Ravens deep in their territory, with starting field position at the six and seven-yard line.

The bad news is the Commanders' defense allowed a nine-play, 93-yard touchdown drive and an eight-play, 94-yard scoring effort after those respective punts (187 total yards). Those two drives also took a combined nine minutes and 40 seconds of game-time, which is one of the reasons the Ravens had an almost 13-minute advantage in time of possession.

75: On both of the Ravens’ long scoring drives of 93 and 94 yards, Daniels and the Commanders offense always had an answer. On the drives that followed the long scoring drives, the rookie sensation led the offense to two touchdowns, going 12-for-16 (75%) while throwing for 142 yards. 

15: The big play counter had to make a return. The Commanders' defense allowed the Ravens to have 15 big plays (passes over 15 yards and rushes over 10 yards). Washington allowed passes of 15 (2), 17, 18 (2), 23 (2), 25, 38, and 44 and runs of 10, 12, 15, 27, and 33 yards. Henry finished with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Zay Flowers set career-highs with nine receptions for 132 receiving yards, all in the first half.

28.6: Daniels had an aggressiveness percentage of 28.6% against the Ravens, which was third highest in the league in Week 6. The fact that he was able to be so aggressive while still completing 68.6% of his passes and amassing a 110.3 passer rating speaks volumes about his pinpoint accuracy.

The Commanders return home to face the Carolina Panthers next week. This is followed by an anticipated match-up between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks from the 2024 NFL Draft in Daniels and Caleb Williams in Week 8.

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