Predicting the Commanders' next four games after 1-1 start in 2024
By Dean Jones
Commanders at Ravens - Week 6
- Date: Sunday, October 12
- Time: 1.00 p.m. ET
- Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
The Washington Commanders are on the road again in Week 6. Fortunately for head coach Dan Quinn and his players, they don't have to travel far.
That doesn't make the proposition any less difficult. The Baltimore Ravens have started 0-2 to begin the campaign, but they remain a force to be reckoned with. There's a good chance head coach John Harbaugh will figure things out by the time Washington comes to town. And any team led by NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson deserves the utmost respect.
Jackson started the campaign in his typically imposing manner despite results not going the team's way. He's the prototypical dual-threat and is a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to scheme against. Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. have their work cut out, especially considering ferocious running back Derrick Henry is now alongside him in the backfield.
The Ravens' demise in Week 2 was down to situational mismanagement rather than any poor performance. They have more than enough talent to turn things around. At the same time, Harbaugh cannot afford any further slip-ups with the Pittsburgh Steelers topping the AFC North with two wins in as many contests.
This will be an exceptional measuring stick for the Commanders with the midseason point on the horizon. Testing their skills versus a team that still harbors Super Bowl hopes will give those in power an indicator of how far away they are from holding similar ambitions. The Ravens will improve. It's up to Washington to do the same.
The Commanders' defense doesn't look well suited to counteract Jackson as things stand. They'll need big performances from the likes of Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, and Jeremy Chinn when the signal-caller takes off. Those in the trenches also need to wrap Henry up at the contact point, however impossible that might be when early momentum is generated.
- Prediction: Loss (3-3)
This might be a step too far for the Commanders. But starting the campaign 3-3 wouldn't be the worst situation in the world by any stretch.
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