I think I can speak for all Ravens fans when I say that this matchup with the Washington Football Team is one that we desperately need after such an embarrassing display of sub-par play last Monday night.
Most analysts expect this weekend’s matchup in D.C. to be one of the, lets call it… less competitive games of the season.
Despite the wild differences in franchise success of these two squads since the Ravens entered the league in 1996, Baltimore has never been able to chalk up The Team Formerly Known as the Redskins as an easy win. In fact, the series between the two teams is split 3-3 and the Ravens have outscored Washington by a mere eight points, the total being Ravens 102, Redskins/Football Team 94.
There is a current connection between the two teams, as Heisman-winning, Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin III was originally drafted second overall by the Redskins. RG3 kicked off his NFL career in impressive fashion, edging out recently-retired QB Andrew Luck to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the year back in 2012, and inspiring chants of RG3! RG3! all through the DMV.
Here were his award-winning stats from 2012:
Passing: 3200 Yards, 20 TD, 5 INT. 65.6% completion rate. 102.4 Rating
Rushing: 815 Yards, 7 TD. 6.8 Yards/Carry Long of 76 yards
The sky was the limit for the league’s shiny new toy.
Unfortunately, numerous injuries derailed what was a very promising career, and the Ravens had a hand in the downfall.
During that award-winning 2012 season, the Ravens had the opportunity to go head to head with RG3.
This tightly-contested battle was marked by standout rushing performances and consistent QB play. Joe Flacco, in typical game manager fashion, went 16-21 passing for 183 yards, 3 TD, one interception and two fumbles while adding nine yards on five carries.
On the flip side of the ball, RG3 threw for 242 yards and a touchdown on just 15 completions and added 34 yards on seven rushes before the young star was taken out of the game with a sprained ankle, sustained on a hit we all remember, from Haloti Ngata.
With the Ravens winning 28-20 late in the 4th quarter, in comes 4th round pick and current Vikings QB Kirk Cousins. Cousins throws the game tying touchdown, and eventually led Washington to the OT win.
This game was an important one in Ravens lore. The previous week, they had lost at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-20. Back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Washington was a tough pill to swallow for Baltimore fans, and perhaps for owner Steve Bisciotti. A 9-2 season was suddenly 9-4 and seemed on the brink of collapse. Before the next game, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had been fired and replaced with Jim Caldwell.
The rest, of course, is history.
The very first time these two teams met was October 26, 1997. The Ravens were a fresh but exciting team that was helping build the idea of “Playing like a Raven.” The Ravens were just able to edge out the Redskins 20-17 for the win.
Ray Lewis: 15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception
Vinny Testaverde: 10-21 passing for 142 yards and 1 touchdown
Bam Morris: 36 carries for 176 yards and 1 touchdown
Ravens fans will also remember Ed Reed‘s impact in this series. Back in the 2004 matchup in D.C., Reed contributed to the 17-10 Ravens win with one of his signature plays, a strip-sack of Redskins QB Mark Brunell which he then returned for a touchdown (2:22 below).
Four years later, Reed gave Washington fans flashbacks, tearing the ball from the hands of former U teammate Clinton Portis and running it into the M&T Bank Stadium end zone to set the tone early in a 24-10 Ravens win.
The last time these teams met, in 2016, two plays loomed large in the Ravens’ eventual 16-10 loss: a Breshad Perriman catch in the end zone that was eventually overturned and called incomplete, and a C.J. Mosley fumble return that he subsequently fumbled through the end zone himself, giving Washington the ball back instead of putting up six for the home team.
Take in this weekend’s matchup with the Football team. Soak it up. Enjoy the hell out of it. If it goes as we all at RSR are predicting, the Ravens will both get some sweet revenge on Washington and atone for that debacle on Monday night.
submitted by Brad Drotar
