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During its buildup, the highly anticipated matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders was unfairly boiled down to the two immensely talented Heisman trophy winners — Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. Obviously, the NFL is a quarterback driven league and a game featuring a two-time league MVP and a dynamic rookie playing at a historic level is must-see television, but there were plenty of other talented playmakers involved in the weekend’s top game.

To that end, the high-powered Ravens held off the feel-good Commanders 30-23, thanks to a balanced offensive attack in which running back Derrick Henry rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and wideout Zay Flowers caught all nine passes thrown his way for 132 yards. With success on the ground and in the air, the Ravens scored on five consecutive possessions to seize control of the contest.

Washington’s top running back, Brian Robinson Jr., did not play due to a knee injury, which killed any hopes of establishing a ground game. Facing a one-dimensional attack, Baltimore was able to consistently pressure Daniels and the passing game. While the LSU product completed 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and a QB rating of 110.3, the Ravens dominated two critical areas — total yards (484 to 305) and time of possession (36:08 to 23:52).

Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who has been one of the most targeted defenders in the league this season, had a rough day while predominantly covering Flowers. As previously noted, the second-year receiver caught all nine passes thrown his way Sunday. St-Juste was also penalized twice for pass interference. On a brighter note for the visting team, pass rusher Donte Fowler Jr., had a strong showing, with two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Ravens.

“We’re not where we want to be yet,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “I was honestly proud as hell with the fight we showed in the game, but I also think there’s definitely another gear and it’s a gear we need to get to.”

Heading into Week 5, the Washington Commanders sat alone atop the NFC East while riding a three-game winning streak. Just how good have the Commanders been during their three previous contests? Jayden Daniels and company averaged more than 33 points per game while punter Tress Way was asked to do his job just once. Not that long ago Way was likely the franchise’s best player (depressing, right?) Now, his image is on the side of milk cartons.

Speaking of Daniels, a month into his professional career, the electric rookie has been even better than advertised — completing an obscene 82.1 percent of his passes, with 897 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, with 18 of his 46 runs resulting in a first down. Oh, and through four games, Daniels had more scoring drives (23) than incomplete passes (19).

Against Cleveland, the Commanders’ offense got off to a slower start than usual — but still led by 24-3 at the half. That’s in large part to the defense, which finally had a game to remember. A Washington defense that had just eight sacks through four games exploded for seven sacks against the Browns. Deshaun Watson was limited to just 125 yards, as Cleveland converted just one of 13 third downs on the day.

Linebackers Frankie Luvu (2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery) and Bobby Wagner (1.5 sacks and forced fumble) were everywhere as they disrupted everything the Browns tried to throw at them. Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis had his best game as a pro, causing mayhem in the backfield and looking completely rejuvenated in the process. With the defense playing well, it bought the offense enough time to get things rolling. By the fourth quarter, Daniels was removed from the blowout as Marcus Mariota and the backups ran down the clock.

Led by Daniels, Washington has won consecutive games by 20 or more points for the first time since 1997 and has the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, at 31 points per game. The Heisman trophy winner is also the first player in NFL history to put up 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards through the first five games of his career. The Commanders are 4-1 for the first time since 2008 and head into a highly anticipated matchup with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens.

Style points — not to mention extra points — were at a premium when the Washington Commanders and New York Giants squared off in an early-season NFC East matchup.

Commanders running back Austin Ekeler took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown … only for the play to be nullified by a holding penalty. While the touchdown didn’t ultimately count, the sequence was hugely impactful because Giants kicker Graham Gano pulled his hamstring in pursuit of Ekeler and left New York without a kicker.

On the other sideline, many Commanders players were still learning their new kicker’s name. Fortunately for them, Austin Seibert set a franchise record with seven made field goals, giving him more converted field goals than days with the team (six). Seibert’s memorable debut lifted Washington to a 21-18 victory at the newly named Northwest Stadium, giving both head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels their first win in burgundy and gold.

Washington came into the game on a league-worst seven-game home losing streak and had lost their last nine games overall. Had the kicker situations for both franchises not been so extreme, the Commanders might still be searching for their first win of the 2024 season. But, as they say, an ugly win is still a win. The Giants now earn the distinction of becoming just the second team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, not allow a touchdown and still find a way to lose the game.

The Commanders finished the day with 425 yards of offense, but five false-start penalties in six red zone possessions forced the team to continually settle for field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. Daniels completed 23 of 29 attempts for 226 and picked up 44 yards on 10 carries. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. set a career high with 133 rushing yards on 17 carries. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste created the game’s only turnover with a well-timed punch to dislodge the ball from Giants running back Devin Singletary. Aside from holding on field goal attempts, punter Tress Way had the day off — with zero punts on the day.

The future of the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots hinges on how successful LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye turn out to be at the NFL’s most important position. If each of the rookie quarterbacks can find sustained success, both middling franchises could be in for better days.

Those conversation, of course, are for another day. On this one, Daniels suited up for warmups, but not the game itself. Maye did play, but struggled in the face of consistent pressure. With botched snaps and a few errant pass attempts, Maye looked decidely mortal while completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 20-10 loss. New England’s offense was also penalized eight times during the first half for false start, holding or illegal formation, which obviously didn’t help the rookie’s cause.

With Daniels (along with 33 other Commanders players) sitting out, quarterback Trace McSorley was provided an opportunity to impress head coach Dan Quinn and his staff. McSorley completed 12 of 21 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in an otherwise forgettable evening affair.

While few recognizable names participated in this exhibition matchup, maybe that’s not a bad thing. Washington hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005 or finished with a winning record since 2016. Maybe some serious housecleaning is in need by new general manager Adam Peters to rid the franchise of the stink of the previous regime’s constant shortcomings and failures. Maybe Quinn and friends will look back at this slog of a home preseason game and realize this was the night they identified an important piece of the puzzle. Or maybe, just maybe, it will be immediately forgotten and never spoken of again. Either way, bring on the regular season.