Two of the NFL’s best dual-threat quarterbacks — one a well-established star, the other a rookie — will battle when the host Baltimore Ravens renew their regional rivalry with the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Lamar Jackson, the NFL’s reigning and a two-time MVP, has led the Ravens to three straight victories into first place in the AFC North with highlight-reel passes and runs after starting the season with two losses.
The Commanders are 4-1 for the first time since 2008 behind rookie Jayden Daniels, who is the first player in NFL history with more than 1,000 yards passing and 250 yards rushing in his first five career games.
There are obvious comparisons between Daniels and Jackson, who are both Heisman Trophy winners. Commanders coach Dan Quinn, however, said each player has his individual style.
“I think everybody knows how exceptional and remarkable Lamar is, and so I get why people would say that here’s somebody who’s got the athletic ability and can absolutely rip it as well,” Quinn said at his weekly news conference this week. “But I’ve always wanted Jayden to be the best version of him and absolutely go for it in that way. They’ll feature different ways in the offense than we do.
“But as far as a comparison, I didn’t allow myself to kind of go down all that road. I just really wanted to kind of stay in all the things that he could do and how we would feature him in our offense with our guys.”
Jackson, in his seventh NFL season, has thrown for 1,206 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception for a 107.3 passer rating. Jackson has also run for 363 yards with two scores.
In last week’s 41-38 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Jackson had one of the most iconic plays of his career. After a botched snap, Jackson picked up the ball from the turf, stiff-armed Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard deep in the backfield, and then threw a touchdown pass as he was getting pushed out of bounds to tight end Isaiah Likely.
Jackson was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for that overall performance.
“I knew what was going on,” Jackson said on Sunday. “We just had to put points on the board. That’s what was going through my mind, but without (making) a costly turnover. We were driving the ball down the field, trying to make something happen, because those guys, I think, (had) one play that went 80 yards, so it’s like we have to respond back fast because time is running out, and time was on our side today because we were able to make something happen.”
The Ravens have the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense, averaging 211.2 yards per game. Establishing the run could be the focal point for offensive coordinator Todd Monken because Washington is ranked 22nd against the run (130 ypg) and 13th against the pass (198 ypg).
Daniels has thrown for 1,135 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also run for 300 yards with four scores.
The Ravens’ secondary has struggled this season and has allowed 280.2 yards passing per game — ranked 31st in the league, ahead of only the Jacksonville Jaguars (287.8). As a result, Daniels could have opportunities to make plays downfield against Baltimore’s cornerback and safeties.
The Commanders also have the NFL’s top-scoring offense with 31 points per game under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
“Jayden is playing at a high, high level,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “Kliff has done a great job in terms of building the offense around Jayden. They have skill players, they have a really great running back, a veteran offensive line — think they are doing a great job. You see it on tape. They have a lot of plays where there is all kinds of space out there that they’ve created. We have our hands full.”
The Ravens lead the all-time regular-season series against the Washington franchise 4-3.