Takeaways: Ravens Offense Finally Looks Complete

The Baltimore Ravens won their fourth straight game with their win over the Washington Commanders.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) rushes by Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil (0) for a second-half touchdown at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In a battle between two of the better teams in the league, the Baltimore Ravens emerged with a 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders.

The Ravens got contributions from all three phases in their fourth consecutive win. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry helped pace the offense, receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman each had big games and the defense largely contained one of the league's most potent offenses. Baltimore also got a pivotal play on special teams when offensive lineman Ben Cleveland blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt from Commanders kicker Austin Seibert.

Here are three takeaways from the Ravens' (4-2) win over Washington (4-2) at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ravens offense turns in complete performance

For much of the first five weeks of the season, it was typically either the Ravens' running or passing game that paced the offense.

Against Washington, both phases of the offense dominated for Baltimore. Jackson completed 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards, one touchdown and an interception that came off a deflection. He also ran for 40 yards, moving to second all-time in rushing yards for a quarterback.

Henry turned in another strong performance with 24 carries for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Together, the Ravens accumulated 484 total yards and held onto the ball for 36 minutes and eight seconds of the game, which went a long way toward slowing down a Commanders offense that led the league in points per game heading into Sunday.

Baltimore also had 28 first downs and was 6-10 on third down.

The Ravens' offense has found their stride, averaging 33.5 points per game during their four-game winning streak. If they can continue to maintain this level of balance, it'll be hard for opposing defenses to slow down Jackson and the rest of the offense.

Mark Andrews heating up

Few signs are more welcome for the Ravens than tight end Mark Andrews getting back to being a consistent contributor in the passing game.

Andrews took another step toward that with his performance against the Commanders, catching three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, which was his first of the season. The former All-Pro hadn't caught a touchdown since Week 8 of 2023 before Sunday.

With the game nearing halftime, Jackson found Andrews in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, giving the Ravens a 17-10 lead with 53 seconds left in the second quarter. Baltimore would lead for the rest of the game after Andrews' touchdown, the 41st of his career, tying him for the Ravens' record for receiving touchdowns.

Andrews' performance comes on the heels of catching four passes for 55 yards in the Ravens' Week 5 overtime win over the Bengals. If the three-time Pro Bowler can continue to stack solid performances, it'd add another dimension to an already potent Ravens offense.

Ravens' defense contains Jayden Daniels and Commanders offense

Completely stopping a Commanders offense that averaged a league-best 31 points per game and was led by NFC Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels was always going to be a tall task.

Instead, a series of crucial stops and limited Daniels to just having to use his arm to beat the Ravens defense was enough to get the job done.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft completed 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels' ability to tun and the Commanders' rushing offense were stifled by the Ravens' elite run defense, though. Daniels was Washington's leading rusher, running for 22 yards, the fewest of his young career.

As a team, the Commanders ran for 52 yards, a far cry compared to their average of nearly 180 rushing yards per game heading into Sunday, which was second in football, only trailing the Ravens. Baltimore also sacked Daniels three times and held the Commanders to 4-12 on third down.

The Ravens' defense has shown flashes of being great, but consistently performing at a high level has been the unit's Achilles heel. If it can build on its performance against Washington, Baltimore will have a chance to be one of the league's best and most well-rounded teams.

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