Maryland statemates battle, each looking for a rebound
Other than playing home games in Maryland, there are few similarities between the Washington Football Team and the Baltimore Ravens.
Washington is rebuilding after finishing last in the NFC last season. Baltimore was the top seed in the AFC before losing its playoff opener.
But when these regional rivals meet today, each will be looking for a bounceback performance after a loss that included a disappointing quarterback performance.
Lamar Jackson was outplayed by the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in a Monday night showdown, resulting in Baltimore’s first regularseason defeat in a calendar year. Jackson managed 97 passing yards on 28 attempts, a career low of 3.5 yards per attempt.
Dwayne Haskins, meanwhile, threw three interceptions and lost a fumble as Washington lost at Cleveland, falling to 1-2.
The solution might be easier to come by for Baltimore and Jackson, last year’s MVP. So far in the Jackson era, the team is 0-6 when trailing in any game by 10 points or more, a deficit that developed quickly against Kansas City.
“We just can’t get in those situations — being behind,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to try to score each and every drive like we should be. And if we’re down, just try to execute the plays and try to move forward and put some points on the board and make the comeback.”
Running back Mark Ingram defended Jackson, saying that it’s “not on one person” but the entire offense to forge a comeback.
“We have to execute our assignments better,” Ingram said. “We have to get open. We have to catch passes. We have to protect the quarterback. We have to protect the football. We have to possess the football.”
Haskins, Washington’s up-and-down second-year starter, has done what his MVP counterpart has not. He helped rally Washington from a 17-0 deficit in Week 1 to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, the offense been inconsistent in losses to Arizona and Cleveland.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner is looking for Haskins to avoid forcing the ball into coverage. Haskins said he must play better across the board.
“Definitely there wasn’t anything that I said, ‘Man, I need to do this.’ I just want to be better at everything,” Haskins said. “I’m still young. I can’t just sit here and act like I arrived, or I made it. I mean, I made it, but there’s a long way to go.”
SEAHAWKS AT DOLPHINS
OK, OK. Everyone in America seems to know that Russell Wilson is the best NFL quarterback to not receive an MVP vote in his career. His numbers so far are very MVP-like, of course. Wilson is the first player to have at least four touchdown passes in each of his first three games in a season. He leads the league with 14, the most after three games in NFL history. Wilson has 24 games with a passer rating of at least 130, the most in the league since 2012. And now he faces a porous Miami secondary. The Dolphins are allowing 8.8yards per pass, worst in the NFL.
SAINTS AT LIONS
Who Dat going to beat the Saints? Well, the Raiders and Packers the past two weeks while New Orleans was minus 2019 Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas (ankle). The star receiver, probably the NFL’s most valuable performer who is not a quarterback, hopes to be back against the Lions. The Saints have lost consecutive games for the first time in three years. The most recent time they lost three in a row was when starting 0-3 in 2016. The Lions ended an 11- game slide with their upset victory at Arizona.
CHARGERS AT BUCS
Rookie Justin Herbert is the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in his first two games. But if Tyrod Taylor is recovered from a medical mishap, he could start. Bucs WR Mike Evans has four TD receptions, one of three players with a TD catch in each of the first three games. But Tampa Bay’s other top wideout, Chris Godwin, is hobbled with a hamstring issue.
CARDINALS AT PANTHERS
Each team comes off unexpected results. The Panthers went out to LA and beat the Chargers handily. The Cardinals, one of the league’s most impressive starters in 2020, fell to the previously winless Lions. The Panthers have won four straight games against the Cardinals and 11 of the past 14. Coincidentally, new Panthers coach Matt Rhule and Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury met twice as college coaches. Rhule’s Baylor Bears and Kingbury’s Texas Tech Red Raiders split the matchups.
COLTS AT BEARS
If the Nick Foles era is beginning in Chicago, well, we know he is capable of doing big things, as he proved in 2017with the Eagles. The Bears finally tired of Mitchell Trubisky’s inconsistency, and Foles brought them back to beat Atlanta. The Colts’ opponents have been the Jaguars (1-2, beating Indy), Vikings and Jets (both winless entering this week). This is their first real test.
GIANTS AT RAMS
Traveling cross country seeking a first victory isn’t the best route, and the Giants were only surpassed by their MetLife Stadium compadres, the Jets, for inept performances through three weeks. They are banged-up everywhere. The Rams flew back from Buffalo believing they should be 3-0, though they tried to shrug off some officiating gaffes that might have cost them late against the Bills. Their offense is in high gear, and New York has trouble covering everybody.
BROWNS AT COWBOYS
We never know which Browns or Cowboys team will show up each game. Cleveland was awful in its opener against Baltimore, then beat up on Cincinnati and Washington. That means the Browns lost to a good opponent and defeated two tail-enders. Which of those the Cowboys might be is undetermined. They were handed their only victory by hapless Atlanta, and the two road losses were at the Rams and Seahawks. Again, quality opposition. New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski seems to have had more effect on his club than Cowboys new man Mike McCarthy has so far in Big D.
JAGUARS AT BENGALS
The fact that Joe Burrow and his teammates were crushed by tying at Philadelphia says a lot about the new mindset in Cincinnati. The top overall draft pick has been solid so far, finding a favorite target in Tyler Boyd, who has 21 receptions. After an opening upset win over Indianapolis and tight defeat at Tennessee, the Jags spit the bit at home against Miami. They got extra time after that Thursday night flop to mend — and to watch tape of how awful they were.
VIKINGS AT TEXANS
A pair of 2019 division winners with nothing to show this season. The Texans have fallen to the Chiefs, Ravens and Steelers, total record 8-1. Their defense has been unimpressive and they sorely miss WR DeAndre Hopkins, who is going wild in Arizona. In come the Vikings, who played Tennessee last Sunday and thus had to make adjustments according to NFL/ NFLPA protocols after the Titans had some positive coronavirus tests. Minnesota isn’t getting much of a pass rush, a strength in previous years, but at least the offense woke up in the loss to Tennessee.