Week 6 featured a matchup between the Ravens and Commanders that has forever been deemed the “Battle of the Beltway”. The Beltway is an interstate highway that surrounds Washington D.C. and connects Maryland and Virginia hence the term used whenever Baltimore and D.C. sports teams play one another. The game was sought after by NBC to flex to Sunday night Football, but was subsequently blocked by CBS. NBC’s desire for the game was 2nd only to fans in the DMV, proven by how the ticket prices skyrocketed over the last week.
The Rivalry That Isn’t
Battle of the Beltway doesn’t exactly do the series justice though. The matchup having it’s own title makes it sound like a rivalry, although it isn’t. These games don’t have the feel of Army vs Navy, or the hatred the Washington Capitals and Baltimore Ravens share for Pittsburgh pro sports teams.
The cities may be just 40 miles apart, but their recent success isn’t even in the same universe.
Since pro football re-entered Baltimore in 1996, the Ravens and Commanders (or whatever you’d like to call them) have only shared one season where they both had a winning record. In 2012, Washington finished 10-6 and won the NFC East behind their rookie sensation QB, Robert Griffin III. The Ravens finished with a divisional title of their own and capped the season off by winning Super Bowl XLVII.
Dan Snyder Era
The DMV was energized by its pro football teams, though it was short-lived. The very next season both teams missed the playoffs and Washington’s owner Dan Snyder fired Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Since 1996, the Commanders have had 9 different Head Coaches, many of which had success elsewhere before or after their experience in the “Snyder era”.
Snyder has since sold the team, which immediately gave sports fans of DC new hope. New owner Josh Harris cleaned house, and the result has been a 4-1 record going into week 6 – led by new Head Coach Dan Quinn and Rookie of the Year front-runner Jayden Daniels. The dynamic 2023 Heisman Winner was selected #2 overall and has given the DMV energy they haven’t experienced since RGIII’s Rookie of the Year campaign in 2012.
“Battle of the Beltway”
They faced a Ravens team led by their own dynamic QB in former 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Washington came to Baltimore to see how they would stand up to one of the bullies of the NFL and they didn’t disappoint.
Washington stood toe to toe with the Ravens forcing 2 turnovers and holding them to just 3 points in the first quarter. Baltimore found their rhythm with scoring drives of 10 and 13 plays which left the score 17-10 at halftime.
Baltimore eventually took a commanding 27-13 lead on Derrick Henry’s 2nd TD of the day, but Jayden Daniels and the Commanders refused to quit. They had no problem moving the ball through the 4th quarter, but alas the Ravens are victorious again, 30-23.
Jayden Daniels finished 24/35 for 269 yards and 2 TDs and added 22 yards on the ground. Ravens QB and 2024 MVP candidate Lamar Jackson completed 20/26 for 323 yards, 1 TD and rushed for 40 yards on 11 carries. This was no typical Ravens/Commanders game – it feels like the start of something.
A Region Reenergized
There may not be moral victories in sports, but for a franchise that has been down and out since the early 90’s, Washington sports fans will take it. They showed that just 6 games into their rookie QB’s professional career – he has the stuff to compete with the big boys.
The Baltimore Ravens are most certainly the big boys, and the Washington Football Teams haven’t been much competition over the years, which is why “The Battle of the Beltway” creates an illusion of a rivalry that doesn’t exist. With the recent resurgence of the Commanders and their impressive new QB, the game with a name may have finally earned it.
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