The Baltimore Ravens (3-2) host the Washington Commanders (4-1) from M&T Bank Stadium in the Week 6 game of the week. Washington has four in a row, while Baltimore has won its past three entering Sunday’s game.
While the Ravens are a perennial contender and have been for years, the Commanders are a resurgent franchise under new ownership, a new GM, a new coach and a phenomenal young quarterback.
That begs the question: Is this a measuring stick game for the Commanders?
The goalposts seem to move with every Washington win. In Week 3, the Commanders were big underdogs to the Bengals. Looking back, Cincinnati, now 1-4, isn’t very good, even though the Bengals took the Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens to the final whistle. The Browns are a joke, although they have a quality defense that Washington totaled 434 yards of total offense and 34 points against.
Those aren’t our words; they’re the excuses critics have for every Commanders’ win. We could do the same for the Giants and Cardinals, but you get the point.
Now, for the Commanders to earn national respect, they must beat the Ravens.
So, does head coach Dan Quinn think this is a measuring stick game?
“No, we don’t talk in those terms of measuring stick,” Quinn said. “Like honestly, just you’ve heard us say there’s so many things for us to attack and get better at, so we’re not trying to use this game as a measuring stick.”
Quinn isn’t looking at this as a measuring stick because he’s worried about winning. He doesn’t care if the national or local media consider Washington a good team. He does understand how successful of an organization the Ravens have been for years.
“Hey, it’s no secret, Baltimore’s a really good football team, but we’re not using it as a measuring stick of where we’re at,” Quinn said. “Like every time we go, we’re here to get down and go for it. So, it has no bearing on a measuring stick or any of that. We know how good they are and we’re ready to go fight too. So yeah, but not a measuring stick game for us.”
What do the players think?
“I would think so,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said. “We look at Baltimore and what they’ve done however many seasons, they’ve definitely been the standard as far as what you want to be as a team. So, I’m excited to see where we’re at and go from there.”
Both are good answers. Quinn comes from a different perspective than Allen because his focus is on the next game. Whereas Allen, who has been in Washington for eight years, is ready to see how good the Commanders are and how they stack up against a successful and stable franchise like the Ravens.
Whether you want to call it a measuring stick or not, this weekend is a big-time opportunity for Washington.