Of Ravens and Commanders

By Ronald Guy Jr.

New owner.  All new coaches.  Massive roster changes, including a shiny new quarterback.  It’s normally a formula for hope.  Deep psychological scars prevented any such normalcy.  A quarter of a century of losing and an incomparable organizational meltdown will do that to you.  And others.  Or an entire fan base.  Across an entire region.  To include a lost generation of fans. 

Dramatic, yes.  Appropriate?  Completely.

Then, way back in September, Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn, Kliff Kingsbury, a totally new coaching staff and front offer, and a roster full of strangers, took the field in Tampa for a Week 1 game against the Buccaneers.  What every Washington football fan was thinking: Here we go…let’s see if the organizational exorcism worked and if this team is worth my time.  On the first offensive play, Daniels threw a quick screen to running back Brian Robinson.  Good thought: Get the rookie quarterback an easy completion to calm the nerves and into the flow of the game.  Or not.  The pass, maybe a mere 15 feet in distance, sailed over Robinson’s head.  A scrambled ensured and the ball bounced out of bounds.  Worse than an incompletion, it was a lateral, so Washington was fortunate the ball reached the sidelines.  Somewhere the definition of a brutal play is when a loss of 5-6 yards was the best possible outcome.  I’m watching this thinking, “He’s a total bust (Daniels).  Completely overwhelmed by the moment.  More of the same for this bleeping team.  My fall weekend calendar just became available for other activities.” 

Fans major in overreactions.  It’s a lifestyle, bruh.

A few days earlier, the Ravens had opened the NFL season in primetime, at Arrowhead Stadium, against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.  This was personal.  The Chiefs ended the top-seeded Ravens’ season in a playoff upset the previous season.  The Ravens lost again on this night by an inch – literally.  Down 27-20, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completed an apparent game-tying touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely on the last play of regulation.  Upon further review (the best or worst words for a sports fan), Likely’s left foot was down, but his right foot landed an inch…maybe…out of bounds.  Game over.  Chiefs win. 

The Ravens returned home the following week to get well against a Raiders team that promised to be competing more for draft position than a playoff spot in 2024.  Yeah.  The Raiders, ultimately winners of just four games all season, hadn’t yet subscribed that bleak forecast; they left Baltimore with a win and the Super Bowl hopeful Ravens in a 0-2 hole. 

Needless to say, not great starts for either team.

Undeterred, the Ravens ripped off five straight wins and were 7-3 after ten games.  Similarly, after the Week 1 loss to Tampa, Washington won seven of its next eight to whip a long-hibernating fan base into a frenzy.

There were more bumps to navigate, though.  The Ravens lost to the inferior Cleveland Browns and were swept by Pennsylvania - losses to both the Steelers and Eagles.  Washington, meanwhile, saw Daniels sustain an injury and lost three straight games in the middle of the season.  But in the end, the teams combined for an impressive 24 wins, a division title (Baltimore) and surprising playoff berth (Washington).

That’s how the 2024 season went for the locals.  It was, at any moment, surprising, challenging, rewarding, disappointing, exhilarating (thinking of Daniels’ Hail Mary to beat Chicago), unfair and just.  And through all of those emotions and wild week-to-week ride, the 2024 journeys of the Ravens and Commanders have been instructive for 2025.  A team’s schedule is a rough outline of how a season will execute.  The details, many presenting unimaginable variables and situations, are filled in along the way.  Sounds like life, right?  The calendar, holidays, birthdays and the seasons – all predictable.  Beyond that, well, who knows.  Navigational recommendations?  Stick to your fundamentals, prepare, take it day-to-day, maintain discipline, make adjustments as needed, stay “medium”, trust your teammates (family, friends, colleagues), capitalize on breaks – lots of cheesy sports cliches!  True, but I’m confident the Ravens and Commanders would approve this message.