Unsung heroes from the Ravens’ Week 6 win over the Commanders

The Ravens received impressive performances from several unheralded players in their fourth win of the 2024 season.

In Week 6, the Baltimore Ravens came out on top of the Battle of the Beltway with a 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders at home on Sunday afternoon. It improved their record to 4-2, leaving them tied for first place in the AFC North standings with the Pittsburgh Steelers also winning later in the day on the road.

In a game where they were favored to win by nearly a touchdown, the Ravens were in firm control from start to finish. They secured the victory thanks to some underrated yet impactful performances from a handful of well-known starters and several of their less-heralded players making plays on both sides of the ball.

This article highlights the players whose performances flew under the radar but were still clutch — the unsung heroes.

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Offensive line

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The Ravens put up their second-highest total yards of offense with 484 including outrushing their opponent by more than 100 yards for the sixth straight game to open the season—extending a league record. This group of blockers that began the season much-maligned continues to improve each week and gel together with each game of experience they get under their collective belts.

“They’re doing a really good job,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “Certainly the five guys that played yesterday played very well – different guys did different things to fight through – that they worked through, which is true of all football players, but I thought they did a great job with that.”

Only one of the two sacks the Commanders recorded was a result of an offensive lineman getting beat which was rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten on the Ravens’ third drive of the game while the other one was on the quarterback because of great coverage in the secondary. One lineman who was under the most scrutiny during the team’s 0-2 start and is really rounding into shape is third-year pro Daniel Faalele at right guard. He was the only starter not to be charged with giving up a pressure in pass protection and made several key blocks to spring skill players for big gains and touchdowns in both the run game and on screens.

One of the best blocks by a Ravens offensive lineman in this game actually occurred on special teams when fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland used his long wingspan to block a 52-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the second quarter before halftime. Had the kick gone through, it would’ve cut the Ravens’ lead to a touchdown to just four points at the break and after the game, Cleveland was just awarded a game ball for making a play in a new role he recently advocated for to help him get on the field more to help the team.

“I’ve been suggesting that for a while, just to be honest with you,” Harbaugh said. “[Ben Cleveland] is a big man. He was on there for two weeks now, and he came to Chris and said, ‘I want to do it.’ And when a guy wants to do something like that and wants to take the time to do it and double down on what he’s doing and help the team, man, you’re fired up about that.”

OLB Kyle Van Noy

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While the 11-year veteran failed to record a sack for the second week in a row after tying a franchise record with three straight with two or more, he had a profound impact on the Ravens’ ability to contain Jayden Daniels as a scrambler. Van Noy did a great job of maintaining his rush lane integrity and didn’t get too far upfield where he’d be able to escape outside the pocket. He also showed great instincts snuffing out a halfback screen in the second half that made Daniels hold the ball long enough for defensive tackles Nnamdi Madubuike and Michael Pierce to notch a tandem sack. The 33-year-old finished with two solo tackles including a stop where he prevented Daniels from getting across the goal line from inside the five-yard line.

WR Rashod Bateman

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The fourth-year pro continues to quietly put together the best season of his career and against the Commanders he made the most of his opportunities by hauling in all four of his targets for a season-high 71 receiving yards. What stood out more than the numbers themselves was Bateman’s crisp route running and how all four of his catches went for over 10 yards, resulted in first downs and occurred on scoring drives. While second-year pro Zay Flowers is the Ravens’ clear-cut No. 1 receiver, Bateman’s role as a reliable chain mover with a knack for getting open and finding separation can’t be overlooked or undervalued in this offense.

DT Travis Jones

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The third-year pro continues to be a dominant and disruptive force in the middle of the Ravens’ defense during his breakout campaign and against the Commanders, he made several impactful plays both as a run stuffer and interior pass rusher. Jones tied for the team lead in total tackles among defensive linemen with four including a season-high two for a loss and notched his first sack of the season by taking advantage of a one-on-one opportunity with the left guard while Nnamdi Madubuike was being double-teamed by the center and right guard. The clutch play took place on third down on Washington’s first drive of the game and forced a field goal attempt.

RB Justice Hill

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Even though the sixth-year veteran recorded a season-low two total touches for a mere four scrimmage yards on a two-yard catch and a two-yard carry, he still managed to make tremendous contributions to the offense’s success as a blocker. Hill continued to be excellent in pass protection, with several impressive blitz pickups and getting a key block to help spring Jackson for his longest rush of the game on a 33-yarder on the Ravens’ first drive of the third quarter.