Baltimore Ravens

Redskins at Ravens Week 5 : Highlights, score and recap

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Baltimore Ravens will hope Terrance West and a new-look running game can help them bounce back against the Washington Redskins in Week 5.

Veteran Justin Forsett was released for a second time after being inactive for last week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders. It means West will be tasked with carrying the load on the ground against a soft Washington run defense.

West delivered in the lead-back role last week, rushing for 113 yards against the Raiders. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry, bad news for a feeble Redskins D-line.

In fact, Washington’s rush defense is one of the most generous in the NFL, per Matt Harmon of the league’s official site: “Washington allowed the most yards to running backs in the NFL through four weeks at 5.1 yards per carry. They have also ceded seven rushing touchdowns.”

West will also likely share some carries with rookie Kenneth Dixon. He’s a classic power back who can hit the Redskins where they’re weakest, in the middle.

The Ravens would be wise to keep things on the ground after their O-line struggled mightily in pass protection last week. Quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked twice and hit repeatedly by a fired-up Raiders front seven.

In particular, Baltimore struggled to handle edge-rushers Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin. Fortunately, for Flacco, Washington’s defense isn’t loaded with stud pass-rushers. Main man Ryan Kerrigan and second-year pro Preston Smith have been inconsistent.

However, Trent Murphy looks like a player reborn after switching from outside linebacker to down lineman and back again. The ex-Stanford star leads the Redskins with four sacks.

But if Murphy’s kept quiet, Flacco should undermine a pass defense suspect in intermediate areas. Tight ends Dennis Pitta and Crockett Gillmore could both be prolific over the middle.

Highlights

Highlights will be added as when and they happen.

Three Stars

1. Terrance West

There’s more pressure on West this week, now he knows he’s the main man. But the matchup favors the third-year former Towson ace.

West is quick out of the blocks, makes decisive cuts and usually powers through first contact. Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman needs to put West in the right formation to thrive. It will mean Trestman ditching his west coast roots and getting fullback Kyle Juszczyk on the filed often.

West is averaging seven yards a carry out of I-formation looks, according to ESPN. Juszczyk can pancake lightweight rookie Su’a Cravens, a converted safety the Redskins are playing at linebacker.

2. Dennis Pitta

It should be a good day for Pitta against some shaky pass defenders over the middle. He can exploit plodding inside linebackers Will Compton and Mason Foster. The former is becoming a major liability in space, one a crafty receiver like Pitta can toy with all day.

Cravens brings defensive back-like skills to underneath coverage. But the Ravens can spread the field to isolate Pitta against linebackers. It’s a matchup Flacco won’t be able to ignore.

Opponents are catching 71.3 percent of their targets against the Redskins, per Sporting Charts. It’s a recipe for a big game from the sure-handed Pitta.

3. Timmy Jernigan

Perhaps the most obvious mismatch of the game pits a dominant Baltimore defensive interior against the soft middle of Washington’s O-line. It’s a disparity that could see Timmy Jernigan dominate.

He’s been doing exactly that every week. Jernigan is a game-wrecker for every level of an offense. He has three sacks to his credit and has been in on 12 tackles and two pass breakups.

Jernigan should run riot against stand-in center John Sullivan and young guard Brandon Scherff. The Ravens need to puncture the pass pocket consistently.

They can’t allow Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins time to spread the ball between a litany of skilled receivers led by Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson.

Next Week

The Ravens take on NFC East opposition again, when they face the New York Giants in Week 6. Speaking of the East, the Redskins will be involved in a vital divisional battle with the Philadelphia Eagles.