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GAME SNAPSHOT: Here's your complete guide to the Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens, including when and where to watch, series history, matchups, prediction and pick to win. KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore. TV -- FOX, Sam Rosen, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
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SERIES HISTORY: Sixth meeting for teams that are virtually neighborhood rivals. The Ravens lead the all-time series against the Redskins, 3-2, with four of the previous five games taking place at Washington. In the most recent meeting on December 9, 2012, the Redskins scored a touchdown with just 29 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime, when a Kai Forbath field goal lifted Washington to a 31-28 victory.
GAMEDATE: 10/9/16
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Redskins are hurting on defense and should have a rough time with Ravens QB Joe Flacco. There's no guarantee that Donte Whitmer will be ready to contribute right away at safety and cornerback Bashaud Breeland is out the second week in a row. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger dominated Washington in the season opener in part by staying away from cornerback Josh Norman. New York's Eli Manning had similar success.
The Ravens are coming off their first loss of 2016. Oakland edged them at Baltimore last week, 28-27. It was the 18th time in their last 20 games that the Ravens played a game that was decided by eight points or fewer. And over that span, the average final margin of all 20 games has been just 6.15 points.
By going 21-for-27 last week, Redskins QB Kirk Cousins improved his career completion percentage to 65.3 (65.304), inching ahead of Peyton Manning (65.299) and Tony Romo (65.251) for the fourth-highest mark in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 1000 attempts.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco completed 32 of 52 passes in Week 4, but the Ravens are now 0-5 in Flacco's career when he makes at least 52 attempts, as well as 0-7 when he completes at least 32 passes. Flacco has connected on just one pass that gained at least 25 yards over his last two starts.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Ravens WR Steve Smith, who has a team-high 24 catches and 37 targets at age 37, vs. Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, who has an interception, a forced fumble and eight passes defended in four games.
--Redskins LT Trent Williams, a four-time Pro Bowler who is off to another fine start in 2016, vs. Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs, who has a team-high three sacks in his comeback year at age 33 from a torn Achilles tendon.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Redskins PK Dustin Hopkins -- He already earned NFC special-teams player of the week and month honors this season. He nailed a 49-yard field goal in the win over Cleveland on Sunday and is now 12-for-12 on the season. Hopkins helped Washington weather red zone struggles early this season (36.8 percent, 29th overall). He hasn't missed an extra point, either. Hopkins has made all four of his field goals taken beyond 40 yards, but has yet to attempt one past the 50. 200 or so words on somebody for some reason, try not to duplicate a matchup subject
FAST FACTS: Washington must find a way to get off the field on third down. Opponents are converting third downs at a 57.5 clip, worst in the league by far -- a whopping 10 percentage points behind No. 31 Detroit (47 percent). ... Ravens RB Terrance West is coming off his finest game as a pro, rushing a career-high 113 yards against the Raiders last week. It was his first 100-yard performance since making his NFL debut with exactly 100 rushing yards in Week 1 of 2014. West also established career highs last week with six rushing first downs and four carries that gained at least 10 yards.
PREDICTION: After a close loss to the visiting Raiders last week, the Ravens should be rude hosts to their next-door neighbor.
OUR PICK: Ravens, 38-17
--Frank Cooney.
