Lamar Jackson just got perfect chance to quiet old rivals (and future ones)

The Battle of the Beltway between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders is picking up more steam than it ever has. While the rivalry is best known for baseball, the NFL version has been gaining traction with the recent rise of the Commanders.

The Ravens have long been one of the NFL’s most dominant and consistent teams. In the Lamar Jackson era, the team is primetime television. The Commanders, however, have struggled to be relevant. But after rookie phenom Jayden Daniels took the league by storm in 2024, they are becoming one of the most beloved teams in football. 

The first chapter of this new-era battle took place in week six of the 2024 season, and it didn’t disappoint. The NFL’s top two dual-threat quarterbacks went back and forth in one of the most underrated games of the season. While we won’t see a second chapter of this rivalry in 2025, Jackson and Daniels will go head-to-head in a joint practice ahead of their Week 3 preseason game.

Daniels still has a lot to prove before getting Jackson comparisons

In a recent press conference, John Harbaugh confirmed the Ravens will have joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts and Commanders before their preseason games. While it’s meaningless football in the grand scheme of things, the Ravens and Commanders will garner a ton of attention as they square off in August. Much of this attention surrounds the comparison between Jackson and Daniels. 

The two quarterbacks are the talk of the NFL. Jackson puts on a show every season, taking advantage of defenses on the ground and through the air. Daniels took care of business similarly last year with 3,568 passing yards and 891 rushing yards, earning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. While this is just the start for Daniels, the matchup between Washington and Baltimore is a chance for Jackson to prove why he’s in a different stratosphere.

The 28-year-old Jackson has been awarded two MVPs so far in his career (it should be three if it weren’t for an egregious snub last year). His numbers trumped Daniels’ in every way possible. In Daniels’ case, with just one year—albeit an outstanding season—under his belt, the LSU product still has many trials and tribulations to go through and learn from before being mentioned in the same breath as Jackson. In the joint practice, Jackson can showcase what makes him one of the league’s best quarterbacks and maybe teach Daniels a thing or two.

The Commanders quarterback is one of the future faces of the league. While he’s not on Jackson’s level yet, there are glimpses of MVP-like potential, but he’ll need to watch and learn. It’s just a joint practice, but it will surely be one of the more electrifying practices fans will get to see. This head-to-head matchup could end up being a Super Bowl LX (60) preview. 

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