Ravens, Commanders Cancel Joint Practice

The Ravens and Commanders are scheduled to face off at noon ET on Aug. 23 at FedEx Field. However, both teams' upcoming games present schedule challenges. The Ravens will travel quite far for a preseason game when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Satuday night, while the Commanders host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night in the final game of Preseason Week 2.

So, rather than face the quick turnaround for a joint practice on Aug. 21, they decided it would be best to just practice on their own before the game.

The good news is that the Ravens got in another joint practice last week with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of their preseason opener. Baltimore hasn't played its starters in the preseason for several years now, so getting them reps against another team, even if it's not in an actual game, is critical.

"I just think it's a good measurement to see where you're at as a team," running back Derrick Henry told reporters on Aug. 5. "I know we've been going against each other for however many practices this has been, so it's a good measurement to see where we measure up against another opponent, get some good practice in and get some good work in and watch the film and see what we need to get better."

The Commanders also had a joint practice with the New England Patriots last week, so both teams at least got some reps against another, even if there were some fights at both practices.

As essentially next-door neighbors, Baltimore and Washington play each other almost every preseason, and usually in the final game of the preseason. That was not the case last year, however, as they instead played during the regular season. The Ravens won that game 30-23 at M&T Bank Stadium on Oct. 13.