Ravens' win streak isn't really top of mind for these Commanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
If you closely follow the NFL, you’re likely at least aware of the Ravens’ current 22-game preseason winning streak. Whether you care about it is another topic entirely, of course.
But when he was approached by NBC Sports Washington to discuss Baltimore’s steady summer success following practice on Monday, Commanders defensive end Efe Obada was caught off guard.
“Can you educate me?” he asked.
This Saturday, Ron Rivera’s club will pay a visit to M&T Bank Stadium to see John Harbaugh’s bunch in what will be each side’s third and final exhibition contest. And while Rivera will use the matchup as one last chance to evaluate his players before roster cuts on Aug. 30, perhaps his team can ground the Ravens as an added bonus.
But that chance at history(?) is far from a point of emphasis for Washington.
Linebackers David Mayo and Khaleke Hudson initially reacted similarly to Obada when they were presented questions about Baltimore’s streak, yet Mayo eventually recalled its existence because it was mentioned in 2021 before the pair of organizations met for a preseason tilt at FedEx Field. As for Hudson, he remembered that he’s “seen posts about it.”
Obada, Mayo and Hudson were all complimentary of it once they were fully clued in, though.
“I think winning in general in this league is very difficult,” Obada said. “You get a group of guys new every year, it’s a changeup. To be able to get them on the same page and able to play and execute at a high level against another team is very impressive.”
“For every team,” Mayo said, “you come out to play, you come out to win.”
“That’s definitely impressive,” Hudson said. “That just shows how hard their guys work and how seriously they take their preseason games.”
While at the University of Michigan, Hudson experienced a nine-game winning streak in 2016 as well as a 10-game romp in 2018. He unsurprisingly enjoyed looking back on those stretches.
“It just feels good,” he said. “You just keep rolling to the next week to the next week to the next week. It’s a confidence builder.”
Mayo can absolutely relate to such a feeling. Actually, he can beat it rather handily.
The Texas State product was selected by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, meaning he was a rookie for the Carolina outfit that started that campaign 14-0 and ultimately lost in the Super Bowl to the Broncos. Talk about getting spoiled.
“Every single week, prepping for a team, we just knew we were going to win,” Mayo said. “We had a lot of Victory Mondays that year.”
So, after filling Hudson in on the details and getting him to reflect on winning streaks of his own, he closed out his interview by boldly guaranteeing that the Commanders will in fact push the Ravens from their perch this weekend, right? Right?!
Eh, not really.
“That’s not where my attention’s at,” Hudson said.
Fair enough.