The Washington Commanders are traveling up the Beltway to take on the Baltimore Ravens in their first road trip against the AFC North team since 2016. Here are five keys to the Burgundy & Gold securing a victory.

1. Stop Derrick Henry.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the defensive keys are going to revolve around stopping the Ravens' rushing attack. It's the best in the league, averaging 211 yards per game, and led by a running back-quarterback duo that has combined for 598 yards before contact.

As good as Lamar Jackson has been with his legs, Derrick Henry is the battering ram that heads the Ravens' running game. At 30 years old, the 6-foot-2, 247-pound back leads the league in rushing yards (572), rushing first downs gained (30), yards after contact (244) and broken tackles (11). Oh, and he has the fifth-fastest play this season, when he was tracked at 21.46 mph on a 51-yard run against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bobby Wagner said there's no real way of completely stopping Henry, but the Commanders can develop a strong tackling plan to bring him down before he really gets going. The Commanders do have some hard hitters like Quan Martin, Jeremy Chinn and Frankie Luvu, but even that probably won't be enough, as Henry has shown he can handle one defender by running them over, stiff arming them or outrunning them. So, the entire defense will need to be involved in some form.

Henry is one of the most unique running backs playing today but does have moments where he looks more human. It's on the Commanders to force those moments to occur as often as possible.

2. Capitalize on every scoring opportunity.

The Commanders have scored at a historic rate through the first five games, becoming the first time to score at least 150 points in that span with a rookie quarterback. They've ended drives with a field goal or touchdown on 29 of their drives, and that level of efficiency will be even more important against the Ravens.

The Ravens are one of the few teams that can rival Washington's offense. They're leading the league with 447.6 yards per game, right behind the Commanders in points per game with 29.4 and third in third down conversion percentage.

All of this is centered around Jackson, who is having another MVP-caliber start to the season. He's committed just two turnover worthy plays with just one interception, which was more flukey than a mistake on his part. Three of his nine touchdowns have come while under pressure, and he has only been sacked five times.

Unlike the Browns, whose struggling offense gave Washington time to get back on track after a slow start, the Ravens will not provide that same luxury. They have the chance to score on every drive, so whether it's a field goal or touchdown, Washington might have to match that production from the start.

3. Get the Ravens off the field.

The Commanders' defense has made marked improvements on third down, rising from last in the league to 23rd thanks to holding the Browns to one conversion on 13 attempts last week. That needs to continue against the Ravens, and it's an opportunity for the Commanders to show that what happened against Cleveland was no fluke.

Granted, it will be the toughest challenge Washington has faced up to this point. The Ravens are one of three teams with a third-down conversion rate of at least 50%, and regardless of the distance, they like to be aggressive. The option to run the ball with Henry is always in play, but if Jackson does elect to use his arm, he will likely look to a member of their tight end trio of Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar.

No matter what happens, the Commanders will need to put pressure on Jackson. It would be a bonus if they can bring him down, although most teams have struggled with that this season, but if they can make him uncomfortable, that could be enough to disrupt him or force a turnover. Jackson's accuracy, which ranks 19th at 65.3%, drops to 44% under pressure. All five of Jackson's sacks have also come when he's been pressured.

The Ravens will be tough to get off the field, but any series that ends in a punt will be a blessing for Washington.

4. Extend drives.

The Commanders' offense can also do their part to keep Baltimore off the field by staying on it for as long as possible.

Thanks to its offensive success, the Commanders have a good job of keeping the clock in their favor. They rank fourth in time of possession this season, which is a credit to their dominant rushing attack that has been the second most productive in the NFL. They lead the NFL with 13 rushing scores, although it's unclear at this point whether Brian Robinson Jr., the team's leader with four such touchdowns, will play against the Ravens.

Even if Robinson does not play, however, the Commanders should be in good shape with Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols set to potentially have larger roles. What's more, the Commanders have the highest points per play number in the NFL (.603) over the past three games. They, the Ravens and the New Orleans Saints are also tied for the most team offensive touchdowns per game.

Washington has punted at a lower rate than any team in the league, but even that likely won't be enough to keep up with the Ravens. They'll need to extend their drives, with some help from the running game, and bleed the clock.

5. Keep an eye on Justice Hill.

Jackson and Henry will rightfully take up most of the Commanders' attention, but Justice Hill is another part of the Ravens' backfield that needs to be accounted for.

Hill, who has been with the team since 2019, only has 93 rushing yards but is fourth on the team with 169 receiving yards. He's caught 17 of his targets and has a success rate of 60%, which is also fourth on the team and second among Ravens players with at least 20 targets.

Though it might feel like it at times, the Ravens are more than just Jackson and Henry. They are a multifaceted offense with players like Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman on the outside. While several of their weapons have had big games, Hill has been mostly quiet outside of a few explosive receptions.

Perhaps it's Hill's turn to have a major impact. If so, it would be yet another problem for the Commanders to figure out.