The Washington Commanders dropped their first game in a month with a 30-23 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. Here are five takeaways from the matchup.

1. Zay Flowers had a big day.

The Ravens, which came into Sunday's game with the league's best statistical offense, had few missteps on the day, amassing 484 yards on nine drives. While they're known for being a run-first offense, the Commanders knew there was more to that unit. That knowledge wasn't enough to stop Zay Flowers from finding open spots in their coverage, though.

Flowers got the Ravens rolling on their first drive with a screen that went 44 yards down to the Commanders' 20-yard line. It foreshadowed what Flowers would do for the rest of the day, as he caught all nine of his passes for 132 yards. Flowers was often the Ravens' go-to option when they needed a first down, and the wideout normally delivered, as seven of his catches resulted in a first down.

Flowers didn't score on the day, but his plays directly led to the Ravens getting in the end zone. He drew a pass interference penalty on third-and-10 that put Baltimore at the Commanders' 3-yard line, which was followed by a three-yard touchdown run from Derrick Henry. He had a 15-yard reception later in the game on third-and-5, which put the Ravens in position to get in the end zone again on a 13-yard touchdown catch by Mark Andrews.

The Commanders' secondary had two encouraging performances against the Cardinals and Browns, but Sunday's game showed there is still more for them to learn.

2. Struggles in the run game.

Baltimore owned the league's best rushing offense heading into Sunday, but the Commanders were not far behind them with the second most yards per game. The Ravens kept to that identity, but the Commanders had a tougher time.

Some of that was because the Commanders were without Brian Robinson Jr., their top rusher, as he was ruled out Saturday with a knee injury. They still had Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols, but it's clear his presence was missed with the Commanders going 4-of-12 on third down, an area where Robinson has largely excelled because of his physical running style.

The Commanders also didn't end up running the ball nearly as much as normal with just 52 yards on 18 carries. Again, some external factors played role, like how the Ravens allowed the fewest rushing yards per game and that Washington was down two scores for much of the second half. However, the fact remains that Washington found little success on the ground; they were held to just seven carries in the first half.

There are no updates on Robinson's status at this point, but the hope is that his absence will be a short one.

3. Derrick Henry put the game away.

Although the stats don't show it, there was a point where the Commanders actually did a good job of containing the Ravens' ground game enough to stay competitive. By the end of the first half, Henry had just 38 yards, accounting for most of the Ravens' 51 rushing yards.

As the game wore on, however, the defense began to wear down, and Henry started to get revved up.

Nearly 100 of Henry's 132 rushing yards came in the second half, and while there were few game breaking plays, the five- to seven-yard burst Henry had were enough to keep the Ravens' offense churning. He had 30 of the Ravens' 94-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter and capped the series off with his second score of the afternoon.

The biggest run he had -- a 27-yarder -- was saved for when the Ravens needed it the most. The Commanders were desperate for a stop, but Henry ripped forward on second-and-8 to put the Ravens on the Commanders' side of the 50 and essentially put the game away.

4. Offensive mistakes were few but costly.

The Commanders have become accustomed to not punting that much in games, and once again, Tress Way didn't have much to do with just three punts all day. The difference between the Ravens and the Commanders' previous opponents were that they made Washington pay dearly for those few mistakes.

Two of the Ravens' touchdowns and longest drives came after the Commanders punted it back to them. With the score tied at 3-3, the Ravens went 93 yards on nine plays to give themselves a lead they never relinquished again. They had four consecutive first downs in four plays, highlighted by a 23-yard reception from Rashod Bateman. Henry ended that series with a three-yard touchdown.

The Ravens responded to the Commanders' third punt with a 94-yard drive and only faced one third down scenario on the eight-play drive. Three of those plays went for double-digit yardage, including a wide-open 38-yard catch-and-run by Andrews.

There were other, smaller missed opportunities from Washington's offense, like failing to score a touchdown on its opening drive that went to Baltimore's 13-yard line, but all of them, big or small, were brutal reminders of how small the margin for error can be against teams like Baltimore.

5. Time to bounce back.

The Commanders stumbled for the first time in a month, but the players aren't letting it overshadow all the progress they have made since Week 1. Sure, winning against the Ravens would have been a tremendous statement, but they don't have time to focus on the past. There is simply too much in front of them.

The Commanders' next matchup will be at Northwest Stadium against the Carolina Panther, who have struggled to gain much momentum partly because of problems at the quarterback position. Should the Commanders win, it would give them more victories than they had in the entirety of the 2023 season.

Other games, like the Chicago Bears, present highly-anticipated matchups, such as Daniels squaring off against No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, but the Commanders also have most of the division games left on the schedule. They're currently leading the NFC East, and the best way to keep that lead is to look impressive in those five remaining division matchups.