Close, but no rivalry

ASHBURN -- The Baltimore Ravens play just 32 miles away from the Washington Redskins. Yet despite that close distance, Sunday will mark the first time the two teams have played in Baltimore.

The T-shirts have been printed, and the hype machine started for the "Beltway Battle," but given that the teams will only play every four years, it seems that it would be tough for a true rivalry to develop.

"I don't know if I can get riled up inside," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. "I look at their football team, and that should be enough for me to get fired up about it -- but not from a rivalry or hate standpoint. It's just going to be a hard-fought game."

Since the Ravens moved from Cleveland after the 1996 season, the teams have played three times in the regular season -- all three meetings were in Washington, with the Ravens claiming a 2-1 lead in the series.

But the Ravens are the new kids, at least relative to the Redskins, who were Baltimore's team when it didn't have one of its own. Because of that, speculation was running rampant yesterday at Redskins Park as to how many Redskins fans would find tickets to the game.

Baltimore's Terrell Suggs said that it would be "almost a neutral site," something the Washington players weren't sold on.

"It certainly is a short commute, but the Ravens are having a good season and they have good fans," lineman Pete Kendall said. "So I think it would be overwhelmingly purple there."

That could almost be construed as a positive for the Redskins, who are 4-1 on the road, including victories in Dallas and Philadelphia. The Ravens have posted an identical 4-1 mark at M&I Bank Stadium.

Both teams need a victory to build on their playoff chances. If the Ravens lose they will fall out of the AFC wild card spot. The Redskins already are a game off the pace and need a victory to avoid needing help from other teams in the final weeks. That must-win scenario, linebacker London Fletcher said, is where the true rivalry lies.

"I don't know if you could call it a rivalry, so to speak, but it's a big game and an important game," he said. "I hope there will be a lot of burgundy and gold out there."

The game is so important that it was moved from its 1 p.m. kickoff time into the 8:15 p.m. prime-time slot on NBC.

Neither team will have to adjust its schedule too much -- the Redskins essentially will go through their home-game routine and head from Ashburn to Baltimore on Saturday. Zorn said the move to a night game was looked at as a positive by his team.

"It's an honor for us because we're looked upon as a team worth watching," he said. "At least we're not getting bumped."

Injury report: Practice began for the week with three key players sitting on the sideline. Running back Clinton Portis (neck), linebacker London Fletcher (foot) and cornerback Shawn Springs (calf) were unable to participate. Zorn said he was optimistic that all three would be ready in time for Sunday's game.