A pair of teams separated by roughly 40 miles of I-95 interstate will meet in suburban D.C. on Saturday night, when the Washington Redskins play host to the Baltimore Ravens in the third preseason tune-up for each team.

Despite their geographical proximity, the Redskins and Ravens are currently in a much different place in terms of the current NFL hierarchy of quality.

Washington is looking to rebound from a 2006 season in which Joe Gibbs’ club finished 5-11 and in last place in the NFC East. The Redskins have just one playoff win in the current millennium and have not won a division title since 1999. The Skins have split a pair of preseason games in 2007, defeating Tennessee (14-6) in their opener before falling to Pittsburgh (12-10) last Saturday.

Baltimore, meanwhile, is seeking to build on a 13-3 season and AFC North title won a year ago. The Ravens have posted double-digit wins four times since 2000, including a ‘00 season that ended with a triumph in Super Bowl XXXV. The Ravens have elicited mixed results in the preseason, however, routing Philadelphia (29-3) before falling to the Giants (13-12) last Sunday night.

Both the Redskins and Ravens suffered significant injuries in their most recent outings.

Washington quarterback Jason Campbell left the Pittsburgh game with what was later determined to be a knee bruise following a low hit by Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel. Campbell’s status for Saturday’s contest has not been decided, and if the third-year-pro can’t play, backups Todd Collins and Mark Brunell will have to carry the load.

Defensively, the Skins will be without linebacker Marcus Washington, who suffered a dislocated elbow in the defeat.

Baltimore, meanwhile, is expected to be minus the services of starting wide receiver Mark Clayton and cornerback Samari Rolle, who both went out with ankle injuries in the loss to New York.

Among those that will be in uniform on Saturday are Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey, obtained earlier this week when the club parted ways with former starter Lemar Marshall. The 34-year-old Godfrey has been a starter in Dallas (1996-99), Tennessee (2000-02), Seattle (2003), and San Diego (2004-06).

Ravens tight end Daniel Wilcox (ankle) is expected to see action on Saturday, but tackle Jonathan Ogden (toe) remains out along the trench unit.

Baltimore has a 2-1 edge in its all-time preseason series with Washington, including a 17-10 triumph at FedEx Field prior to last season.

The Ravens also have a 2-1 lead in the regular season series with their local rival.

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