Game Preview – PHI at BAL

The Eagles go up against the Ravens on Sunday in what will be one of the games of the year. Each team has a star QB. Each team has a dynamic RB. Both teams have multiple weapons in the passing game. The difference could be the Eagles having the top defense in the NFL and the Ravens having a defense that struggles against the pass. Will that be enough for Philly to win?

Baltimore is an odd team. They are 8-4. They had two very tight wins over the Bengals and could easily be 6-6. They also have games where they look dominant. They beat Buffalo 35-10 and Denver 41-10. The Ravens offense is special. They lead the league in yards per game and are second in scoring. They have seven games this  year with 30 or more points (the Eagles have four of them).

Lamar Jackson, you know…the running QB, leads the NFL in passing yards, passing TDs and passer rating. Jackson is having an amazing season and somehow continues to get better. I think the thing that makes him so dangerous as a passer is that he spreads the ball around. The Ravens have five players with 28 or more receptions. Jackson isn’t locking in on a star receive or favorite player. He finds the open guy and gets the ball to him.

The Ravens offense is challenging because it is so multiple. They can play with 2 or 3 TEs. They can go with 3 WRs. They also have a FB and can go with two backs. Baltimore is able to move seamlessly from package to package because Jackson can make them all work. He’s able to spread the ball around. He can throw deep. He can throw short and move the sticks.

Then you have to mix in running, both Jackson and some guy named Derrick Henry. The Eagles are the #1 running team in the league. The Ravens are number two. This is a complete offense that can beat you in a lot of different ways.

Vic Fangio has gone up against Jackson a couple of times. The Ravens beat Miami 56-19 last year. They beat Denver 23-7 in 2021. Advantage Jackson. But Fangio has the #1 defense in the league right now and he’s got the talent to slow down the Ravens this time around.

Eagles defenders need to play smart. Rushers must stay under control. Flying up the field will get you burned by Jackson. You want to rush so that you keep Jackson contained in the pocket. When he gets outside, bad things can happen. The guys in coverage will be challenged. Because Jackson can move around and buy time, defenders must cover longer than usual.

Tackling will be critical in this game. Jackson is one of the most elusive players in the league. Tacklers must wrap him up and stay balanced. If you lunge, you’re in trouble. Tackling Henry is tough with a capital T. The best way is to get penetration and not let him build up a head of steam. You also want to gang tackle Henry. He’s not someone you want to take on alone. The pass catchers have good RAC ability, especially Zay Flowers. Tacklers need to get those guys down cleanly.

There will be a lot of talk about toughness and physicality in this game. The Eagles defense needs to be assignment-sound and they need to play smart. If you freelance and take chances, the Ravens can make you pay.

It will be interesting to see how Fangio plays this. Does he go big the way he did against the Saints? That worked really well in that game. The Eagles have played mostly nickel since the bye and Cooper DeJean has made that work really well. Losing Brandon Graham hurts, but the Eagles still have a versatile, talented defense. Fangio has to figure what he thinks the best scheme is for this game.

This matchup is a great test for both sides. The Ravens struggled against the Steelers two weeks ago, scoring only 16 points. The Eagles have been lights out on defense since the bye, but this is far and away the best offense they’ve faced. Good vs good. Who will come out on top?

The Ravens had the best defense in the league last year, but that’s not the case this season. They are 23rd in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed. You would think that gives the Eagles a huge advantage. It might. But there is a caveat. The Ravens have the best run defense in the league. They really struggle against the pass. The Eagles are the top running offense in the NFL. Can the Eagles run on Baltimore? If not, can they become a passing team and win through the air?

While the Ravens are great against the run, they have allowed 122 or more rushing yards in 3 of the past 6 games. They shut down some bad run games early in the year. There is some vulnerability. And Baltimore hasn’t faced anything close to a 1-2 punch of Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts. I think the Eagles will be able to run the ball. I don’t think the Eagles will go for 200 yards or anything crazy, but they will have some success on the ground.

That means Hurts and the passing offense will need to come through. AJ Brown is playing as well as any receiver in the league. It feels like DeVonta Smith will be back this week. Hurts can also get the ball to Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey or Johnny Wilson if needed. The Eagles have Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra to mix in to the passing attack. They can also throw to Barkley. Hurts will have plenty of weapons to work with.

Hurts hasn’t thrown 30 passes in a game since the end of September. The Eagles have run so well that the passing game hasn’t had to do much. Hurts is a good passer and he’s got weapons to work with. It will be important for him to show that he can throw the ball more when needed. I think it will be important for Hurts to get into a good rhythm early. You don’t want this to be one of those games where he starts slow and the offense does the same.

One of the things that has hurt Baltimore this year is penalties. They have a lot of self-inflicted wounds. Last week they had a pre-snap penalty wipe out a TD. Jackson then ran for the TD on the next play. They are so good that they can overcome some of the mistakes. The Ravens are #1 in the NFL in red zone offense. The Eagles cannot settle for FGs when they get to the red zone. They will need to score TDs this time out.

Both teams have done a good job of protecting the ball recently. The Eagles defense has done a better job of taking it away.

I don’t think you can say intangibles clearly favor either team. The Ravens played in LA on Monday night in the Harbaugh Bowl so that isn’t ideal for them. The Eagles were also in LA, but had an extra day of rest. The Eagles started to get a lot of love this week from the national media. Will that affect the team? Jackson has only lost one game to an NFC team in his career. When you play him every four years, it is tough to get ready for him and that offense.

I lean toward the Eagles in this one because they’ve been playing better football in recent weeks. Still, this is going to be a tough game. I’m excited to see how Fangio’s defense does against an elite offense. I think the Eagles streak of limiting teams to 290 yards or less comes to an end. They just need to make some key plays to end drives or take the ball away and the Eagles can win. Expect the game to be in the upper 20’s. Hurts and Barkley do enough for the Eagles to win.

No matter how things turn out, this is the kind of game you want. Pro football is great, especially when you get to see the best teams play each other. This is the Ravens fourth big game in a row. Does that mean they are battle-tested or does it mean they are worn down? We’ll find out on Sunday afternoon.

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