(Photo: Clutchpoints)
AFC Game Of The Week
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens
Eagles: After week four in Tampa Bay, I didn’t know what to say or make about them. There was a time early in the season that they would struggle in the first half and found ways to climb back into the game which leads me to say you can get away with that in some games, but there are many of those opponents that will keep you down. With how they’ve played recently, all the issues I just listed seem like a distant memory. This group is one of the hottest teams in the league now as winners of seven in a row and at this point, they are running away with the NFC East. If you know a Giants fan, hug them today because I know they are punching air watching Saquon Barkley have a career year. On Sunday night against the Rams, Saquon accounted for 302 total scrimmage yards and the Giants as a whole had 245 yards of total offense. You read that correctly, one man by himself had more yards than an entire team. The Philadelphia Eagles are the biggest threat to the Detroit Lions in the NFC at this moment. The Offensive Line has regrouped and played better, plus, they are turning up the levels of physicality on both sides of the football as they dominate the trenches and bully the opponent at the line of scrimmage. This Sunday, they take a short trip to Baltimore.
Ravens: From the start, it appeared as if it would be a long night for them as the Los Angeles Chargers were pounding the football with the running game and attacking a defense that’s been the best at stopping the run this year. Then came the second half and they were able to turn it on, keep their foot on the gas, and escape SoFi Stadium with a bounce-back win. When the Baltimore Ravens play exactly how they did in the second half on Monday night, they will be a tough out for many teams down the stretch in January. Their bread and butter is running the football and great things will happen for them. I’ll even take it back to when they played the Denver Broncos which was their most complete performance as a team all year. I’ve repeated myself all year to the point where I sound like a broken record player: This offense travels through the king, Derrick Henry and they don’t win that game on Monday night without him. My issue with this team is they tend to forget what their identity is and that frustrates me. There’s no excuse as to why Derrick shouldn’t have 20 carries a game and they are more than capable of doing this every game. Their downfall come playoff time will be their defense which is strange to say. That pass defense has struggled and if you continue to run the ball, they can get worn down. This Sunday, the Ravens welcome another bird team to town.
Eagles X-Factor: Dallas Goedert– He’s just as important to this passing attack as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are. When those two are limited by the defense, this is who Jalen Hurts will look to target. Next to Travis Kelce, Dallas is the best when it comes to Tight End screen passes and he plays with the patience and vision of a Running Back. Dallas may get overshadowed by AJ, Saquon, and DeVonta, but he’s another serviceable weapon to this offense.
Ravens X-Factor: Zay Flowers– He’s matured so much this year and has become Lamar Jackson’s top target. Every time the ball hits Zay’s hands, electric things happen. What makes a number one receiver is having your number called and stepping up each time it’s called also and he’s done just that this year. His best part of the game is attacking the middle of the field. Zay has the quickness to win at the line and when the ball hits his hands, he’s a speedster in space.
Final Thoughts: Earlier in the week, I posted something on this site about the “Return of the (Running) Back” discussing the impacts of Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs after being released and finding success on their new teams. This Sunday, the two best Running Backs in the league will square off. This is also the first meeting between Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson. The Eagles enter this game winners of seven in a row and the Ravens bounced back after a nice win in Cali over the Chargers. Lamar has been dominant against NFC teams over the years and he’s also had success against Vic Fangio who happens to be the Eagles Defensive Coordinator. As always, there are a few things I’ll be watching and one of them is this Eagles defense against Lamar. While the reigning MVP has been a much stronger passer this year, he is still a threat with his legs and can take off anytime. However, the Eagles have allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards to Quarterbacks this season. Both of these defenses have been stout against the run this year and I see this game coming down to the passing attacks. The Eagles have the top-rated defense in the league and the Ravens aren’t the stout unit they were a year ago which is shocking considering they are always one of the best defenses in the league. This game will be a shootout and will come down to the passing attacks. Does Roquan Smith play? He’s the piece in the middle of Baltimore’s defense that holds everything together and his presence was missed the other night in Inglewood. What worries me is the Ravens’ secondary against this Eagles group of receivers. Who does a better job of containing the Running Backs and which Quarterback will make the big play and avoid the costly mistakes will determine the outcome of this game. I like the Eagles to continue their winning streak.
Prediction: Eagles 35, Ravens 28
