Ravens Hold Off Eagles
The Baltimore Ravens vs Philadelphia Eagles turned into a nail-biter as the Eagles tried to claw their way back into the game. After falling to a 17-0 deficit, Philly was able to generate some 2nd-half points to pressure Lamar Jackson and company to keep their foot on the gas.
Ravens 30 – Eagles 28
The first half was all Ravens. The defense was relentless, led by the likes of Calais Campbell, Patrick Queen, Marlon Humphrey, and DeShon Elliott. To start the game, Campbell recorded a sack and a tackle for a loss on consecutive plays. He has been a great addition to a talented Ravens’ defense.
Calais Campbell (@calaiscampbell) tosses a 340-lb man to the ground with a counter hump. Takes the blocker's momentum & uses it against him. Ends up with the sack. Reggie White vibes on this play! #passrush #ravens pic.twitter.com/TSVK17gN4y
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) October 19, 2020
The Eagles took a while to get things going. Midway into the second quarter, the Philadelphia offense was still in negative total yardage. Carson Wentz did make some nice throws that the receivers struggled to haul in. It didn’t help that Zach Ertz was being shadowed by All-Pro Marlon Humphrey for the majority of the first half.
The Eagles were able to capitalize on a few explosive plays. John Hightower secured a 50-yard catch after missing a long shot earlier in the game. Miles Sanders had a huge run that finished with a fumble recovered for a score by a teammate, JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Carson Wentz got creative to get the Eagles into scoring position.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside scoring on a Miles Sanders fumble is such a weirdly fitting way for the Eagles to score in this game 😅#Eagles pic.twitter.com/DdyDeqb22e
— Thomas R. Petersen 🦅 (@thomasrp93) October 18, 2020
Baltimore had their own struggles on offense. The Eagles haven’t been particularly kind to opposing running backs, and Sunday was no different. The carousel of Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and JK Dobbins was held to a total of 74 yards rushing. Jackson added another 108 yards, including a 37-yard score.
Lamar Jackson is SPECIAL 🔥
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/a6enJ2HYJO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 18, 2020
It was a bit surprising to see the Ravens struggle in the air after Philadelphia had been picked apart by the Steelers and 49ers in recent weeks. Beyond that, tight ends had been notoriously successful against Philadelphia. Even so, Mark Andrews was unable to get into a groove as he finished the day with just two catches for 21 yards. Marquise Brown led all Ravens with just 57 receiving yards on the day.
At the end of the day, missed opportunities proved costly for the Eagles. The Ravens held on to the ball, maintained great field position, and took advantage of having the league’s most reliable kicker. Justin Tucker tacked on 3 field goals, including one from 55 yards out. Jake Elliott could have added 3 points for Philly but was unable to split the uprights.
🤷🏾 Miles Sanders drop in the end zone – 2nd BIG Drop by Eagles in 1st half today vs Ravens pic.twitter.com/pKTqFe6DcK
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) October 18, 2020
Though Baltimore improves to 5-1 on the year, there are some apparent offensive woes. Baltimore hasn’t had nearly the same success rushing the ball as they did in 2019. Lamar Jackson’s passing has been much less efficient to date as well. Jackson has declined as a passer which could be a result of a weaker offensive line.
With decreases in his QBR, yards per attempt, and completion percentage, he also has an increased sack rate. Jackson has been sacked 15 times in 6 games. He was sacked only 23 times total in 2019. Baltimore will get an early bye week to work on their offensive attack.
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