The third week of the preseason is here, with the Ravens lining up against the Philadelphia Eagles after the two teams practiced jointly this week. The Ravens have won both of their exhibition contests, defeating the Jaguars and Packers. The Eagles are 1-1, with a loss to the Titans and victory over the Jaguars last week.
Traditional thinking is that the third preseason game is something of a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Attitudes towards the preseason are changing somewhat, with a lot of teams keeping their starters almost totally out of the action. However, this matchup is still likely to offer some final glimpses of what kind of shape the Ravens are in before the action gets real in a few weeks.
Let’s take a look at some of the bold predictions for this game:
It’s going to be a shutout
The Eagles have kept quarterback Carson Wentz out of both of their preseason games so far, trusting their offense to Nate Sudfeld, Cody Kessler and rookie Clayton Thorson. However, both Sudfeld and Kessler have picked up injuries along the way, prompting the Eagles to bring 40-year-old Josh McCown out of retirement.
Thorson has completed 51.4% of his pass attempts this preseason, going 18-of-35 for 182 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He should see the bulk of the playing time but is unlikely to have his life made easy for him by the Ravens. Baltimore leads the league in overall defense during the preseason, allowing a mere 169 yards per game. This includes just over 107 passing yards per contest. The Ravens have more sacks this preseason than all but four other teams. Thorson, and indeed McCown if called upon, are going to feel it after this one.
Ravens’ tight ends score multiple touchdowns
The Ravens’ tight end group, one of the more interesting position groups on the roster, had a collectively good day of practice against the Eagles on Tuesday. During the opening 7-on-7 portion of the day, second-year players Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst both scored touchdowns, as did rookie Cole Herdman.
The Eagles were relatively strong against tight ends a year ago, allowing a league-low two receiving scores to the position. But Hurst and Andrews will continue to enjoy their fine form and find the end zone tonight.
Kenneth Dixon will play himself into a roster spot
It’s been a fairly uneventful preseason for Dixon. The lack of excitement and big plays is bad for his hopes of earning a spot on the Ravens’ 53-man roster. Through two preseason games, he’s been entrusted with just 10 carries, on which he has earned 36 yards. Against the Packers last week, he also had a single reception for nine yards.
Dixon missed the first day of practice against the Eagles but returned on Tuesday. He should be good to go for the game, and he’ll need to be. At present, he seems to be stuck behind Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards in terms of carries, while rookie Justice Hill is making something of a name for himself as a playmaker. It’s left many wondering if there’s a role available for Dixon.
But in this game, Dixon should get a chance to shine. Ingram and Edwards will see little to no action in the second half, leading to Dixon getting an increased workload in order for the Ravens to see if he can handle it. And he can. I predict Dixon rushes for a tick over 50 yards on 10 carries. He also catches a couple of passes, as he makes the Baltimore front office decided to keep him around for the last year of his rookie deal.
