ESPN.com - NFL - Take 2: Ravens vs. Eagles Friday, October 29, 2004
Scouts Inc.
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this
week's matchup between the Ravens and Eagles. Now they're back with a
second look.
The individual matchup between Philadelphia WR Terrell Owens and
Baltimore CB Chris McAlister is going to play a major factor in the
outcome of this game. McAlister is one of the premier man-to-man cover
corners in the NFL and he has the size (6-1, 206) to stand toe-to-toe with
Owens. The Ravens know, however, that they can't leave McAlister alone on
Owens one-on-one on a consistent basis and that they'll likely need to
give McAlister safety help over the top.
This is unfamiliar territory for the Ravens, who usually can trust
McAlister to take away an opponent's best receiver without giving him
extra help. By rolling coverage to Owens' side it will not only open up
more space on the opposite side of the field for QB Donovan McNabb to
attack, but it also could prevent the Ravens from being as aggressive with
SS Ed Reed in run support as they would like.
Philadelphia's offense has been one of the best big-play units in the NFL,
as it has 28 plays of 20 yards or more and 10 of 40 or more. While it has
gotten used to picking up big chunks of yardage, it will be critical for
McNabb, Owens and the rest of the Eagles' offense not to get greedy early
on. For starters, the Ravens come into this game with a chip on their
shoulders because of the Owens' offseason incident and you just know that
ILB Ray Lewis will have his unit fired up at the start. But more from an
X's and O's standpoint, the Eagles need to withstand the Ravens "first
punch" without making a crucial mistake that costs them points or puts
their defense in a short-field situation.
The Ravens have tremendous speed on defense and it is a unit that flies
around early on in games and looks for a big play in order to build
momentum. If the Eagles are not patient and if they try to force
something, the Ravens have enough playmakers with Lewis, OLB Terrell
Suggs, McAlister and Reed to make them pay for it. The Eagles' offense has
gotten the job done to this point with balance. If an opponent overloads
to stop RB Brian Westbrook and the run, McNabb and Owens makes it pay. On
the other hand, if the Ravens choose to overcompensate for Owens'
presence, the Eagles must be patient and continue to run the football even
if it's not successful early on. Eventually the Eagles can wear down the
Raven defense, but they must be patient and smart about their approach.
Pressuring McNabb is going to be a critical component in the Ravens'
success on defense, and a lot of that pressure falls on Suggs, who has
recorded 19 sacks in 22 career games. With McAlister and a safety on
Owens, the Ravens will need the other five defenders in order to match up
with the Eagles' other receiving weapons, including WRs Todd Pinkston and
Freddie Mitchell, Westbrook and TE Chad Lewis. As a result, the Ravens
will often rush four -- three defensive linemen and Suggs -- in this game
in order to give them the best chance of properly defending the rest of
the field. If Suggs isn't able to use his initial quickness, athletic
ability and improving array of pass rush moves to consistently win the
battle between him and ROT Jon Runyan, it will leave the Ravens' defense
in a vulnerable situation versus the pass, particularly when the Eagles
are in their three-receiver set.
The good news for the Ravens is that they are finally getting healthy at
several key spots on offense. OC Mike Flynn (shoulder) and WR Travis
Taylor (groin) are back in the lineup as starters and TE Todd Heap (ankle)
is likely to return on Sunday against the Eagles. Unfortunately, however,
the player who the team needs the most -- RB Jamal Lewis -- is still out
because of his suspension.
The Eagles' only glaring weakness as a team is versus the run. They are
allowing an average of 113.3 yards per game on the ground and their
undersized unit got exposed last week against a Browns rushing attack that
was very patient and methodical in its approach with 34 carries for 165
total yards. The best way to neutralize the Eagles' speed and athleticism
is to attack with a north/south running game, and Lewis would have been
the right man for the job. Fill-in RB Chester Taylor is quick and tough,
but he doesn't have nearly the size or power that Lewis offers, and Taylor
isn't anywhere as productive as a cutback runner in the Ravens' zone
blocking scheme.
The Ravens aren't much for the vertical passing game, but they need to
take some shots downfield early on against the Eagles. Philadelphia is
going to come after QB Kyle Boller with the blitz and it is also going to
load up with a lot of eight-man fronts to stop the run. The Ravens will
likely use some draws and screens with Taylor in order to catch the Eagles
out of position, but if they can't hit Taylor or Kevin Johnson on a fade
or vertical sideline route in their one-on-one matchups against CBs Lito
Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, the pressure is going to mount and Eagles
defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will be relentless. Johnson has better
speed than Taylor and Taylor has better size in order to catch the jump
ball. Neither player has been consistent as a downfield receiver, but one
or both need to step up with a big play or two early in this game in order
to loosen things up.
Special Teams
Both teams have been playing very well on special teams this season and
have been getting big plays out of this facet of the game. The Ravens have
gotten surprisingly strong play from RS B.J. Sams, especially on punt
returns, where he is averaging 14.2 yards per attempt and has two
touchdowns. However, while Sams gives the Ravens an edge over Reno Mahe on
punt returns, rookie J.R. Reed gives the Eagles the advantage in the
kickoff return department, where he is averaging 25.9 yards per attempt.
The Eagles have also been getting terrific play out of their cover units,
which recovered two fumbles last week versus Cleveland.
If there had to be an edge given out it would go to Philadelphia, as it
has been playing with a little bit more discipline and has a tad more
experience in the punting game with Dirk Johnson over Baltimore's David
Zastudil. There isn't much of a difference in place-kickers, either.
Baltimore's Matt Stover is one of the league's most consistent at the
position, but Philadelphia's David Akers, who is 15-for-18 on field goal
attempts and leads the league with 68 points, is having a slightly
stronger season.
Prediction: Eagles 23, Ravens 17
Scouts Inc.
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this
week's matchup between the Ravens and Eagles. Now they're back with a
second look.
The individual matchup between Philadelphia WR Terrell Owens and
Baltimore CB Chris McAlister is going to play a major factor in the
outcome of this game. McAlister is one of the premier man-to-man cover
corners in the NFL and he has the size (6-1, 206) to stand toe-to-toe with
Owens. The Ravens know, however, that they can't leave McAlister alone on
Owens one-on-one on a consistent basis and that they'll likely need to
give McAlister safety help over the top.
This is unfamiliar territory for the Ravens, who usually can trust
McAlister to take away an opponent's best receiver without giving him
extra help. By rolling coverage to Owens' side it will not only open up
more space on the opposite side of the field for QB Donovan McNabb to
attack, but it also could prevent the Ravens from being as aggressive with
SS Ed Reed in run support as they would like.
Philadelphia's offense has been one of the best big-play units in the NFL,
as it has 28 plays of 20 yards or more and 10 of 40 or more. While it has
gotten used to picking up big chunks of yardage, it will be critical for
McNabb, Owens and the rest of the Eagles' offense not to get greedy early
on. For starters, the Ravens come into this game with a chip on their
shoulders because of the Owens' offseason incident and you just know that
ILB Ray Lewis will have his unit fired up at the start. But more from an
X's and O's standpoint, the Eagles need to withstand the Ravens "first
punch" without making a crucial mistake that costs them points or puts
their defense in a short-field situation.
The Ravens have tremendous speed on defense and it is a unit that flies
around early on in games and looks for a big play in order to build
momentum. If the Eagles are not patient and if they try to force
something, the Ravens have enough playmakers with Lewis, OLB Terrell
Suggs, McAlister and Reed to make them pay for it. The Eagles' offense has
gotten the job done to this point with balance. If an opponent overloads
to stop RB Brian Westbrook and the run, McNabb and Owens makes it pay. On
the other hand, if the Ravens choose to overcompensate for Owens'
presence, the Eagles must be patient and continue to run the football even
if it's not successful early on. Eventually the Eagles can wear down the
Raven defense, but they must be patient and smart about their approach.
Pressuring McNabb is going to be a critical component in the Ravens'
success on defense, and a lot of that pressure falls on Suggs, who has
recorded 19 sacks in 22 career games. With McAlister and a safety on
Owens, the Ravens will need the other five defenders in order to match up
with the Eagles' other receiving weapons, including WRs Todd Pinkston and
Freddie Mitchell, Westbrook and TE Chad Lewis. As a result, the Ravens
will often rush four -- three defensive linemen and Suggs -- in this game
in order to give them the best chance of properly defending the rest of
the field. If Suggs isn't able to use his initial quickness, athletic
ability and improving array of pass rush moves to consistently win the
battle between him and ROT Jon Runyan, it will leave the Ravens' defense
in a vulnerable situation versus the pass, particularly when the Eagles
are in their three-receiver set.
The good news for the Ravens is that they are finally getting healthy at
several key spots on offense. OC Mike Flynn (shoulder) and WR Travis
Taylor (groin) are back in the lineup as starters and TE Todd Heap (ankle)
is likely to return on Sunday against the Eagles. Unfortunately, however,
the player who the team needs the most -- RB Jamal Lewis -- is still out
because of his suspension.
The Eagles' only glaring weakness as a team is versus the run. They are
allowing an average of 113.3 yards per game on the ground and their
undersized unit got exposed last week against a Browns rushing attack that
was very patient and methodical in its approach with 34 carries for 165
total yards. The best way to neutralize the Eagles' speed and athleticism
is to attack with a north/south running game, and Lewis would have been
the right man for the job. Fill-in RB Chester Taylor is quick and tough,
but he doesn't have nearly the size or power that Lewis offers, and Taylor
isn't anywhere as productive as a cutback runner in the Ravens' zone
blocking scheme.
The Ravens aren't much for the vertical passing game, but they need to
take some shots downfield early on against the Eagles. Philadelphia is
going to come after QB Kyle Boller with the blitz and it is also going to
load up with a lot of eight-man fronts to stop the run. The Ravens will
likely use some draws and screens with Taylor in order to catch the Eagles
out of position, but if they can't hit Taylor or Kevin Johnson on a fade
or vertical sideline route in their one-on-one matchups against CBs Lito
Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, the pressure is going to mount and Eagles
defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will be relentless. Johnson has better
speed than Taylor and Taylor has better size in order to catch the jump
ball. Neither player has been consistent as a downfield receiver, but one
or both need to step up with a big play or two early in this game in order
to loosen things up.
Special Teams
Both teams have been playing very well on special teams this season and
have been getting big plays out of this facet of the game. The Ravens have
gotten surprisingly strong play from RS B.J. Sams, especially on punt
returns, where he is averaging 14.2 yards per attempt and has two
touchdowns. However, while Sams gives the Ravens an edge over Reno Mahe on
punt returns, rookie J.R. Reed gives the Eagles the advantage in the
kickoff return department, where he is averaging 25.9 yards per attempt.
The Eagles have also been getting terrific play out of their cover units,
which recovered two fumbles last week versus Cleveland.
If there had to be an edge given out it would go to Philadelphia, as it
has been playing with a little bit more discipline and has a tad more
experience in the punting game with Dirk Johnson over Baltimore's David
Zastudil. There isn't much of a difference in place-kickers, either.
Baltimore's Matt Stover is one of the league's most consistent at the
position, but Philadelphia's David Akers, who is 15-for-18 on field goal
attempts and leads the league with 68 points, is having a slightly
stronger season.
Prediction: Eagles 23, Ravens 17
