August 22, 2019
Bastiaan Slabbers/for PhillyVoice
Doug Pederson walks the field during Eagles open practice at the Linc.
Thursday night's penultimate preseason game should be the Eagles' "dress rehearsal" for the regular season, which is now just over two weeks away. Instead, it's looking more and more like we'll be getting mostly backups for the third week in a row as the Eagles prepare to take on the Ravens after two days off joint practices against the Ravens.
And that makes coming up with over/unders for this one even more difficult than usual, because the way the game unfolds largely depends on how Doug Pederson choses to use (or to not use) his starters.
Well, we tried anyway. So here's a look at five over/unders for the Eagles preseason matchup against the Ravens...
That's the current number over at Bovada, and it's pretty close to what they were giving for each of the Eagles first two preseason games. Last week, the Eagles and Jaguars hit the point total on the nose, meaning we all lost. And the week before, the Birds and Titans hit the over 36.5, but it was close with the two teams combining for 37 points. Yes, oddsmakers know exactly what they're doing.
This time around, the over/under is as low as it's been for the Eagles this preseason, and for good reason. With most of their starters expected to sit again, including quarterback Carson Wentz (more on that in a second), and going up against the NFL's top defense from a year ago, the Eagles offense will have its work cut out. So far this preseason, opponents are averaging just 6.5 points per game against Baltimore. While the Eagles have the ability to put up more points than, say, the Jaguars, who the Ravens blanked in Week 1, that might not be the case if their starters are in shorts and t-shirts.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens have scored at least 26 points in each of their first two preseason games. And although the Eagles defense has looked good this summer, the Ravens could put up some points in this one, especially if they leave their starters in the game to go against the Eagles second- and third-team defense.
OVER.
As we wrote earlier in the week, it appears Doug Pederson (and many of the Eagles players) feel they get more out of joint practices — like the ones they just had with the Ravens — than they do out of preseason games. They're also a much safer environment for Wentz to get work in.
So, unless the NFL changes the rules and allows quarterbacks to wear their red jerseys in preseason games between now and kickoff, it's a safe bet that Carson Wentz sits out again on Thursday night.
UNDER.
Given that the Eagles have seen two of their quarterbacks sustain injuries in their first two games, Doug Pederson has had a much easier time selling this whole practice-over-preseason thing to the fanbase. And, interestingly enough, it doesn't seem like either injury can be blamed on poor offensive line play. The first injury to Nate Sudfeld, a broken wrist just before halftime against Tennessee, came on a late hit that was flagged for a penalty. The second, a concussion suffered by Cody Kessler early against Jacksonville, came on a play in which Pederson later admitted that Kessler should've gotten rid of the ball sooner.
The offensive line has played well, and the Eagles quarterbacks still seem to be dropping like flies. Thursday night will likely be a healthy dose of Kessler and Clayton Thorson, perhaps with a little Josh McCown, signed following the Kessler injury, sprinkled in. They can't lose another quarterback to injury in this one, right?
UNDER.
Through two preseason games, the Eagles are averaging just 187.5 passing yards per game, with their high (190 yards) coming last week against the Jags. After signing McCown, the Eagles will likely have some big decisions to make at quarterback. They obviously don't have room on their 53-man roster to carry five quarterbacks — no team does that — and with Sudfeld entrenched as their "project QB" they're trying to develop, the team will need to decide what to do with McCown, who just received $2 million guaranteed, Kessler, and Thorson. (The guess here is that McCown and Sudfeld make the 53-man, with Kessler being cut and Thorson heading to the practice squad, or perhaps suffering a phantom injury so the team can put him on IR and not have to worry about losing him on waivers.)
So what does all that have to do with this category? Well, in short, it means the Eagles might come out throwing in this one as they try to decide how that quarterback battle plays out.
Of course, if the injury one above hits the over, it might make Howie Roseman's decision a little easier.
OVER.
The Eagles defense has done a good job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks this preseason, but they don't have much to show for it in terms of turnovers. In fact, the Eagles have forced just one turnover in their first 120 minutes of football this summer. Meanwhile, the Ravens have only turned the ball over twice this preseason.
Still, it would be nice for the Eagles to get back to creating takeaways, something they were so good at during their Super Bowl season in 2017 but struggled with last season. The Eagles defense is at its best when it's creating havoc around the quarterback and forcing bad decisions that lead to turnovers. They've done the first part this preseason, now we just have to see them finish the job. This week, I think they will.
OVER.
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