Philadelphia Eagles home underdogs vs. Baltimore Ravens Preseason Week 3
Can the Philadelphia Eagles put a blemish on the Baltimore Ravens perfect record during Preseason Week 3?
This week, the Philadelphia Eagles will host a familiar opponent at Lincoln Financial Field for Preseason Week 3. As the Baltimore Ravens arrived in Philly on Monday, they were set to practice along with the Eagles for both, Monday and Tuesday’s practice sessions.
Results coming from the Nova Care Complex were mostly positive for the Eagles this week. As most of the Eagles’ starters haven’t played at all in the preseason, this week’s joint practices offered their first real test against an offense or defense that wasn’t theirs.
Now with the joint practice sessions officially wrapped up, the Eagles and the Ravens will meet at the Linc on Thursday night for a full four-quarter game. As the third week of the preseason is typically the ‘dress rehearsal’ for NFL teams, starters typically play at least two quarters.
However, the Eagles seem to have a much more conservative approach towards the preseason this year. I guess that’s just what happens when you become one of the most injured teams in football over the last two years. It’s unclear who will play or not for the starters on the Eagles, but the unbeaten Ravens will most likely feature their starters for a good chunk of time Thursday.
Looking at the line
According to Bovada, the Eagles are home underdogs against the Ravens. Hours before kickoff, the Eagles line is set at +5. If this were a regular-season matchup against Baltimore, it would be a no-brainer to take that bet. That’s not the case, though.
Last week, we saw a couple of starters garner a series or two, but that was only because they begged. This week, it’s unclear if more will join that club. Left tackle Jason Peters mentioned he might play a half this week if it’s allowed, and tight end Zach Ertz tweeted out that he was gameday ready, which he hasn’t done all preseason long.
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So maybe the Eagles will give their starters some reps on Thursday after all. If they do, though, it’s highly doubtful it will be for long. And there’s surely no guarantee that Carson Wentz plays along with the other starters either. Keep in mind; there are three other quarterbacks available to play this week with Josh McCown, Cody Kessler, and Clayton Thorson.
On the other hand, the Ravens aren’t playing it as safe, and they are a decent team. Records don’t mean much in the preseason, but they are undefeated and have beaten their previous two opponents by at least 13 points both times. The Ravens at -5 is the logical bet here, but taking over 35 points on Thursday should be a winning scenario as well.