Baltimore Ravens

Eagles at Ravens: Highlights, score and recap

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:43 p.m. ET

Fansided, James Dudko/Fansided

Highlights and key players from the Baltimore Ravens game against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 15.

Keeping pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North is the priority for the Baltimore Ravens when the Philadelphia Eagles visit M&T Bank Stadium in Week 15.

The Ravens are 7-6, a game behind the Steelers, so there’s no room for error against an Eagles side capable of playing spoiler. Philly’s own playoff hopes are doomed following a slide to the basement of the NFC East after a 3-0 start.

Quarterback Carson Wentz has hit the rookie wall. It’s bad news when he’s set to face perhaps the toughest front seven in the NFL.

The Ravens are strong everywhere up front. Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan form football’s most intimidating tackle tandem. Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs can still bring a ton of heat off the edges. Zach Orr and C.J. Mosley are quietly becoming a highly accomplished pair of inside linebackers.

Wentz is set to be at the mercy of this hard-nosed group thanks to the absence of a credible running game. The Eagles will be without Darren Sproles, who suffered a concussion, while rookie Wendall Smallwood is on injured reserve.

It means Ryan Mathews will lead the way. That could be a blessing in disguise, since Mathews has the speed and imagination to make big plays against any defense. He just needs to stay healthy and protect the football.

The Eagles may not be the only ones who struggle for points in Week 15. Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense need to establish some balance of their own.

Once again the onus is on Terrance West and rookie Kenneth Dixon to get the ground game rolling. Flacco threw 52 passes in last week’s loss to the New England Patriots, one week after airing it out 47 times against the Miami Dolphins.

The Eagles have the pass rush to make the Ravens pay for such a one-dimensional approach.

Highlights

Highlights will be added and updated as and when they happen.

Three Stars

Here’s a prediction for which players will star this week.

1. Zach Orr

The Eagles’ offense is all about working the middle. Wentz loves to target underneath receivers on intermediate pass routes.

The philosophy, along with the lack of standout wide receivers on the roster, means running backs and tight ends play big roles in the passing game. It’s something Orr can help the Ravens counter.

The 6’0″, 225-pounder has become a tackling machine in his first year as a starter. Orr has been in on 122 tackles, forced a fumble and snatched an interception.

He’s got the quickness, instincts and cover skills to make Wentz regret targeting the middle too often.

2. Brandon Graham

The front four is the strength of the Philly defense. Brandon Graham is one of its more talented and productive members.

Graham is having his best season in his seventh year as a pro. Chris Wesseling of the league’s official site summed up how effective No. 55 has been:

The Eagles’ defense has fallen apart of late, though through no fault of Graham’s. A natural fit in coordinator Jim Schwartz’s Wide-9 scheme, Graham is the league’s most unsung defensive star, ranking among the leaders in quarterback pressures as well as run stuffs.

Graham can run riot against the pass-happy Ravens.

3. Mike Wallace

The Eagles have been getting burned deep recently. They saw former player DeSean Jackson haul in an 80-yard score during last week’s defeat to the Washington Redskins. Jamison Crowder also snatched a 33-yard catch against a secondary increasingly susceptible to the big play.

Mike Wallace can help the Ravens exploit this weakness. The veteran is averaging 14.6 yards per catch and has already snagged four touchdowns this season.

Wallace was a little off his game against the Pats, but if Flacco’s given time in the pocket, he can take the top off this defense.

Next Week

The Ravens will play the Steelers at Heinz Field for all the division marbles on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, the Eagles will begin Week 16 by hosting bitter NFC East rivals the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.