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The Baltimore Ravens are playing like one of the best teams in the AFC right now. Baltimore is 8-4 heading into Week 13 and is in a tight race with Pittsburgh for the AFC North crown this season. 8-4 may not be one of the best records in the NFL, but the Ravens know how to absolutely crush their opponents.
Baltimore has so many different ways to win the game, but they primarily lean on their high-powered offense. Lamar Jackson is running away with the MVP race despite being somewhat of an afterthought during the preseason. Jackson is having one of the best seasons of his career. It is unquestionably his best season as a passer, as he's been incredibly efficient while remaining productive and limiting turnovers.
The Ravens face off against the Eagles in a fascinating Week 13 matchup. Both teams have mobile quarterbacks and devastating running games — they basically have the same formula for winning games. That's what makes this game so difficult to predict, but very tempting to watch.
Can the Ravens get a huge win against the Eagles on Sunday? Or will Baltimore fall a step behind as they race towards the conclusion of the regular season?
Below we will discuss three Ravens bold predictions ahead of their hugely important Week 13 matchup against the Eagles.
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Lamar Jackson outduels Jalen Hurts, besting him as both a runner and passer
Let's get this out of the way now — this is by no means a diss of Jalen Hurts. He is a solid franchise quarterback and deserves praise. However, Lamar Jackson is on a completely different level.
Jackson has already thrown for 3,053 yards with 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions. This is even more impressive when you understand just how fluky those three interceptions actually are. Jackson has also rushed for 599 yards and three touchdowns on 103 attempts this season.
Hurts has good stats too, but he is nowhere close to Jackson.
This game feels like one that could come down to which team has the better quarterback. If that's the case, give me Baltimore all day long.
My prediction: Lamar Jackson will be the better quarterback on Sunday. He will throw for more yards than Hurts and have a higher quarterback rating. Jackson will also have more rushing yards than Hurts and score at least one rushing touchdown. If all of those predictions hit, the Ravens will have a very good chance of winning this game.
Derrick Henry is inspired by Saquon Barkley and has career game vs. Eagles
This Ravens vs. Eagles game could produce more highlights than any other game this NFL season. Just because of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
Both of these running backs are on news teams this season and they have both taken the league by storm.
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This game will feature an abnormally large number of rushing plays, especially for a game that I expect to be a high-scoring affair.
My prediction: Derrick Henry will have one of his best performances of his career against the Eagles. Henry will rush for at least 200 yards (which he has only done six times) and have at least two rushing touchdowns on Sunday. Expect Saquon Barkley to follow closely behind him as the pair rip off a ton of long runs throughout the game.
Ravens defense gives up lots of empty yardage but forces multiple fourth-down stops, turnovers
The Ravens are a good example of a “bend but don't break” defense.
Baltimore certainly has a good defense and is able to play complementary football with the offense. Look no further than Baltimore's +70 point differential for evidence of that.
However, the Ravens give up an absolute TON of empty yards. In fact, the Ravens lead the NFL in passing yards allowed with 3,569. That is roughly 400 yards more than the next team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. These numbers are partially skewed because Baltimore is routinely winning and forcing their opponent to pass to try and catch up.
It's quite the opposite when looking at rushing figures. The Ravens have allowed the second fewest rushing yards (935) so far this season.
Baltimore's run defense will be significantly tested against Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.
Ultimately, I see the Ravens being able to get enough stops on defense to give their offense a chance to win this game.
My prediction: The Ravens will allow at least 300 total yards of offense against the Eagles. However, I believe they will force at least two stops on crucial fourth-down plays and get at least one turnover. These high-leverage plays are likely to be the difference in this game.
