Eagles vs Ravens NFL Preseason: Can Baltimore Keep Up Its Preseason Dominance?

The last year the Baltimore Ravens lost a preseason game, Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” topped the charts as the most-listened song of 2015. Doug Martin was also the league’s leading rusher. That’s how wild this streak is.

The Baltimore Ravens have won 23 straight preseason games under head coach John Harbaugh, an outstanding feat that stands as an ongoing NFL record. The defending NFC champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, will look to crush that streak in M&T Bank Stadium 

Head coach Nick Sirianni has won just one of his five preseason games with the Eagles. All of this is why this game has the second-largest spread of the week, with Baltimore favored by 4.5 points.

Don’t expect to see most, if any, of Philadelphia’s starters play in this game. It’ll be backups and backups to those backups filling in for the reigning NFC East leaders. Marcus Mariota, who reportedly struggled early in camp but improved this past week, should start the game. Former Saint Ian Book and rookie Tanner McKee will see out the rest of the game.

That’ll be tough to watch, especially Book. But that’s preseason football for you!

The Ravens will likely avoid playing most of their starters as well, especially Lamar Jackson coming off his $260 million extension. Tyler Huntley has been an impressive backup over the last couple of years and figures to start Saturday’s game for Baltimore. Veteran Josh Johnson will hold down the fort from there until Anthony Brown cleans up later.

Personnel almost feels secondary when talking about the Ravens. A 23-win streak speaks for itself, with so much roster turnover over the years never holding Harbaugh back from a preseason victory. But covering the spread and betting on the total is another animal entirely, so let’s break it down.

Eagles vs Ravens Betting Odds and Picks

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out other NFL betting sites.

Pick: Eagles +4.5 (DraftKings)

Score Prediction

• Eagles: 14
• Ravens: 17

Eagles vs Ravens - The Spread

It’s a larger spread for a preseason game, and it’s not one that inspires much confidence. Philadelphia reached the Super Bowl partly due to its impressive depth, but no one can deny the dominance the Ravens have displayed in the preseason in recent years.

Baltimore is also arguably its most complete unit since Jackson’s MVP season in 2019. There are plenty of young assets like David Ojabo who should get some run in this game. Malik Harrison is also a name to watch at inside linebacker.

But the Ravens have a lot of nagging injuries among their backups that could hinder this from becoming a runaway. Trenton Simpson, Tyus Bowser, Rock Ya-Sin, Damarion Williams, and Geno Stone are all nursing injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Given that it's the first week of preseason it would be surprising to see any play serious snaps, if any.

Baltimore should make up for it on the offensive end, with a strong tight end and wide receiver room that should nag the backup secondary in Philadelphia. But this will be a much tighter game than Ravens fans would like.

Eagles vs Ravens - The Over/Under

A line of 35.5 is low, even for a preseason game. But it makes sense to still lean toward the under.

There should be serious concerns about how the Eagles will move the ball in the second half with Book and a sixth-round rookie in McKee. The same concerns should be sounded for Anthony Brown, who completed 43% of his passes with zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his lone start last season.

Enough damage in the first half by either team could push this to the over. But Vegas isn’t expecting a boat race in this one, and neither should you.

How to Watch Eagles vs Ravens

• What: Eagles vs Ravens
• When: 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, August 12
• Where: NFL Network