We have gone through half of the preseason, with two weeks remaining on the exhibition game series and three until the real action begins in the first week of the regular season.
Week 3 of the preseason is usually the dress rehearsal for most teams, so we should expect to see starters on both the Eagles and the Ravens (who are 15-0 over their last 4 preseason stretches) at least for a few drives. With that said, joint practices between the two have raised some interesting questions to be answered on Wednesday night.
1) Carson Wentz’s Form
Wentz’s full recovery from his stretch of injuries is the most important part of the Birds’ attempt to get back to the Super Bowl this year. He has reportedly looked great in practice since the start of camp, and in the joint practices with the Ravens, he has also tested (and sometimes torched) what figures to be a very good Baltimore secondary. If he can replicate that performance in a game environment, while also avoiding unnecessary hits and risks, it should be considered a successful outing for the young QB.
2) The Linebacker Corps
Baltimore employs a very run-heavy offense, which is rare in today’s NFL. But what it will do for the Eagles is test their biggest question mark heading into the season, which is the linebacker unit. Undrafted rookie TJ Edwards has reportedly looked nice in practices, so he should be a name to keep an eye on. If Ravens QB Lamar Jackson plays, he’ll definitely test the speed and agility of Philly’s front-seven, as well. Overall, it seems to be a good night for someone to step up and secure a spot in the rotation.
3) Wide Receivers
Philadelphia has loads of wide receiver talent, and they’ll certainly meet their match when they go up against the Ravens defensive backfield. DeSean Jackson has been great at getting separation in camp, both against Eagles and Ravens DBs, so it will be great if he can do that again in the game. It would also be encouraging to see a good game from Nelson Agholor, to make for a true three-headed monster from the WR position.
The secondary and pass-rush depth are also areas to keep an eye on as we head into Week 1, but Baltimore’s run-first playstyle doesn’t figure to test those areas of the team all that much.
Overall, if the starters do end up playing, having a playoff-caliber team come into town to help hone their skills before the regular season is definitely a good thing, and one can only hope that we get some reassuring answers after this matchup.
Photo: Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
