Eagles (5-4-1) at Ravens (6-4) :WagerWeb Entertainment

Eagles (5-4-1) at Ravens (6-4)

21 November 2008 120 views No Comment

Sunday’s game between Philadelphia and Baltimore probably is a playoff elimination game, with the loser facing pretty long odds of reaching the postseason. The Ravens are 1-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

Frankly, is Baltimore for real? The Ravens were just manhandled by the Giants and have only beaten one team that has a winning record (Miami), which didn’t have a winning record at the time. Plus, Baltimore entered last Sunday’s game holding opponents to an average of 65.4 rushing yards, yet the Giants totaled 207 yards on the ground.

Baltimore won’t face anywhere near the rushing attack this week as Philly has averaged just 82 rushing yards over its last three games and is 26th in the league overall. The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 29 straight games, the longest streak in the league. Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has one 100-yard game this season.

On the other hand, Ravens running backs Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice co-host the AFC’s top-ranked rushing attack, which averages 146.8 yards per game. Philly was stellar against the run early in the season but has been pushed around a bit some in the past few games, allowing Washington’s Clinton Portis 145 yards and 219 total rushing yards to the Giants.

Meanwhile, Philly QB Donovan McNabb has been awful lately, and not just because he didn’t know the NFL had ties. After a good six-game start that included 64 percent completions, a 7.5-yards-per-attempt average, eight touchdowns and only three interceptions, McNabb has fallen off. In the Eagles’ past four games, he has a completed only 54 percent with a 6.6-yards-per-attempt average and six TDs and five interceptions, including three in Sunday’s tie against the Bengals. He has completed only six of 27 passes in the first quarters of those four games. If he somehow manages a rating over 100 this week, count it as a Philly win, as the Eagles are 37-1 when he does so.