Eagles-Ravens Instant Observations

What we saw as the Eagles lost their fifth consecutive game.
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Carson Wentz. (USA Today Sports)

Carson Wentz. (USA Today Sports)

BALTIMORE — The Eagles lost to the Ravens, 27-26, as they lost their fifth consecutive game. Here’s what we’ve seen:

OFFENSE

*Playing in less-than-ideal weather conditions, Carson Wentz had a bad game. The rookie quarterback completed 22 of his 42 pass attempts for 170 yards and a 52.7 passer rating. He also averaged four yards per attempt and threw a pick, but he did lead the Eagles on a touchdown drive at the end of the fourth quarter. While Wentz completed the 59-yard drive by rushing four yards for a touchdown with four seconds remaining in the game, his pass to Jordan Matthews on the two-point conversion fell incomplete.

*On Wentz’s pick, he was under pressure and had to throw off of his back foot, but he still made a very bad decision. Inside linebacker Zach Orr didn’t move much on the play, and he was sitting underneath Trey Burton, completely blocking Wentz’s target.

*One thing Wentz must improve on: Throwing the ball away when he’s about to run out of bounds and lose yardage. On one play in the first quarter, Wentz was about five to seven yards behind the line of scrimmage and a few feet from the sideline. Instead of throwing the ball away, Wentz kept running with it and he eventually fumbled the ball. The play didn’t hurt the Eagles much because the Ravens couldn’t recover the fumble before it went out of bounds, but that type of thing can’t happen.

*Isaac Seumalo wasn’t stellar, but his play was very encouraging considering the circumstances. The rookie third-round pick was drafted to play guard and center for the Birds, and he hadn’t practiced at tackle in months until the last few days. Seumalo’s performance was far better than Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s debut against Washington, and although it’s a small sample size this season, Howie Roseman probably feels pretty good about that pick.

*Ryan Mathews had a terrific game, totaling 128 rushing yards on 20 carries — his most as an Eagle. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored a touchdown, but the offensive line also deserves a lot of credit. Philadelphia totaled 37 carries for 165 yards, which is more than double the amount of rushing yards the Ravens allowed  in any home game this season.

*The Eagles used their run game to dominate the time of possession battle (36:38 vs. 23:22), but they didn’t capitalize on their long drives as they scored touchdowns on only two of their five trips into the red zone.

*One notable play that won’t show up in the box score: After Mathews’ fumble in the red zone toward the end of the second quarter, Zach Ertz dove and hit the ball out of bounds. Several plays later, the Birds turned the possession into three points on a 34-yard Caleb Sturgis field goal.

DEFENSE

*Joe Flacco only completed 16 balls, but he threw a pair of touchdown passes. Flacco connected with Kamar Aiken for a 5-yard passing touchdown to cap off the Ravens’ opening drive, but it looked like the field conditions may have impacted the play. Malcolm Jenkins was covering Aiken one-on-one, but after Aiken made contact with Jenkins and changed direction, Jenkins slipped. Just a few plays prior, Ravens receiver Steve Smith also fell down. The Eagles-Ravens game was the first time Baltimore’s new grass field has been played on in the rain.

*Jalen Mills was covering Smith on Smith’s 34-yard touchdown catch just before halftime, but it appeared Jaylen Watkins was at fault. The Birds were playing with two deep safeties, but Watkins didn’t get over top of Smith quick enough. After a strong start at safety in nickel situations this season, Watkins’ play has noticeably dropped off.

*Nigel Bradham did a nice job of avoiding the running back when he blitzed and forced a fumble in the first half, giving the Eagles the ball on Baltimore’s 8-yard-line. The linebacker set up the Eagles’ first touchdown of the game.

*Rodney McLeod had a very bad snap on Kenneth Dixon’s 16-yard rushing touchdown. After Brandon Graham got sucked inside on the toss play, only McLeod stood between Dixon and the end zone. However, instead of attacking Dixon, McLeod backpedaled and handed the Ravens six points.

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