By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Four straight losses have the Eagles season continuing in a downward spiral, but the end is near with three games left on the season.
The Eagles have a particularly busy week this week, starting on Sunday with their final road matchup of the season against the Baltimore Ravens.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Quarterbacks
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) |
| 11 Carson Wentz | 5 Joe Flacco |
| Stats: 3,215 YD, 13 TD, 12 INT | Stats: 3,582 YD, 17 TD, 12 INT |
Aside from losses to two of football's hottest teams, the Patriots and Cowboys, Joe Flacco has won four of his last six games since a four-game losing streak in October. Even in those six games with a 4-2 record, Flacco has thrown for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Carson Wentz came back strong with a solid performance against the Redskins, even in defeat. A four-game losing streak is new territory for the Eagles rookie QB, but the struggles aren't a result of his play alone. After rallying back from a couple poor games of his own, Wentz will be looking to continue to build on Week 14's performance.
Running Backs
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) |
| 24 Ryan Mathews | 28 Terrance West |
| Stats: 117 Att, 487 YD, 7 TD | Stats: 165 Att, 652 YD, 5 TD |
As the lead back on the Ravens, Terrance West has been solid, averaging four yards per carry this season. After a few solid games in a row, West was only used for two attempts against the Patriots, gaining just two yards.
Ryan Mathews returned from injury in Week 14 and was putting together a solid game before the Eagles feel too far behind to utilize the run the same way. However, Mathews will be the focus of the running game now with Wendell Smallwood out for the season and Darren Sproles out for Sunday with a concussion.
Wide Receivers
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) | ||
| 81 Jordan Matthews | Stats: 65 Rec, 765 YD, 3 TD | 12 Mike Wallace | Stats: 62 Rec, 903 YD, 4 TD |
| 86 Zach Ertz | Stats: 57 Rec, 564 YD, 2 TD | 89 Steve Smith Sr. | Stats: 58 Rec, 646 YD, 3 TD |
Flacco certainly has options on the offensive front. With Mike Wallace and Steve Smith leading the way and Dennis Pitta and Breshad Perriman also finishing up good seasons, Flacco can do a lot of things in the passing game for the Ravens.
With Jordan Matthews making his return, the Eagles got one more weapon back to the lineup. Matthews is far from a No. 1 receiver, but he makes the Eagles better offensively for sure. The tight ends — Zach Ertz, Brent Celek and Trey Burton — were all heavily used in Week 14. That could be a trend again against the Ravens on the road.
Defense
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) | ||
| 58 Jordan Hicks | Stats: 68 Tackles, 2 INT, 3 TFL | 54 Zachary Orr | Stats: 122 Tackles, 7 TFL, 1 INT |
| 27 Malcolm Jenkins | Stats: 61 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR | 55 Terrell Suggs | Stats: 27 Tackles, 8.0 Sacks, 3 FF |
| 55 Brandon Graham | Stats: 47 Tackles, 5.0 Sacks, 2 FF | 32 Eric Weddle | Stats: 72 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks, 4 INT |
The Ravens have the defender with the fifth most tackles in the NFL and rank fourth in team defense entering the game. This is a good marker for Carson Wentz, to see just how he stacks up against a top NFL defense.
The Eagles did start to get some pressure going against Washington which certainly helped. Getting Flacco out of sorts will be key to success, especially with a secondary that is starting to struggle more and more as the season starts to wind down.
Player to Watch
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) |
| 34 Kenjon Barner | 89 Steve Smith Sr. |
| Stats: 24 Att, 123 YD, 2 TD | Stats: 58 Rec, 646 YD, 3 TD |
Now in his 16th season, Steve Smith is showing he can still get it done. In the last six games, Smith has at least four catches in each, including eight for 99 yards against Dallas four weeks ago.
With Smallwood and Sproles out, Kenjon Barner will be back in and probably utilized a lot more. Barner was starting to become effective on the run when he was forced out of the picture as the fourth-string back and due to game situations forcing the Eagles to go pass-happy. Barner should get more of a chance this week.
Injury Report
|
Washington Redskins (5-6) |
Baltimore Ravens (7-6) |
||||
|
RB Darren Sproles |
Concussion |
Out |
CB Jimmy Smith |
Ankle |
Out |
| T Halapoulivaati Vaitai | Knee | Out |
TE Crockett Gillmore |
Thigh |
Questionable |
| OL Allen Barbre | Hamstring | Questionable | LB Anthony Levine Sr. | Toe | Questionable |
| TE Brent Celek | Stinger | Questionable | OL Alex Lewis | Ankle | Questionable |
| WR Dorial Green-Beckham | Abdomen | Questionable | CB Jerraud Powers | Concussion | Questionable |
| LB Kamu Grugier-Hill | Illness | Questionable | |||
| WR Jordan Matthews | Ankle | Questionable | |||
Game Notes
- The Eagles have a 9-2 record against AFL opponents since 2014.
- In just four previous meetings with the Ravens, the Eagles have two wins and a tie. They won the last meeting between the two teams in 2012, 24-23.
- In their two trips to Baltimore, the Eagles have come away with a 10-10 tie and a 36-7 loss.
Where to Watch
TV: FOX (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)
Radio: 94 Sportsradio WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
