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Baltimore Ravens: 3 Things to Look for against the Philadelphia Eagles

By Phil Naegely

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1. Joe Flacco

Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Flacco went 5-for-6 in his preseason action. Like most starting quarterbacks last week, he didn’t see much action. This is smart for many reasons, including but not limited to injury risk, saving him for when games matter, and allowing those battling for a spot on the depth chart or a starting gig to see the majority of the time.

However, Flacco must play longer against the Eagles. The Eagles side is young for the most part, but they showed great confidence and skill against the Colts. Playing against them for more than one drive would be a good test at real time pace. Practicing with teammates is great, but it’s not usually at the same pace as a game.

Furthermore, chemistry with his offensive unit can further develop. They can work on snap counts, running the right routes, and becoming a cohesive unit during games. All of those are hard to do with limited time in the game. Likewise, it will be worth watching to see how Flacco handles a defensive unit that is used to playing a majority of a game due to the speed of their offense.

Flacco is without Torrey Smith, who was his second target behind Steve Smith Sr., as he went to the 49ers and rookie Breshad Perriman hasn’t practiced recently and is questionable currently against the Eagles. Once Perriman returns, the first round draft pick is expected to start along side verteran Smith Sr. Smith Sr’s presence will help young receivers like Perriman during his final NFL season.

Like with the rush game enhancing Flacco’s game, the passing game needs to find success for the run to stay successful. Interceptions aren’t a big deal in preseason, so Flacco and the offensive scheme can experiment with different routes, formations, and ideas to see if they work and it affecting the team very little long-term. Now is the time to try and develop new ideas instead of midway through the season.

Just like the Ravens’ special teams stars in Sam Koch and Justin Tucker, Flacco has been one of the most consistent players and a leader on any team he’s played on since his days at University of Delaware.

These are just three things to watch against the Philadelphia Eagles. What else are you watching for in the Ravens’ second preseason game of the season?

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