Eagles-Ravens player matchups to watch in Week 13

Eagles-Ravens player matchups to watch in Week 13 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (9-2) will drive to Baltimore to face the Ravens (8-4) on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Eagles run defense vs. Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson

This is not the Ravens you remember with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and a defense that put fear in you. These days, it’s the Ravens’ offense you have to worry about. And it’s one of the best offenses in the NFL, ranking No. 1 in yards and No. 2 in points. It all starts with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson.

The Eagles have the best rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 193.4 yards per game but the Ravens are second at 180.2. While the Ravens run a different scheme, they also have a fantastic running back and a quarterback who is a threat to beat you with his legs.

Let’s start with Henry. He is second in the league in rushing behind Saquon Barkley with 1,325 yards (6.0) and is still really tough to bring down. At 247 pounds, Henry is averaging 3.9 yards after contact per attempt and 2.0 yards over expected per rush, per NFL NextGen Stats. The good news for the Eagles is that after their early-season struggles with missed tackles, they’ve really cleaned that up since the bye week. They are now 24th in missed tackles this season with 56, according to Stathead.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles handle the Ravens because they have loaded the box at the 7th-lowest rate in the NFL this season (41.2%), while the Ravens has seen the 4th-highest rate of a loaded box, even though Henry is doing a lot of his damage on the outside. He has a league-high 886 yards on outside runs this season to lead the NFL. The other wrinkle in the Ravens’ run game is fullback Patrick Ricard. The Ravens use the two-back offense at the second-highest rate in the NFL.

And then there’s Jackson, who has rushed for 599 yards this season and 31 first downs. After playing Matthew Stafford, who is basically a statue in Week 12, the Eagles will see a very different threat in Week 13.

Eagles pass defense vs. Lamar Jackson

A few years ago, Jackson was really known for his ability to run — and that can still hurt you — but he has been great as a passer this season. He has completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,053 yards with 27 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. The reigning NFL MVP is very much in the mix again this season. Jackson’s top targets are WR Zay Flowers, WR Rashod Bateman, TE Mark Andrews and TE Isaiah Likely. He’ll also get our old friend Nelson Agholor involved.

In addition to his ability to run, Jackson has been really good in the pocket, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 118.9 inside the pocket this season. The Eagles, meanwhile, have a great pass defense and have allowed a league-low 6.0 yards per attempt inside the pocket this season, per NextGen Stats. So this is good on good.

The Eagles’ secondary will likely be without Darius Slay (concussion) in this game so expect Isaiah Rodgers to start in his place. Teams are dead-set agains throwing at rookie superstar Quinyon Mitchell, so expect the Ravens to go after Rodgers on Sunday.

Nolan Smith vs. Roger Rosengarten

Jackson has been sacked just 16 times this season, which is 26th in the NFL. But if there’s one matchup to really exploit on that line it’s rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten. He has given up 3 sacks and 24 pressures this season, per ProFootballFocus. According to NextGen Stats, Rosengarten has allowed a 13% pressure rating, which is the 4th-highest in the NFL among right tackles with at least 150 pass blocking snaps.

The Eagles are a bit short-handed at edge rusher these days after putting Bryce Huff on IR after wrist surgery and then losing Brandon Graham for the season with a torn triceps. So they’re down to Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and the recently-claimed Charles Harris. Smith plays most of his snaps on the left side of the line, though, so he’ll have the opportunity to rush against Rosengarten.

Saquon Barkley vs. Ravens run defense

Barkley is now firmly in the MVP race after a record-breaking game against the Rams on Sunday night. He had 255 yards on the ground and 302 yards from scrimmage, which were both Eagles records. And the Eagles have shown that they’re going to stick with the run until a team proves they can really stop it.

The Ravens this season have the No. 2 ranked run defense and are first in the NFL in yards per carry, giving up just 3.5 per pop. The Ravens have also been very good at getting running backs to the round, giving up just 2.6 yards after contact per season, which is tops in the NFL, per NextGen Stats. Their explosive run rate is just 4.5% too, which is the second lowest in the NFL. This is another good on good matchup coming up.

Keep an eye on the Ravens’ health in this game. Roquan Smith (hamstring) was limited to start the week. But there’s a chance NT Michael Pierce could return for this game. He has been on IR but his practice window was opened this week.

A.J. Brown vs. Nate Wiggins

The Ravens will give up big plays through the air. They have allowed 94 pass plays of 15+ yards and their 17.7% explosive pass rate allowed is second-highest in the NFL. Teams are also averaging 8.4 air yards per attempt against the Ravens’ defense. Overall, the Ravens have the No. 31 ranked pass defense in the league and teams have thrown more passes against them than any team.

So this creates an interesting matchup for the Eagles because they have shown they want to run the ball but the Ravens are much, much better at stopping the run than they are the pass. If there’s one matchup to really exploit it’s probably getting A.J. Brown on rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins when he takes the field outside in the nickel package. Wiggins is a sticky cover corner but is just 182 pounds so Brown might be able to bully him. The Ravens other corners are Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and Tre’Davious White. Humphrey plays inside on nickel downs. The Ravens added White at the deadline to bolster one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

Eagles OL vs. Ravens pass rush

The Ravens are third in the NFL with 39 sacks this season. They are led by OLB Odafe Oweh (8.0), OLB Kyle Van Noy (8.0) and DT Nnamdi Madubuike (5.0). Oweh mostly plays on the defensive right, setting up a matchup with Jordan Mailata, while Van Noy plays mostly on the left, setting up a matchup with Lane Johnson (if Van Noy is able to play through injuries). But they will flip from side to side. Oweh has been hot recently with 19 pressures in his last three games after having 17 in his first nine games this season.

The Eagles have one of the best tackle pairs in the NFL. In PFF’s rankings, Jordan Mailata is No. 1 and Lane Johnson is No. 8 league-wide.

While the Ravens have a bunch of sacks, their pressure rate is just 32.1% which is 22nd in the NFL. They’re also not generating many quick pressures. So it seems like their lack of quick and consistent pressure and a shaky secondary has led to their poor pass defense.

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