Eagles go for two at end, lose 27-26 to Ravens

Their commitment to the run was astonishing.

The Ravens found themselves in a tightly contested first half with the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday after it looked like they would have an easy time of things early on.

First-year head coach Doug Pederson went for the victory, declining the conversion kick for a two-point try. “They’re going to cover up all the gaps”. Seumalo is a rookie whose previous two starts came at right guard. The Ravens defense is allowing an average of just 13 points per game at M&T Park and even on a flawless Sunday afternoon where weather and injuries were not a problem Philly would still struggle to mound sustained drives. “The ref came over and told me that it was tipped and if it wasn’t, I would have got the call”. They should have more success against Eagles rookie Carson Wentz, who doesn’t have many weapons on offense. “We have to be able to hand the ball off and get yardage out of it because then it is going to get the play-action game going a little bit more and make it that much better”.

As it was, it became a 27-26 loss in front of 71,223 fans at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Instead, Agholor stepped out of bounds a yard short.

Local players to watch: Philadelphia – RB Kenjon Barner (Oregon), DE Taylor Hart (Oregon).

“I felt the play was there. That’s one of our staple plays that we run”. Was it a call I wanted to be in? No. “We had all the confidence in the world we were going to get it done on that play”.

I want to believe this is the week Pederson finally reins in Wentz, but I’m just not convinced, especially if the first-year coach is still anxious about winning. He could look to answer that criticism.

So it made sense to avoid overtime.

But the strength of the AFC West might help that division get three teams in; the surging Miami Dolphins, absent from the playoffs since 2008 – when they were eliminated by the Ravens in a home wild-card game – might also have a role to play. The fact that the Eagles connected on four field goals actually says a lot about the addition of Rick Lovato, now in as long-snapper for the injured Jon Dorenbos. On that play, Wentz didn’t panic when he couldn’t find anyone open. “If we get the 2, everybody would love us”.

He was asked if the Ravens should have run the ball there.

Ryan Mathews ran for 128 yards on 20 carries.

Mathews wasn’t even on the field for the play. “It’s the worst play call we’ve had, and it’s my fault”. I have faith in my teammates. I didn’t want him to cut back on me and have him end up in the end zone. We knew and anticipated zero coverage in the blitz and it was one-on-one with Carson and Jordan.

“It just came down to sheer patience and determination and the offensive line”, Pederson said.

Johnston’s analysis and replays also highlighted some of the improved blocking by the Eagles offensive line that was opening holes for Mathews, particularly with linemen pulling rather than blocking straight-ahead. Tight end Brent Celek and wide receivers Dorial Green-Beckham and Jordan Matthews are listed as questionable but expected to play. And Wentz’s four-yard dash to the endzone was well executed at the end. “I thought we had them on their heels”. But no, people continue to give the Ravens defense a pass.

“If there’s one place that we can improve, it’s definitely the big plays”, safety Malcolm Jenkins said. Give him credit for that. You make it, you become a hero.

That’s the current total being offered over by topbet.eu, which is one of the lower totals you’ll see in the National Football League this week.