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Edgar Chaput
Eagles vs. Ravens Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 1 Odds, Prediction
Friday is not a traditional football day in the regular season (although that might be changing), but it’s fair game in August for these tune-up matches. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens commence their pre-season adventures this week. These franchises enter 2024 with high expectations but don’t expect to see Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts fling the pigskin before September.
Our NFL preseason odds see this one as a close game, with the visiting Eagles pinned as modest -1 favourites.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Philly and Baltimore tangoed during the 2023 preseason schedule as well. What’s more it was also the preseason opener for these clubs. The Ravens narrowly won the 20-19.
The Eagles ended up with a unique 1-1-1 straight-up tally a year ago. They followed up the defeat to the Ravens with a draw against the Cleveland Browns and finally a victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Against the spread the club went 1-2.
As for the Ravens, their traditional domination of the preseason ended with that very win over Philadelphia. They followed that strong start with two defeats to the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Of note for betters, they didn’t cover the spread a single time, going 0-3.
Philadelphia Eagles
2024 is going to be something of a make-or-break season for the Eagles. Perhaps not for stars like Hurts or WR AJ Brown, but questions are being asked about head coach Nick Sirianni. If 2024 resembles the back end of 2023, heads might roll, but that’s probably one of the reasons Kellen Moore is now the offensive coordinator.
There is a buzz of excitement coming out of Eagles camp. Hurts looks good, people are saying nice things about Moore, and the addition of RB Saquon Barkley to what is already a potent ground game has people believing in Philly again.
Given that none of the stars will shine for the next three weeks, the question is how does Moore call the offence with the backups? Kenny Pickett is the designated backup QB, although Tanner McKee might get some reps too. Will Shipley and Lew Nichols will hope to establish themselves further in the running back pecking order, and guys like Shaquan Davis, Griffin Hebert, and Jacob Harris will be the ones catching passes.
It might be a good idea to give rookie CB and first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell some snaps so he can get a feel for some real NFL football before things undoubtedly get tougher in September.
Baltimore Ravens
And so the Ravens’ journey starts anew after falling in the AFC Championship game in January. Jackson had an MVP-worthy season, and a running attack that was already terrifying added Derrick Henry during the winter. By most accounts training camp has gone relatively well, but one should expect that from a team that finished with the best overall record in the NFL last season and tried to get even better in the offseason.
That said, neither of those guys will be on the field Friday night, nor will stand-out 2023 rookie WR Zay Flowers or stalwart TE Mark Andrews. Some backups will want to impress the coaching staff, such as RB Rasheen Ali. Since Justice Hill is no longer the number one guy, he might see some action this August. WRs Isaiah Washington, Malik Cunningham, and Keith Kirkwood will be targets most of the time.
Baltimore made an intriguing pick at the draft, opting for CB Nate Wiggins. Technically speaking he’s behind Brandon Stephens on the depth chart, the latter entering only his fourth season. But with teams like the Chiefs, Dolphins, Texans, Bengals, and Bills capable of firing on all cylinders, it’s not a bad idea to load up on pass defenders.