What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles as we count down to Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff.

SI.com’s Peter King goes with the Ravens, 27-17:

A week ago, I never thought I’d pick the Ravens to win at the Linc, but I saw what I saw in Week 1, and so did you. I saw Mike Vick look lousy and I saw Joe Flacco look Manningish. And this Dennis Pitta … if you need a tight end in fantasy football, go get him. Now.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com thinks the Eagles bounce back with a 28-23 victory:

The Ravens looked great beating the Bengals. The Eagles looked awful in barely beating the Browns. So why do I like the Eagles? They’re at home. They can get after Joe Flacco. And there is no way Mike Vick plays like he did against the Browns. This is where not having Terrell Suggs shows up. Eagles get it going.

Overall, six of eight CBSSports.com writers pick the Ravens.

Mike Tanier of SportsOnEarth.com predicts a 20-16 Ravens win:

Meanwhile, Andy Reid is slightly adjusting the Eagles’ homeopathic run-pass ratio so LeSean McCoy can have more than seven first-half carries. In a world where the Ravens’ offense is opening up, is it possible to dream of the Eagles’ passing game throttling down?

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com says LeSean McCoy vs. Ray Lewis is one of the matchups to watch in Week 2:

McCoy is the most elusive runner in the NFL. Lewis is still one of the league’s best open-field tacklers. In this battle of strength vs. strength, something will have to give. These two will also be matched up in the passing game. Lewis has outstanding instincts in coverage, but at age 37, he will have a hard time mirroring the 24-year old McCoy.

Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com has the Ravens, 31-23:

The Ravens put on a show Monday night in a 44-13 blowout of the Bengals. But should we have been all that surprised by the effort? Joe Flacco looked incredible all preseason, the no-huddle was working all summer, the kicking game improved with Justin Tucker and Ray Lewis lost 20 pounds in the offseason. The Eagles? They were very fortunate to escape Cleveland with a win. If they were against an actual NFL offense, they wouldn’t have. Seeing the way the Ravens’ D came at Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, I can’t take the Eagles, in good conscience. Not with that offensive line.

SI.com’s Don Banks dropped the Eagles from ninth to 14th in his power rankings:

Having squeaked past Pat Shurmur’s Browns in the opener, Andy Reid gets to match wits with another branch of his coaching tree this week in drawing a visit from John Harbaugh’s Ravens. As rough as things went for Michael Vick in Cleveland, the Eagles defense came to play, holding the Browns offense to just 12 first downs, 210 yards and three Phil Dawson field goals. That’s something to build on for the Juan Castillo-coached unit that drew plenty of fire in the first half of last season.

Albert Breer of NFL Network has a 24-20 Ravens victory:

Great as Joe Flacco looked on Monday, the challenge is different this week, with the disruptive Philadelphia Eagles defensive line facing a Baltimore Ravens offensive front that still has questions to answer. To pass this test, Flacco might need to do more on his feet.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com likes the Eagles, 20-17:

Baltimore’s pass rush was nonexistent for long stretches against the Bengals, giving Andy Dalton ample time to throw. Dalton couldn’t capitalize, but Vick can. The matchup is quite a bit less intimidating than “versus Baltimore” normally indicates.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk picks the Ravens, 30-21:

A week after barely beating the toothless new Browns, the Eagles get a taste of the old Browns.  By the time it’s over, Mike Vick may need Jeffrey Lurie to push the wheelchair.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com offers thoughts on the Eagles after spending a couple days in Philadelphia.

Nine of 12 ESPN analysts pick the Ravens.

Four of five NFL Network analysts pick the Ravens.

Bill Simmons of Grantland picks the Ravens to cover.