Raven Country

Ravens Draw Worrisome Eagles Comparison

Could the Baltimore Ravens be due for regression this season?

Jon Alfano

Oct 18, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks behind him as he scores on a 37-yard touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks behind him as he scores on a 37-yard touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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After years of coming up short in January, the Baltimore Ravens appear to be squarely in Super Bowl or bust territory heading into this season. Unfortunately, that goal may have crept further away from them this offseason.

Baltimore lost key defensive players in Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone, as well as three starting offensive linemen. The Ravens also watched as defensive coordinator Mike Macondald left to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and several other assistants accept promotions elsewhere as well. The core of the team is still intact, but the supporting cast is a bit weaker than before.

Is that enough to eventually win a Super Bowl, though? That's the million dollar question, and for Emmanuel Acho of Fox Sports 1, the answer to that question is a "no." On FS1's "Speak" earlier this week, Acho even compared this year's Ravens to last year's Philadelphia Eagles, an ominous comparison for any fan.

“Them losses matter, y’all. Clowney matters, Queen matters, Stone matters, and [Mike Macdonald] matters…I don’t know that the Ravens should be feared. They will be good, but not feared”

Last offseason, the Eagles, fresh off a narrow loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, lost key players such as defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety C.J. Gardner Johnson in free agency. They started off the season at 10-1, the best record in the league heading into December, but the cracks were clear to see. The dam eventually burst, as the Eagles lost five of their final six games, lost their stranglehold on the NFC East, and had their season end in a humiliating 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.

Thankfully, there are some key differences between the current Ravens and that Eagles team. For starters, Lamar Jackson is widely agreed to be a better quarterback than Jalen Hurts, and he could further improve as a passer in Year 2 under Todd Monken. Speaking of Monken, him returning for another year is a huge advantage, especially when the Eagles had two new coordinators last season that both ended up getting fired.

However, the biggest difference comesat head coach. Baltimore's John Harbaugh is one of the longest tenured and most-respected coach, and he knows how to keep a level head. In contrast, Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni is much younger as he's just now entering his fourth season. He's also arguably the most tempermental coach in the league, which can work well when his team is winning, but can backfire when the team is struggling, as we saw last year.

Baltimore's losses will have an impact this season, but they should be just fine in the grand scheme of things.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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