The Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles do battle Saturday in NFL preseason action from M&T Bank Stadium. Philadelphia is looking to make another lengthy playoff run after emerging as NFC champions on a 14-3 regular-season run last year. Baltimore was playoff-bound last season themselves after a 10-7 season but fell in the Wild Card Playoffs to the Bengals. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Philadelphia Eagles 

The Eagles tore through their first 14 games with just one loss last year, but stumbled on a 2-1 run entering the playoffs. Philadelphia still got the top seed in the conference and tore through the Giants and 49ers on the way to Super Bowl LVII, though. Unfortunately the Eagles lost a tough one 38-35 to the Chiefs and had to stew on that loss all offseason. 

The great news for the Eagles is that they’re returning a big chunk of their key players from last year’s Super Bowl team and will be trendy postseason picks. New offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will bring some much-needed familiarity, so the offense should hit the ground running. D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny should help carry the load as well. Defensively, the Eagles lose Javon Hargrave (11 sacks) but will slot in with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith from this year’s draft. 

Baltimore Ravens

Over on the Baltimore side, they managed a second-place finish in the AFC North last year despite starting 3-3 and ending on a 1-3 run during the regular season. The Ravens bagged a Wild Card spot with their 10-7 record, but suffered an early playoffs exit with a 24-17 loss to the Bengals in their first outing. 

Baltimore grabbed Zay Flowers in the First Round of the draft, giving another effective piece for QB Lamar Jackson to utilize. The offensive line appears to be in solid shape on paper, so if all goes well Jackson should have the tools he needs to succeed. Defensively is where the Ravens seem primed to shine, as they’ve got a great group of linebackers headed by Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen and third-round pick Trent Simpson. 

The Eagles are 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall and 2-5 ATS in their last seven Saturday games. Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in their last six road games. 

Meanwhile, the Ravens are 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine at home and the under is 6-0 in their last six Saturday games. The under is 7-0 in Baltimore’s last seven at home. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m probably going to stay with the Eagles in this one. Philadelphia has a pretty deep stable of running backs on the roster and that group should be able to fill in any gap that Miles Sanders provided. QB Jalen Hurts should have another great year, and defensively they’re one of the more well-rounded teams in the league. The Eagles should be competitive no matter who they line up against. As for the Ravens, there are some question marks as to the direction the offense is headed—specifically whether a more pocket-oriented style will gel with Jackson’s strengths as a quarterback. For now, I like Philadelphia to keep the Baltimore offense off the field with a steady dose of ground game during a preseason opener victory.