Defense leading the way for undefeated Eagles, Ravens
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
There are five teams in the NFL that have yet to lose a game. It quite an amazing story that Philadelphia traded their staring quarterback to the Vikings extremely recently and both of these teams are 3-0. The Super Bowl champion Broncos look like they have actually improved from last year. The Patriots, in amazing fashion with their second and third string quarterbacks and minus other extremely key pieces, also have yet to lose a game. But no one thought that New England was going to be a bottom feeder in 2016. The Ravens were 5-11 last year and were ravaged by injuries, but have historically been one of the NFL’s top franchises.
One thing that all five of these teams have in common is fantastic defense to start the year. Of these five teams though, which are least likely to keep it up? To rank them currently from best to worst in terms of contending in 2016, the Patriots should stand alone at the top with Tom Brady’s return on the horizon. Minnesota and Denver have very similar defensive-dependent functions for success and should be in for the long haul. The Patriots, Vikings, and Broncos look like playoff teams. After blowing out the Steelers, Philadelphia would be fourth on this list, with Baltimore as the “worst” of the undefeated teams.
How about the Eagles and Ravens? Could they compete for a title? Sure. It is possible. The Eagles rank higher than Baltimore on this list, and the competition in their division implies that they have a better chance of winning the NFC East (which is better than expected though!) than the Ravens have in the AFC North, but the reality is that neither of these teams will probably be amongst the NFL’s elite when it is all said and done.
Philadelphia has beaten the Browns and Bears, both of whom look as though they will be picking in the top five of next year’s draft. But the Eagles also whipped the Steelers in one of the most shocking games of the season. The Eagles have scored 92 points and allowed just 27. Their +65 point differential is the best in the NFL by a very wide margin. Second in this category is New England, but they are 29 points behind Philadelphia in this important indicator.
As for the Ravens, they barely beat the Bills in Week 1, defeated the Browns the following week after falling behind 20-0, and barely got out of Jacksonville undefeated in an ugly game that neither team appeared to really want to win. Their point differential stands at just +13, good for 10th in the league.
Carson Wentz has been highly impressive, especially with his accuracy and mental acumen. Wentz is amazing before the snap and at the line of scrimmage for a rookie signal caller. He played his best game in Week 3 and remarkably, could only be scratching the surface of what he may some day become. But it is the Eagles' defense that has been the key to their success, especially against the Steelers.
As for Baltimore, its offensive line looks improved, but the rest of the offense has been less than spectacular. The running game has really struggled and its collective group of receivers is probably league average. Joe Flacco is proven and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback that is making huge money, but he too has been just average against three poor defenses.
The Ravens are definitely better on defense than they were a year ago. They are getting big contributions from newcomer Eric Weddle, as well as from Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, Terrell Suggs, and C.J. Mosley. Their test will come next week against the Raiders, and they also have the Giants in Week 6 and Pittsburgh in Week 9 after the Ravens’ bye week. Those contests could expose some defensive shortcomings, namely the cornerback position. But overall, what we have seen on this side of the ball has been quite favorable.
While Baltimore’s defense is impressive and should remain very strong, the Eagles' defense is even more convincing. Philadelphia has played better on the offensive side of the ball than the Ravens, but as enticing as Wentz is, the Eagles are light on weapons. A huge key for Philadelphia though has been that they are the only team in the league yet to turn the ball over. While this is highly impressive and reflective of Wentz’s accelerated maturation, it is also something that will most likely return closer to league average.
The most sustainable aspect of either team though is the Eagles' defense. The top players on Philadelphia’s defensive line, most notably Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, were drafted by Andy Reid with a 4-3 defense in mind, much like the Eagles are running now. While this group did well in Chip Kelly’s 3-4, they are lighting it up in their more suitable scheme.
This defensive line abused Pittsburgh’s excellent offensive line on Sunday and should provide massive problems all year for whomever they face. Behind them are a very active and athletic group of linebackers and Philadelphia’s safety tandem of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod is one of the best in the league. The area of concern is at cornerback though. But because of Philadelphia’s great defensive front, the Eagles rarely blitz and give their coverage men a lot of help. Still, this unit just held Ben Roethlisberger and Co. to a mere three points. And for that reason, Philadelphia’s claim for greatness is stronger than that of the Ravens.
In terms of scheduling, Baltimore plays the AFC and NFC East as well as Jacksonville and Oakland, to go with six AFC North contests. Philadelphia obviously plays the AFC North as well as the NFC North. The Eagles’ two games dictated by their 2015 division standing are against Atlanta and Seattle. Baltimore’s schedule is much more favorable than the Eagles’, but Philadelphia is the better football team right now.