The Philadelphia Eagles came oh so close to returning home last Sunday on the embarrassing end of an upset by the Cleveland Browns. Michael Vick gave Cleveland every chance to hold on for the win, throwing four interceptions but managed one last drive and threw the game-winning TD pass late in the fourth quarter to steal the victory.
Despite the four picks, Vick still threw for over 300 yards and the Eagles offense put up over 450 yards of total offense. RB LeSean McCoy would had over 100 yards rushing and could have had a lot more had the Eagles not inexplicably abandoned the run game way too early.
WR Jeremy Maclin had close to 100 receiving yards, which combined with the aforementioned stats, prove this is an offense the Ravens defense had better be prepared for. The Ravens defense has a "bend-but-don't-break" mentality, but will have to do a lot of bending if they plan on keeping Philly out of the end zone.
At the same time, if Vick decides to turn the ball over to the Ravens defense, the offense won't be as kind as the Brown's was, and there is virtually zero chance of expecting QB Joe Flacco to come out of the game with a 5.1 QB Rating, like Cleveland rookie QB Brandon Weeden did last week.
The Eagles defense only gave up a total of 210 yards last week but give as much credit to Cleveland's ineptness as to Philadelphia's performance. Baltimore's offense put up almost as much as Philly's did, with 430 yards against what was supposed to be one of the better defenses in the NFL last year in their rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both teams are being looked at as playoff contenders in 2012, but the difference is that while the Ravens proved it last year, the Eagles fell embarrassingly flat on their faces and out of the post season after being considered the favorite, hence the unworthy nickname of the "Dream Team."
Regardless of last year, much less last week, expect a battle on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, as the Ravens want to prove they deserve mention as one of the best teams in the league while the Eagles just want to get into the conversation.