Continuing with the preview for the NFL Preseason Wk #2 we are looking at 2 games, the 1st being the Ravens of Baltimore playing at the Eagles, and the other game is the Bills of Buffalo playing at the Browns of Cleveland.
In that 1st game with the Ravens playing the Eagles, with the game scheduled for Saturday the 22nd of October and kick-off at 7 PM ET with the game being played at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The opening Vegas odds has the Eagles favored at -3 -125 and the underdog Ravens at +3 +105 and the Over/under at 44 1/2.
In the Ravens 1st preseason game QB J. Flacco looked good as he led a 16 play series that gained 80 yards and ended with a 1 yard TD run by RB L. Taliaferro. QB Flacco made 5 of his 6 passing attempts for 34 yards, plus he gained 18 yards running before he was substituted in the game.
They had a competition for back-up RB behind J. Forsett the starter, with L. Taliaferro gaining 38 yards on 12 carries, while rookie RB J. Allen carried 11 times for 36 yards. Their rookie TE M. Williams had 2 receptions for 38 yards with 22 of those yards coming in the game winning drive for the day.
This opening game for the Eagle was their offensive display as the earned 36 points and a surprise victory over the Colt of Indianapolis. The Eagles starter QB Bradford did not start for a precautionary reason due to last season’s ACL injury. Their back-up QB Sanchez who was 2 for 7 for 51 yards, as overthrew 1 WR wide open, and under threw a receiver that could have been a TD. The Eagles also tried QB’s M. Barkley and T. Tebow, with Barkley making 12 of 20 pass attempts for 190 yards and 1 intercept. QB Tebow passed for 68 yards and score a TD on a 7 yard run, and was sacked some 3 times on his shift.
In this game Barkley will complete more pass attempts, but Tebow could trouble the Ravens defense with his scramble ability, that in their game with the Saints allowed some 4.3 yards per carry. It’s hard to believe, but the prediction is Tebow scores a rushing TD again, and the Eagles cover their -3 spread and beat the Ravens.
The 2nd encounter actually takes place on Thursday the 20th of August with kick-off at 8 PM ET with the Bills of Buffalo visiting the Browns of Cleveland with the game being played at the First Energy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The opening Vegas odds have the Browns favored at -2 ½ -120 and -150 ML, with the underdog Bills at +2 ½ Even and +130 ML with the Over/under at 40.
In last week’s opening game the Bills 3 QB’s all played well against the Panthers, as QB Cassel completed 7 of his 8 passes in the 2 series he played, while EJ. Manuel made 4 of his 8 passes for 78 yards and 1 TD, and T. Taylor passed for 5 of 8 for 50 yards and had 6 carries where he gained 48 yards, as he displayed his dual threat abilities.
With the talent exhibited in this game, the QB controversy is far from over, and this game will give the 3 competitors another good test on their performance. The troubled LB IK Enemkpali who was released by the Jets and acquired by the Bills had 2 tackles, one for lost yardage, as he was on the 2nd team defense for the game.
Meanwhile in Cleveland the fans were fixed on QB J. Manziel as the Browns played the Redskins this past Friday. He had a decent game completing 7 of his 11 pass attempts for some 44 yards, and had a 12 yard run for a TD. But then QB J. McCowan also had a good game as he completed all 5 of his pass attempts for 34 yards, and that included a 2 yard TD pass to WR T. Benjamin in the game. It appears that the QB question is still unanswered, and this 2nd preseason game, could be a good test as they come up against a strong Bill defense.
The prediction for this game is that the Buffalo Bills will win this game with the Browns of Cleveland and beat the Browns of Cleveland outright at 21-17.