NFL Week 12 Picks: Eagles @ Ravens

Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens

Sunday, Nov. 23 - 1:00 PM

The Ravens' defense is what has defined them for years—it's even what led them to their Super Bowl XXXV victory. Their problem has been finding a consistent offense, and this season is no different.

This persistent problem reared its ugly head last week against the Giants, who stonewalled them in a 30-10 defeat. When the defense does not get to leave the field and rest, they are forced to eat their own smack-talking words and give up an embarrassing 207 rushing yards.

But the Eagles are not the same team as their NFC East division rivals. They do not have Earth, Wind, and Fire to tirelessly run the ball. All they do have is a hurt Brian Westbrook and an offense that could only tie the Bengals in Week 11.

The Eagles are going to be forced to go to the air against the Ravens, so it's going to be a question of which Donovan McNabb will show up. Last week he threw three interceptions, fumbled once, and struggled to convert on third down (the Eagles converted only three of 18 attempts).

Not all the interceptions were McNabb's fault, though. There's only so much you can do when your wide receiver muffs the catch and it pops up into the hands of the defender.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's job this week is going to be avoiding the sack while not throwing interceptions. This season he's been sacked 18 times and thrown nine picks, while the Eagles have taken down opposing quarterbacks a league-leading 36 times.

In terms of other stats, here's how the two offenses and defenses stack up:

Points Per Game

Eagles Offense vs. Ravens Defense—26.4 (6th) vs. 18.0 (6th)
Ravens Offense vs. Eagles Defense—22.2 (18th) vs. 19.3 (8th)

Rush Yards Per Game

Eagles Offense vs. Ravens Defense—95.3 (26th) vs. 79.6 (3rd)
Ravens Offense vs. Eagles Defense—146.8 (3rd) vs. 98.7 (11th)

Pass Yards Per Game

Eagles Offense vs. Ravens Defense—268.5 (4th) vs. 188.3 (8th)
Ravens Offense vs. Eagles Defense—171.5 (29th) vs. 194.0 (11th)

Total Yards Per Game

Eagles Offense vs. Ravens Defense—363.8 (6th) vs. 267.9 (3rd)
Ravens Offense vs. Eagles Defense—318.3 (19th) vs. 292.7 (7th)

The Eagles really looked terrible last week against a struggling Bengals team. McNabb's three interceptions all occurred near or in the red zone (Cincinnati 12, 16, and 22). The Ravens were trampled by the Giants Week 11, but that was more due to exhaustion than anything else.

Both teams have a strong defense, but I think that the Ravens come after McNabb and force a few key turnovers again this week.

Ravens over Eagles.