Hanging By a Thread: Philadelphia Eagles' Season on the Line in Baltimore

Here it is Eagles fans, here is your season. Two months ago, who would have thought that our Philadelphia Eagles would be fighting for their playoff lives and sitting in the cellar of the NFC East at 5-4-1?

Philly travels to Baltimore to battle the 6-4 Ravens this Sunday in what could determine whether they play in January or start working on the ol' golf swing.

Baltimore is coming off an ugly 30-10 defeat at the hands of the powerful New York Giants, in which the defending champs made what was one of the league's stingiest run defenses look like deer in the headlights—to the tune of over 200 yards.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are coming off of a game where they were outplayed offensively, turned the ball over four times, but still managed to limp out of Cincinnati with an ugly 13-13 tie.

I won't get into the Eagles-Bengals debacle on Sunday, it's time to move on. For both the Eagles and Ravens, this will be a hard-hitting, smash-mouth NFC East-type game.

I'll start this one off with the Ravens.

The Ravens are one of the AFC's surprise contenders right now at 6-4 and second in the North. Rookie head coach Jon Harbaugh has done a great job of leading this tough team in his first year at the helm.

The Baltimore offense is led by its dominant ground game, which is ranked third in the NFL averaging 147 yards per game. Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice have provided the one-two punch the Ravens have lacked since the days of Jamal Lewis and Priest Holmes.

They will be up against one of the league's tougher—yet inconsistent—rush defenses in Philadelphia, but we'll get into that later. 

First-round draft pick Joe Flacco has continued his progress through the season, and will need to stand tall against the pass rush of the Eagles, which is tied for the NFL's lead in sacks with 36.

Flacco will need to be sharp if he's to have success against the Eagles' secondary, which has been improved since its early-season struggles.

Flacco's offensive line has been an inconsistent bunch this year, as the rookie QB has been sacked 18 total times. That's not an alarming number, but the last time the Ravens faced an elite pass rush, they allowed five sacks to the Steelers.

Here are the Ravens' offensive keys to success:

1) Open holes for McGahee and Rice on the ground.

2) Protect Flacco.

3) Take advantage of the aggressive Eagles defense which has had a problem with over-pursuing.

4) The receivers must find ways to get open against the stingy Eagles secondary.

5) Can't let the Eagles defense make them one-dimensional.

On defense, the Ravens will look to rebound after a lackluster showing in the Meadowlands a week ago, allowing 385 total yards of offense.

The Ravens execute the 3-4 scheme implemented by Rex Ryan to near perfection. They are a very fundamentally sound defense and don't make many mental errors.

Baltimore's rush defense had its worst game of the season a week ago, but shouldn't see much from the Eagles. When you give up over 200 yards on the ground one week and it only drops you to third in the league, you know you're a strong group.

The Ravens' secondary will need to be on top of its game. They should be expecting lots of passing from Donovan McNabb. There is no doubt that the Eagles will try and take advantage of the recent injuries to Chris McAlister and Dawan Landry, both of whom have been put on injured reserve in the past two weeks.

Here are the Ravens' defensive keys to success on Sunday:

1) When the Eagles make an attempt to run the ball, don't let Westbrook run wild.

2) Shut down the Eagles screen game, which is very important in getting Brian Westbrook involved.

3) Put pressure on McNabb and don't let him go.

4) Shut down DeSean Jackson. When Jackson gets involved early, it opens up possibilities all over the field.

5) Make Westbrook a non-factor. Even with the struggles this year, he is still a game-changer when he gets hot.

For the Eagles, this game could mean the end of their season or they will live to play another day.

On offense, the Eagles have struggled for the past two weeks, getting off to slow starts each time, both leading to losses. The offensive strategy has gotten increasingly predictable from week to week.

The Eagles passing game has been what they've lived by all season long, and that will have to change sometime to make this season a successful one. Donovan McNabb will be coming off of his worst game of the season this year, throwing three interceptions (two in Bengals territory), squandering two scoring chances for the Birds.

Eagles receivers continue to struggle catching the football this year. The latest victim of "stone hands syndrome" was Kevin Curtis. Curtis dropped two key balls on Sunday that cost the Eagles yards and possible points. Eagles receivers will need to take advantage of the Ravens' injury-plagued secondary and actually hang on to the ball.

McNabb's offensive line continues to give him tremendous time in the pocket. With the time McNabb receives, he should be able to throw for 400 yards and three TD's a game. Now I know that's not reasonable but you get my point!

On the ground, Brian Westbrook has struggled with injuries all season long, which has led to some questions about if Westbrook is still hurt, so why not start Buckhalter? Buckhalter is healthy, and when given a good amount of plays, he performs well.

Here are the Eagles' offensive keys to success:

1) Get Westbrook and Jackson involved early; when they are involved early, the possibilities are endless.

2) McNabb needs to be on his "A" game this Sunday—the Ravens aren't the Bengals.

3) The Eagles need to get off to a strong start. The past two games, the offense struggled in the first half and it led to two disappointing finishes.

4) Play calling needs to improve for the Eagles on Sunday. Please, Andy Reid, stop being so freaking predictable.

5) Utilize Buck. If Brian Westbrook is struggling, why not use Buckhalter? He's got speed, decent power, and is a good spell for No. 36.

On defense, the Eagles will need a strong performance to pull out a victory on Sunday. Philly's defense has had some very good performances this year and certainly some forgettable ones.

Against the run, Philadelphia has been inconsistent throughout the year. Some games they are dominant, some they look horrible. This week the Eagles will need to step up their game against Willis McGahee and Ray Rice; both runners can break a big one at any time.

Philadelphia has one of the toughest pass defenses in the league right now. They struggled against the Bengals last week, but look for that to change against the Ravens—they are a run-first offense.

Philly's pass rush continues to be dominant. They racked up eight sacks last Sunday in Cincinnati, and now are tied for the league lead with Pittsburgh with 36. They have gotten pressure from a variety of players: Darren Howard, Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley and Chris Clemons. All have formed one of the league's feared pass attacks.

Here are the Eagles' keys to success on defense against the Ravens:

1) Make Willis McGahee and Ray Rice non-factors. Those two make the offense go. Keeping them in check makes them one-dimensional, which falls into the Eagles hands.

2) Pressure Flacco when he drops back to throw. Jim Johnson loves to pressure rookie quarterbacks, so you know he's licking his chops at the chance of playing Flacco.

3) Force turnovers. Let's just hope this time the offense takes advantage of the chances the defense gives them.

4) Keep Todd Heap in check. I know Heap is past his time, but tight ends have burned the Eagles defense numerous times this season; that can't happen on Sunday.

Both teams are in a must-win situation on Sunday. It should be a close one that goes down to who can come up with a key stop late in the game.

MY PREDICTION: EAGLES 17, RAVENS 13