The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens will square off in Week 1 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for in 7:00 p.m. ET from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The game will broadcast live on the ESPN App.
The Eagles are 3.5-point favorites over the Ravens on the spread (Eagles-3.5), with the over/under set at 37.5 total points. Philadelphia listed as a -198 moneyline favorite to win outright, while Baltimore is priced at +166 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Eagles vs Ravens predictions and NFL picks for Saturday, August 15.
My Eagles vs Ravens Prediction
- Eagles vs Ravens pick: Eagles 1H -2.5 (-120)
My Eagles vs. Ravens best bet is on Philadelphia to cover the first half spread (-2.5), with the best price currently available at FanDuel. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Eagles vs Ravens Odds
| Eagles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 37.5 -102o / -120u | -198 |
| Ravens Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 37.5 -102o / -120u | +166 |
Eagles vs Ravens NFL Preseason Preview
Philadelphia Eagles Betting Preview: Dalton vs. McKee Showdown
The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to rest the majority of their starters in this exhibition opener, though there remains a slim chance Jalen Hurts takes the field for a brief opening drive.
Regardless, the primary storyline for the Eagles offense centers around what promises to be one of the best quarterback battles you will see this preseason.
The Eagles boast a very capable rotation, as newcomer Andy Dalton and third-year fan favorite Tanner McKee are set to duke it out for the QB2 spot behind Hurts.
It is a textbook "somebody is gunning for your job" scenario, which means Philadelphia's offensive execution should remain sharp deep into the first half.
Typically, coaching staffs prefer to protect their veteran backup quarterbacks during the preseason. Dalton, a 15-year veteran with a decade of starter experience under his belt for the Bengals before serving as a capable backup across stops with the Cowboys, Bears, Saints, and Panthers, fits that mold perfectly.
Coaches usually know exactly what a player of Dalton's caliber brings to the table, limiting their preseason action to just a quick taste of live reps to get their feet wet.
However, this situation is entirely different. Dalton is a newcomer learning a fresh system and must outright earn his roster spot against an incumbent. The preseason should feel like a cakewalk for a player with his resume, but the coaching staff will still want to evaluate him extensively.
On the other side of this battle is McKee, who has quietly become something of a preseason legend. Now in his third year since being drafted by the Eagles in 2023, McKee has spent his entire professional career in Nick Sirianni's system and will not surrender his backup duties without a fight.
McKee has proven himself capable when called upon during the regular season, posting a 1-1 record in two career starts while throwing for five touchdowns against just one interception for a 95.7 passer rating.
Furthermore, he was brilliant during the preseason a year ago, highlighted by a dominant performance against the Bengals where he completed 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-27 victory.
Between Dalton and McKee, the Eagles will be deploying proven NFL commodities in the early portions of this game, but we should probably try to avoid betting any frames where we could potentially get a glimpse of fourth-string quarterback Cole Payton, so our play is on the first-half spread.
Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview: Steep Drop-Off After Huntley
The quarterback situation for the Baltimore Ravens paints a far less inspiring picture for the first half of this matchup. With reigning MVP Lamar Jackson firmly planted on the bench, Tyler Huntley will get the starting nod.
Unlike the situation in Philadelphia, there is no real positional drama here — Huntley enters the season as Baltimore’s unquestioned QB2. Because both Jackson and Huntley heavily rely on their mobility and instincts to scramble, they are at an elevated risk of injury in meaningless exhibition games.
With his roster spot securely locked, there is virtually no incentive for the Ravens to push Huntley. Expect the coaching staff to play things safe, deploying the standard veteran backup treatment where he plays one to one-and-a-half quarters (at most).
Once Huntley exits, the drop-off in talent and experience on Baltimore's depth chart is pretty steep. The Ravens will be turning the offense over to a pair of undrafted rookie quarterbacks in Joe Fagnano and Austin Reed, neither of whom possess significant NFL experience.
Baltimore's backup situation isn't completely hopeless. Fagnano is a 25-year-old rookie out of UConn who slipped through the draft radar due to his older prospect age, but he possesses high-level collegiate experience, famously leading the Huskies to a 9-3 record while tossing 28 touchdowns to just one interception in his final season.
Meanwhile, Reed recently signed with Baltimore after a stint with the UFL's Dallas Renegades. He also spent most of 2024 on the Bears' practice squad after a sharp preseason debut where he completed 12-of-16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown before eventually being waived.
Either could hypothetically find a rhythm, but relying on undrafted developmental players to outduel Philadelphia's experienced tandem requires a leap of faith. They both have upside, but the Ravens will likely have signal-callers on the field in the first half who have never taken a single regular-season snap.
Eagles vs Ravens Prediction, Betting Analysis
Evaluating exhibition football is inherently volatile. These are essentially televised practices where sorting out the back end of the roster takes precedence over putting points on the scoreboard.
However, this game triggers a profitable Bet Labs system titled "NFL Preseason: 1H Road Chalk." This system isolates a unique market inefficiency by targeting visiting teams favored by up to 4.5 points in the first half.
The theory aligns with the setup for this matchup. Preseason first-half road favorites signal sharp expectations regarding a team's rotational strength and coaching motivation.
Because the typical disadvantage of regular-season travel does not exist in the first week of exhibition play, strong road squads can execute cleanly early in the game before the chaotic variance of third- and fourth-string backups takes over in the second half.
Oddsmakers are throwing out the concept of home-field advantage here, establishing Philadelphia as a confident -2.5 favorite in the first half.
This line movement reflects the reality of the quarterback rotations: the Eagles will be leaning on two motivated, seasoned QBs locked in a heated battle for the QB2 job, while the Ravens will likely pull an unmotivated Tyler Huntley early before handing the keys to a pair of undrafted rookies.
We'll trust the sharp line and back Philadelphia to cover the first-half spread.
Pick: Eagles 1H -2.5 (-120)
