Ravens fans unable to stomach watching AFC rivals New England and Pittsburgh in the playoffs may find a rooting interest on the other side of the bracket.
Despite losing Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Wentz to a season-ending knee injury last month, Philadelphia is now a win away from the Super Bowl after edging Atlanta 15-10 in Saturday’s divisional-round meeting. Several former Ravens are helping the Eagles’ cause both on and off the field.
The most popular among them is wide receiver Torrey Smith, whose wacky 20-yard catch off a deflection helped set up a 53-yard field goal to end the first half. It wasn’t an impressive season for Baltimore’s 2011 second-round pick with just 36 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns, but Smith finished with three catches for 39 yards in his first playoff game since 2014, the last time the Ravens qualified for the postseason.
Smith isn’t alone as defensive tackle and 2014 second-round pick Timmy Jernigan has found a home in Philadelphia, evident by the four-year, $48 million extension he signed earlier this season. Traded to the Eagles in a swap of 2017 third-round picks in April, Jernigan registered only one tackle Saturday and had only 2 1/2 sacks this season, but he’s considered an important member of one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts.
Two other Super Bowl XLVII champions are helping the Eagles in complementary roles as defensive back Corey Graham has played in sub packages and on special teams this season and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe even started and finished with two tackles in Saturday’s playoff game. Ellerbe has dealt with a slew of injuries since leaving the Ravens in 2013, but the 32-year-old signed with Philadelphia in mid-November and has helped fill the void of starting middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, who sustained a torn Achilles tendon in October.
Edge rusher Steven Means was inactive for Philadelphia on Saturday, but he also spent parts of two seasons with the Ravens.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a former Baltimore assistant and Mount Saint Joseph alum, and the ties run deeper in the front office as former Ravens scouts Joe Douglas and Andy Weidl are integral parts of Philadelphia’s draft process. Douglas spent more than 15 years in Baltimore and served as the organization’s national scout before departing for Chicago in 2015 and being hired to serve as the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel a year later. He’s already beginning to earn consideration as a general manager as Philadelphia will likely have a tough time keeping him for long.
Weidl spent more than a decade with the Ravens in various scouting roles and is now Philadelphia’s assistant director of player personnel.
The Eagles will still be viewed as the underdog with backup quarterback Nick Foles under center in the NFC championship game, but there are a number of reasons for Ravens fans to pull for them next Sunday.
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