Eagles Lead Ravens at Halftime, Tanner McKee Impresses
After a bit of a rocky start, the Philadelphia Eagles caught their stride late in the second quarter during the first half of Saturday's preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium before taking a 13-10 lead headed into halftime.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hit a 60-yard field goal as time expired in the second half, which represented the highlight of the first half.
But the Ravens, who have won 23 straight preseason games, could now be in trouble of having their streak end if the Eagles keep momentum going in the second half.
Highlighted by a 14-yard run from quarterback Marcus Mariota on 3rd and 13 and a 22-yard run from D'Andre Swift a play later on the opening drive, the Eagles' QB2 got Philly into field-goal range out of the gates despite missing on a few intermediate throws. The pair of long runs helped set up kicker Jake Elliott for a 45-yard field goal to put the Eagles in front 3-0 after a 14-play drive.
The Eagles held the ball for nearly the entire first quarter, but only had a 3-0 lead to show for it after Elliott missed a 46-yard field goal at the end of the opening quarter following a 10-play drive.
Philly's defensive shutout didn't last long, as Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson found receiver Devin Duvernay for a seven-yard touchdown on third down to put Baltimore in front 7-3 at the start of the second quarter.
Mariota then took a seat and was replaced by rookie quarterback Tanner McKee, whose first pass was an impressive 27-yard deep ball down the left sideline to receiver Tyrie Cleveland. This allowed the Eagles to make their way into field-goal range, where Elliott got his third attempt of the half and hit from 49 yards out to cut the lead to 7-6.
After the Ravens went three-and-out, McKee led another scoring drive that ended with a two-yard plunge into the end zone by running back Trey Sermon to give Philly a 13-7 lead. A big 33-yard catch from receiver Johnny King got the Eagles out of a hole on 3rd and 11, which they eventually capitalized on.
On the ensuing possession, Tucker then hit his monstrous 60-yard field goal to cut Philly's lead to three.
The Ravens will receive the second-half kickoff.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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