August 15, 2026
Jamie Sabau/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Andy Dalton throws an incomplete pass. Probably.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens played a preseason game on Saturday night. We laughed. We cried. We saw a lot of punts. We're glad it's over. As always, we hand out 10 awards.
All throughout the spring and the early part of the summer, Nick Sirianni has insisted that Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee were co-QB2's. Well, in the first preseason game Sirianni had to start one of those two guys, and he chose Dalton.
Dalton is the QB2. He has consistently gotten more reps than McKee throughout the summer and he got the nod over McKee against the Ravens.
Dalton completed 3 of 6 passes for 20 yards, and the Eagles went three-and-out on all three of his series.
I don't get it. Dalton had some really bad tape last season. At this stage of his career he doesn't have a strong arm, and he's not a threat as a runner. When he has been at his best during camp, he has gotten the ball out quickly and on time, but physically, he's going to be 39 in October and there's no upside at all.
Whatever you may think of McKee — some fans like him more than others — he's better than Dalton.
McKee was 6 of 10 for 35 yards, and his four full drives ended in punts. So, while I believe he is a better player than Dalton at this stage of their respective careers, he wasn't really any better on Saturday night. (Both quarterbacks didn't get a lot of help from their receivers.)
By the time Cole Payton played, I imagine many of you had already turned the TV off. But Payton had a TD drive during which he had a few nice scrambles and found Erik Ezukanma in the back of the end zone after extending the play, avoiding a shutout.
You had to wait a long time for a sliver of entertainment, but Payton provided some late.
Jihaad Campbell played the first two defensive series. He was the only projected starter on offense or defense who played at all.
Marcus Epps is in a camp battle for the starting safety spot opposite Andrew Mukuba. And Mukuba is a second-year player, just like Campbell. Neither of those guys played, and Campbell did.
So that's interesting that the team felt that he needed some reps.
Throughout the first 11 practices of camp, one of the most fun players to watch has been Willie Lampkin, who is listed at 5'11, 290, but probably isn't even 5'11. When he lines up against huge defensive linemen, it looks like they should be able to just pick him up like a toddler and toss him out of the way.
But Lampkin has power, technique, and he uses his lack of height to gain leverage against much bigger opponents. He's also just a fierce competitor. Against the Ravens on a 3rd and 15, he anchored against Ravens DT Broderick Washington, and then continued to block him another 10 yards down the field before tossing him to the ground, lol. Via Ryan Fowler:
Very easy player to root for.
This time last year, Kelee Ringo was competing for a starting job, and he was getting roasted by Ja'Marr Chase in the Eagles' first preseason game.
This year, Ringo is just trying to stick on the roster, and he helped his cause with an INT in the back of the end zone.
Great play.
We should mention that the Eagles lost this game, I guess. The final was 24-7. The score wasn't as bad as the other stats.
The Ravens outgained the Eagles 440-159, and they had 31 first downs, while the Eagles only had 6.
For the first three and a half quarters, the Eagles ran just two plays on the Ravens' side of the field, and one of them was a punt.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, but man, what a bad showing overall by the Birds' backups.
Mann punted 8 times for 381 yards. I dunno, I'm just running out of ways to say that this game was bad and boring.
Games like these are often really ugly, but it's clearly the right approach to keep the starters safe for the regular season, especially with Nick Sirianni holding a 5-0 Week 1 record during his tenure.
So, what's next? Well, the Eagles have joint practices with the New England Patriots on Wednesday and Thursday. The Eagles value joint practices more than preseason games, because it allows them to play their starters in a more controlled environment.
And oh hey, that's the team the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to, so, you know, that'll be fun.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
