Due the vagaries of out-of-state commitments and air travel scheduling, I won’t be watching the Ravens game live (though I will have it on the DVR).  This might be for the best.  A week after torturing ourselves with five quarters of blah, I can’t imagine many Eagles fans are fired up for this week’s game.  A foul miasma appears to be floating around this team, and it’s really taken the joy out of football season.

A game with the Ravens is probably the last thing the Eagles needed this week.  A tough, physical offense that wants to run the ball?  A highly rated defense that will feast on a weakened Brian Westbrook and a mentally fragile Donovan McNabb?  And the potential indignity of losing a game to a guy, John Harbaugh, that was an employee of the organization for the past 10 years?

Yeah, that doesn’t feel good.

Here’s to hope, then.  Here’s to hoping we see something different this week: some fire, some enthusiasm, some fight.  Here’s to hoping that Donovan McNabb can answer the bell and come up with something special.  Here’s to hoping someone on defense does something scary and psychotic, and puts some fear into the Ravens.

If not, well, the obituaries on the Reid-McNabb era that kicked off this week will grow in both font size and justification.  Those obituaries may be inevitable this season, but I’d prefer if we waited until January for them.

Final score: Eagles 20, Ravens 10.