Eagles, Saquon Barkley grind out a 24-19 victory over Ravens as their winning streak hits eight
Published in Football
BALTIMORE — As the stakes rise and the playoff picture comes more clearly into picture, the Philadelphia Eagles are surging at the right time.
An early deficit borne out of a sluggish offensive start wasn’t enough to trouble them en route to a statement 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Now 10-2, the Eagles’ eighth straight victory may have been their most convincing considering the quality of opponent. Either way, the Eagles enter Week 14 still one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC standings and 2.5 games ahead of the Washington Commanders in the NFC East.
Here’s our instant analysis:
Applying pressure
Instead of succumbing to the pressure of replacing Brandon Graham’s production against the No. 1 offense in the NFL, the Eagles defense applied it instead.
The new-look rotation of edge rushers led by Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt did well in the first game without Graham sustaining things. The defense held Baltimore, a group that ranked first in total offense and second in total scoring going into the weekend, mostly in check following a shaky opening series.
Baltimore finished with 372 total yards, but managed just two trips to the red zone in 11 opportunities. They also had just two touchdown drives, one coming in the final moments of the game with the score out of reach.
Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson finished 23 for 36 for 237 yards while his imposing backfield mate Derrick Henry had just 82 yards on 19 carries. Although Baltimore dominated the time of possession and outgained the Eagles in total yardage, the defense made enough timely plays to keep the Ravens out of the end zone partially thanks to the pass rush.
Smith kicked things off in the second quarter, beating Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten around the edge and sacking Jackson for the defense’s first of the game. One quarter later, Hunt got past Baltimore left tackle Ronnie Stanley to combine with Eagles linebacker Zack Baun for another sack.
Smith’s sack puts him at 4.5 on the season, now surpassing Graham one week after the veteran defensive end suffered a season-ending triceps injury that left the Eagles thin on the edge. Chuck Harris, a mid-week waiver claim who joined the team on Wednesday, played sparingly despite being active for the game. Instead, Smith and Hunt saw the biggest increase in snaps.
Baun wasn’t the only Eagles defender to contribute to the pass rush at times. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter generated pressure a handful of times even when working against double teams on the interior line. Carter finished with a team-high three tackles for losses, two quarterback hits and one sack.
Tale of two quarters
The Eagles offense’s first-half performance was somewhat indicative of the way the season has gone with a shaky start giving way to an emphatic response.
After managing just 22 net yards in the first quarter, the Eagles put together consecutive touchdown drives in the second quarter that amassed 49 and 73 yards, respectively. The first ended with Jalen Hurts finding Dallas Goedert open in the flat on a run-pass option from 17 yards out. The second touchdown, which gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, came on a quarterback sneak that required Hurts to recover a botched snap exchange before reaching over the goal line.
Hurts started the game with four incomplete passes in his first five attempts in the first quarter, but completed eight of his next nine attempts for 99 yards and the touchdown to Goedert. Five of those completions went to A.J. Brown, who consistently found space in the intermediate level of the field on deep digs and slant routes that required timing and anticipation from Hurts to find the soft spots between Baltimore’s zone coverages.
Facing a Ravens defense that went into the game ranked No. 1 in rushing yards per attempt allowed by 24th against the pass, the Eagles used a more balanced offensive approach than they have prior weeks. Saquon Barkley entered the fourth quarter with just 11 carries compared to Hurts’ 17 dropbacks. Hurts finished 11 for 19 for 173 yards and one touchdown with an additional 30 yards and another score. Barkley had 23 carries for 107 yards, good for his eighth game surpassing the 100-yard mark on the season.
Fourth-quarter offense
The Eagles’ offensive output wasn’t too dissimilar in the second half, with the group’s only two drives of the third quarter ending in a punt before Hurts led a decisive scoring drive to open the fourth quarter.
Hurts found Goedert on a shallow crossing route using the team’s often-favored mesh concept to convert on a pivotal third-and-7. Three plays later, Saquon Barkley broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a nine-point advantage midway through the third quarter.
The offense continued moving the chains for a crucial four-minute drive, forcing Baltimore to use all three of its timeouts, chewing over five minutes off the clock before sending Jake Elliott out to make a 35-yard field goal.
Tucker’s terrors
A few weeks after Elliott’s uncharacteristically poor evening left points on the board for the Eagles, they were the ones benefiting from one of the league’s most well-regarded kickers going through a slump on Sunday.
Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker, a five-time All-Pro, left seven points on the board Sunday, missing a 47-yard field goal, a 53-yarder, and an extra point with the game hanging in the balance. Tucker, who did hit field goals from 34 and 50 yards for the Ravens, is now up to eight missed field goals this season and is on pace to record the worst make percentage of his career by a wide margin.
Injuries
The Eagles lost their second member of the secondary to a concussion in as many weeks, with Reed Blankenship leaving late in the third quarter.
Tristin McCollum replaced Blankenship at safety opposite C.J. Gardner-Johnson, working behind a cornerback pairing that already featured Isaiah Rodgers in place of Darius Slay, who is also in the concussion protocol after leaving last Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Goedert also left with a knee injury and didn’t return to the game. The Eagles listed him a questionable late in the fourth quarter. Quinyon Mitchell also had an injury scare in the game, but returned after missing a few plays midway through the third quarter.
____
©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Comments