It appears as if Nick Sirianni took those shrill-inducing cries to run the ball to heart. The Eagles are riding the Saquon Barkley wave — and doing it willingly and dominantly. They rank No. 1 in rushing yards per game (193.4) and No. 25 in passing yards per game (195.7).
Meanwhile, Sirianni’s team leads the league in rushing attempts per game while ranking dead-last in passing attempts per game. The fans spoke; the franchise listened. Karma is harmonizing, in a way.
“Again, we’ll do anything we need to do to win the football game,” Sirianni told reporters on November 29. “I don’t look too much into that. We have the ability to throw it when we need to throw it, and we have the ability to run it when we need to run it. And that’s a good thing to have. He asked me a second ago about this game. Every game dictates something different. We’ll see how each game goes.”
Eagles vs. Ravens: 5 Key Players to Watch
1. CB Isaiah Rodgers:
With Darius Slay ruled out due to a concussion, Rodgers will draw the start on the outside. He’s played relatively well in nine appearances — 70.3 coverage grade, with opposing quarterbacks owning a 79.8 passer rating when throwing his way (via Pro Football Focus) — but does have a tendency to get beat on chunk plays. The Ravens will surely test Rodgers rather than throw at lock-down rookie Quinyon Mitchell.
2. RB Saquon Barkley:
Is picking the emerging NFL MVP favorite a cop out when picking a player to watch? Yeah, probably. Who cares. We are all witnessing history, plus the Eagles’ offense funnels through the best back in the league. He’ll start the rally via a 68-yard romp, then close the door with a 40-yard ankle-breaker. Barkley is flirting with 2,500 yards. He is the reason for the season.
3. LB Zack Baun:
Originally inked as a bargain-basement Bandaid, Baun had turned into a Gucci-styled tourniquet. That’s to say he’s solidified himself as one of the best players on the Eagles’ defense as evidenced by his 105 tackles, marked by game-changing plays. For example: his 4th-and-2 stop on Jayden Daniels. It’ll be up to him to spy perennial MVP contender Lamar Jackson. Contain and crush. Baun is on pace to easily surpass the 159 total tackles racked up by TJ Edwards in 2022.
4. WR Johnny Wilson:
The Eagles’ rookie skyscraper saw 51 snaps last week while DeVonta Smith sat out. He earned the third-most snaps among the skill players, trailing only AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert. While Wilson didn’t turn them into catches or yards, he’s carving out a bigger role every week. With Smith listed questionable on the injury report, he could be in for a breakout game as a trusted possession receiver. That is, if the Eagles need to throw it.
5. LB Jalyx Hunt:
Someone has to pick up the pass-rushing slack with Brandon Graham out for the year. Why not Jalyx Hunt? He has been inching his way into the rotation – minus an ankle injury that limited his snaps against Washington — but he definitely has Vic Fangio’s trust. Hunt was in on 42% of the defensive snaps vs. Dallas, then saw 38% of them against Los Angeles. The rookie linebacker from Houston Christian seems primed for a bigger workload. “We’ll find out,” Fangio said when asked about it. “He’s been getting better. He hurt his ankle two weeks ago against Washington.”
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
