The Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) will take the short trek down I-95 to visit the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) this Sunday in what could potentially be a Super Bowl preview as the two teams are among the top six favorites to make it to the big game come February. Both teams are coming off wins, with the Eagles being the hottest team in the league, winning seven in a row, thanks to their dominant 37-20 win against the Rams, while the Ravens came out on top in the “Harbaugh Bowl” as Baltimore beat the Los Angeles Chargers last week 30-23 on Monday night.
The top two leaders in rushing yards in Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry will be expected to get plenty of touches and will be huge factors in who wins this game. Let’s take a look at the five key matchups in this highly anticipated battle.
Eagles’ Pass Rush vs. Lamar Jackson
There aren’t many quarterbacks that brings the dynamic skillset that Lamar Jackson does on a weekly basis. He’s currently in the running for another MVP award with his 3,053 yards and 27 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He also has 599 yards rushing with three more scores, making him one of the most explosive playmakers in the league. The Eagles’ defense who has been sensational for nearly two months now, will need to contain and limit Jackson’s dual-threat ability.
That will be made much harder with Brandon Graham announcing after the win against the Rams last week that his season would be finished due to tearing his triceps, a huge blow to the Eagles’ defense as the ageless wonder was very productive this season, tied for third on the team with 3.5 sacks and tied for fourth on the team with six tackles for loss.
Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Zach Baun, Jalen Carter and Milton Williams will need to lead the pass rush and ensure that Jackson doesn’t break out of the pocket for big gains to extend drives.
Jalen Hurts vs. Ravens’ Pass Defense
Historically, the Ravens are known for their smashmouth, physical defenses being good against both the run and the pass. Half of that is true here in 2024. Baltimore has the second-best rush defense in the league, allowing just 77.9 yards per game this season and only 66.2 on their home field. However, they are one of the worst passing defenses in the league, ranking 31st, only ahead of Jacksonville, in yards allowed through the air, letting opposing teams pass for a healthy 277.7 per game, opposed to their 193.1 average in 2023.
This could very well be a game that Jalen Hurts will need to win with his arm. A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley prove to be a formidable trio in the passing game, and the Eagles are hoping DeVonta Smith can return from a hamstring injury which forced him to miss last week’s game against the Rams. However, the Eagles should not completely abandon the run as that’s what been the driving force during this impressive seven-game win streak, but don’t be surprised if the Eagles opt to air it out a bit more against a very poor Baltimore pass defense.
Eagles’ Offensive Line against Ravens’ Pass Rush
In order for Hurts to possibly win this game with his arm, it will be up to the men in the trenches protecting the Eagles’ quarterback against a productive pass rush that Baltimore has. The Ravens enter this week with the third-most sacks with 39. They have a trio of pass rushers who have wreaked havoc so far this year with outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy leading the way with eight sacks while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubike has five on the interior line.
Van Noy is questionable however, dealing with hamstring and neck injuries, while Oweh has been a menace over the last four games with seven QB hits during that stretch and has 36 pressures on the season, with more than half of them coming over the last three games.
The good news for the Eagles, is that they have two of the best tackles in the league according to PFF with left tackle Jordan Mailata leading the way as the top-rated tackle while right Lane Johnson sits 8th. That talented duo along with the rest of the offensive line will have one of their toughest tests of the season.
Saquon Barkley vs. Derrick Henry
It goes without saying that both defenses will need to try and limit the top two running backs in the NFL in this one. However, both teams will seemingly try to ground and pound their way to a victory on Sunday and whichever of the two has the bigger game, could be the determining factor in who wins.
How good have these two backs been in their first year with their new teams.
Barkley and Henry are first and second respectively in yards coming into this showdown, Barkley overtook Henry for rushing leader thanks to his historic performance in L.A. last week and now has 1,392 rushing yards while Henry is right behind him at 1,325. They are the only two running backs that have surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season. They also have combined for 23 rushing touchdowns (Barkley, 10, Henry, 13) with Henry having his 11-game touchdown streak come to an end last week in win over Los Angeles.
Both running backs will get ample of touches for good reason and it might come down to which back has 100+ yards to determine who wins this one.
A.J. Brown vs. Ravens’ Secondary
Brown has been one of the best acquisitions in the history of the franchise and even when the Eagles are shorthanded, like they potentially are for a second straight week with Smith dealing with the hamstring injury, “Swole Batman” comes to the rescue. Brown has put together yet another impressive season despite missing some time with an injury of his own. He’s coming off his second 100+ yard game in the last three, going for 109 yards on six catches while adding his fourth touchdown of the season in the win last week.
As we mentioned, the Ravens have a porous secondary and have allowed big plays frequently this season. Expect the same this week and expect another big game from Brown. Baltimore has allowed 17 touchdowns to receivers this season, the most in the NFL and the third-most receiving yards to wideouts a great recipe for Brown to feast on just after Thanksgiving.
The Eagles and Ravens square off at M&T Bank Stadium at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday as Philadelphia looks to make it eight straight wins.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
