December 01, 2024
Tommy Gilligan/Imagn Images
Philadelphia is thankful for Saquon Barkley this holiday season.
The Eagles moved to 10-2 following a 24-19 win over the Ravens that wasn't even as close as that score indicates. In what was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview before the game, the matchup down in Baltimore should convince everyone, both locally and nationally, of the Eagles' championship bonafides.
Here are some choice thoughts and takeaways from the victory:
• When the Eagles return to Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday, they should play "Enter Sandman" before the fourth quarter starts. Like all-time great MLB closer Mariano Rivera, the song would signal that the NFL's ultimate finisher is getting ready to go.
Even on a day when his stats did not resemble the record-breaking pace he has set for himself in his first season in midnight green, Saquon Barkley was inevitable.
The Eagles toiled in the second half. They failed to take advantage of yet another elite performance from their defense and several uncharacteristic misses from future Hall of Fame kicker Justin Tucker. There were multiple three-and-outs when Baltimore was begging them to take control of the game. As things got settled in the fourth quarter, they finally took the Ravens up on that offer as Barkley punished them on the ground.
On the touchdown drive that had the Eagles take a commanding 21-12 lead in the fourth, Barkley ripped off 46 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown scamper that had "MVP" chants breaking out from the crowd in a road game. Maybe Lamar Jackson wins his third MVP award when the voting is said and done, but would that totally tell the tale of the 2024 NFL season? The story has been about Barkley and the revitalization of the running back market, as smart teams zigged after so many others zagged around the position for a decade.
It's not Thanksgiving anymore, but Saquon is still eating today 😮💨@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/iN0zg8Tnei
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 2, 2024
Barkley finished the game with 107 rushing yards. That gives him an NFL-best 1,499 on the year.
• The Eagles didn't make Baltimore pay enough in the soft middle of the field. A.J. Brown didn't have enough targets. That's on both Kellen Moore and Jalen Hurts, but both parties came to play once the fourth quarter rolled around. Credit where it's due for their early game faults. I'd say that you can't survive uneven starts like this, but the Eagles quite literally did that on the road against a veteran team with the reigning MVP and an offense operating at this level. This winning formula for the Eagles may be unfamiliar, but it's proven to be a consistent success over the last two months.
• I've struggled to come up with a comparison for Zack Baun this year. He's having the best linebacker campaign for the Eagles since the heyday of Jeremiah Trotter Sr. He's a guy on an All-Pro path in his age-28 season. Maybe it's not a player-to-player comp, but one thought a friend recently raised is this: he's reminiscent of a Pittsburgh Steeler. Not a single player, but the archetype. Baun's a hard-nosed, versatile physical player that a great defensive mind is maximizing in every role he's thrust in.
• How about Cooper DeJean just dropping Derrick Henry in the open field?
Say it with us...
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 2, 2024
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!@cdejean23 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/bDoLXiK59S
MORE: The pivotal plays from the Eagles' statement win over the Ravens
• What percentage of plays was Jalen Carter held on? 90 percent, perhaps? None of them were called, but Carter was still a game-wrecker, the best defensive player on the field who contorted the pocket and kept the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense and would-be MVP quarterback in check. They scored 12 points before some garbage-time stat-padding when their entire fan base was already in the parking lot.
• Much like Baun on a one-year deal, Milton Williams is in need of a contract extension as well. His pass-rushes aren't always showing up as sacks in the box score, but Williams is consistently creating havoc for opposing quarterbacks. He, along with a phenomenal performance from the Eagles' cast of defensive linemen, made life so much harder on Jackson than he's accustomed to.
• Third-round rookie Jalyx Hunt played more than he ever has on Sunday. It came as franchise legend Brandon Graham was lost for the season due to injury last week. Hunt had a half-sack on Jackson, giving him 1.5 on the year. It was noticeable this summer in limited camp reps that Hunt had some juice to his game. Despite his small-school background playing for Cornell and then Houston Christian in college, he has a restless motor that is clearly already translating to the next level. He's a player.
• The Eagles are 10-2 and things could not be better. The Eagles were 10-2 this time a year ago and things could've not fault worse. I've harped on it over the last two months, but the vibe shift can be credited to two figures most of all: Barkley and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Eagles changed everything with an A+ offseason.
• That was their best regular season win since... Dallas on Sunday Night Football in 2017?
MORE: The Eagles have a winning gameplan — when they stick to it
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