Zack Baun on Eagles' defense: 'We've been underdogs for a long time'

Zack Baun and the Eagles' defense had just held the Baltimore Ravens to 19 points.

They had gotten to star quarterback Lamar Jackson three times for the sack, and despite still running for 82 yards, they stood up to the Ravens' MVP-caliber running back Derrick Henry repeatedly and kept him under control. Baltimore, one of the NFL's best offenses, could only manage two touchdowns, with the latter of them only getting scored at the last second in garbage time, when there was nothing else the Ravens could do.

Baun was all over them, so was his linebacking partner Nakobe Dean, and up front, Jalyx Hunt, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Nolan Smith, and absolutely Jalen Carter – to the point where the second-year defensive tackle was getting either held or double-teamed or both every other play, yet still caused constant chaos at the line anyway.

In the face of what was billed as their toughest matchup all season, the Eagles' defense dominated in the 24-19 win on Sunday down in Baltimore.

Then, at his locker postgame, Baun, a one-year depth signing who ended up a total revelation for the team at linebacker instead, described his teammates with the one word Philadelphia loves to hear.

"I think a lot of guys in this defense and this team have been underdogs for a long time," Baun said. "Having that chip on their shoulder – I know have, I know Nakobe has, and a lot of these linebackers are. [We're] just playing aggressive. We want to grind on teams, we want to wear them out, and that's what we did."

And maybe the term is fitting, for Baun especially.

In his four seasons prior with New Orleans, Baun has never played this well or in this big of a role. He was a specialized pass rusher, and had only ever been to the playoffs once – his rookie year in 2020, Baun recalled, when he was just a special teamer and the Saints were out after the divisional round.

But here in Philadelphia, under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's watch, he's broken out into a suffocating off-ball linebacker – possibly even an All-Pro one by the time it's all said and done – and is well on his way back with the Eagles now standing at 10-2 and all but assured a postseason spot.

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Baun leads the Eagles in tackles with 118 (with an also team-leading 74 solo ones) through 12 games, and as of Monday morning, he's the top-rated linebacker in the NFL per Pro Football Focus with an 89.6 defensive grade – above San Francisco's Fred Warner (88.4) and Washington's Bobby Wagner (83.7).

On Sunday against the Ravens, his 13 tackles led the afternoon, with some of those being made in crucial scenarios, like on a Baltimore 3rd and 2 late into the first half.

The Eagles were on the board, but trailing 9-7 with the Ravens trying to feed the ball to Henry to sustain the tempo. Looking for the first down, Baltimore ran a counter to have their power runner cut out wide left on the handoff to take the couple of yards needed and then maybe more, but Baun was barreling down on the snap immediately, gunning right through the blockers and straight to Henry in the backfield for a loss of yards and a drive stopped dead in its track.

In the third quarter, when the Eagles were holding a narrow two-point lead but had Baltimore with the ball at their own 15 on another third down, Baun blitzed and tossed aside Ravens running back Justice Hill, who stood no chance as a blocker. Hunt, as the defensive end, pushed out of his block and around the corner, sending both pass rushers storming toward a backpedaling Jackson way out of the pocket.

Jackson ended up 14 yards backward once Baun and Hunt closed in to bring him down for the combined sack, forcing a fourth down and a field-goal try from 47 yards away that Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker missed to keep the Eagles ahead.

Then there were all the smaller plays that kept any potential damage to a minimum, like the run below where Baun and Dean both plugged up the hole at the line to leave Hill with nowhere to go.

That added up.

"Just staying sound in our keys," Baun said of how the Eagles' defense kept the Ravens in check. "We knew it was going to be a tough, gritty game, and that's what we made it. That's what we like."

That's the call of an underdog, the call of a player who was supposed to be insurance for a long-time position of weakness but instead clicked into becoming the best linebacker the Eagles have had in years, and the call of an identity that Philadelphia needs no convincing to rally itself around – the dog masks have always been at the ready since 2018.

"Our identity is physical," Baun said. "If you're going to challenge that then we're going to show up and be more physical."

Zack Baun on Eagles' defense: 'We've been underdogs for a long time'

Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, and an Eagles defense full of names with chips on their shoulder held a juggernaut Ravens offense to just 19 points in Sunday's statement win.

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