By Brooks Kubena, Jeff Zrebiec and RJ Kraft
Saquon Barkley got the better of Derrick Henry in a matchup featuring the league’s top two running backs Sunday as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Baltimore Ravens 24-19.
Barkley’s 25-yard touchdown run with 7:56 left in the game put the Eagles up 21-12 and in command of the game. On the day, Barkley rushed for 107 yards, while Henry tallied 82 yards on the ground.
DON’T LET SAQUON GET HOT.
📺: #PHIvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/RxqsLUp7cc— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
This is Philadelphia’s eighth straight victory and leaves the Eagles (10-2) one behind the Detroit Lions for the top spot in the NFC. The Eagles are 2 1/2 games up in the NFC East on Washington.
The Ravens led 9-0 after the first quarter before the Eagles’ offense warmed up with two second quarter touchdowns — a 17-yard reception by Dallas Goedert and a Jalen Hurts touchdown run. Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker’s struggles continued as he missed three kicks on the day — two field goals and an extra-point attempt. It is the second game this year and sixth of his career in which Tucker has missed two field goals.
Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman left the game with a knee injury and Eagles safety Reed Blankenship left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. Philadelphia wide receiver DeVonta Smith was inactive and missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury.
In Week 14, the Eagles host the Carolina Panthers, while the Ravens (8-5) will have their bye week before a stretch of three games in 11 days. Baltimore is now two back in the loss column behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
GO DEEPER
NFL Week 13 takeaways: What should Ravens do with Justin Tucker? Have Eagles pulled even with Lions?
What a difference a year makes for Sirianni
This is the grittiest win yet for Philadelphia. It’s also the one that makes it most convincing that the Eagles are a true Super Bowl title contender. They started out sloppy. They were penalized six times in the first quarter. They trailed 9-0 after two Ravens possessions. The Eagles’ offense couldn’t find yardage no matter what personnel packages it deployed. But they didn’t panic. They settled in. They were supplied with outstanding field position by stellar special teams play.
The stars of their offense — Hurts, A.J. Brown and Barkley — eventually broke through while their sturdy defense silenced an AFC powerhouse. The Eagles have now won eight straight games. At this time last year, the team was crumbling. Coach Nick Sirianni deserves credit for keeping the hottest team in the NFL steady through on-field setbacks. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer
Ravens have to evaluate their kicking situation
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has defended Tucker all year, but the patience with the kicker is getting harder and harder to justify. Tucker walked off the field to boos in Baltimore for probably the first time in his career, when he sent a 53-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter wide right. Tucker also missed a 47 yarder earlier in the quarter and an extra-point attempt in the first quarter. It’s the first time Tucker has missed three kicks in a game in his career. The Ravens keep waiting for Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection who entered the season as the most accurate kicker in NFL history, to figure it out. But it’s not happening and it’s costing them games.
Harbaugh said after the loss that he has no plans to move on from Tucker. “I don’t think that would be wise,” Harbaugh said.
Tucker has now missed eight kicks and two extra-point tries on the season. Seven of the field goal misses have come in Baltimore losses. The Ravens treating Tucker with kid gloves makes sense, given how much he has meant to the franchise. But they can’t continue to lose games on missed field goals. The bye week would be a good time to evaluate their options at kicker. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Eagles’ defense flies high
Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman both wanted to restore swagger on the Eagles’ defense. Mission accomplished. Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith Jr. both recorded sacks. Zack Baun had a punt-forcing tackle for loss and split another sack with Jalyx Hunt. Tristin McCollum nearly picked off Lamar Jackson on a pass breakup that resulted in a turnover on downs. Cooper DeJean buried Henry on a third-and-11 tackle on the play that preceded McCollum’s defense. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit nearly pitched a second half shutout before allowing a touchdown with three seconds left. — Kubena
Don’t blame the Baltimore D
Barkley broke the Ravens’ back with a 25-yard touchdown run with just under eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Ravens got overrun in the fourth quarter, but this game wasn’t on Zach Orr’s much-maligned defense. The Ravens’ top-ranked offense was badly outplayed by Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense.
The Eagles applied constant pressure on Jackson. The Ravens quarterback held onto the ball too long even when he had time. The Ravens struggled on third downs (6-of-15) and when they crossed midfield. The Ravens aren’t going to beat a quality team by scoring 12 points and missing so many opportunities. — Zrebiec
Hurts-Brown connection gets Eagles going
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has said the team prides itself as an offense that can physically wear down a defense with the run game until it finally breaks through. Indeed, it did. Barkley’s fourth quarter touchdown run put the game away, but Hurts and Brown secured the initial lead via the passing game. Hurts was 4-of-5 passing for 53 yards on a second-quarter drive in which his touchdown gave the Eagles a 14-9 lead. Hurts targeted Brown three times on the drive.
Hurts finished the game 11-of-19 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown pass to Goedert. That’s modest yardage for a quarterback. But, without it, the Eagles offense would’ve been stuck in the snow. — Kubena
Required reading
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images )
