The Baltimore Ravens have the second-stingiest run defense in the league behind the Minnesota Vikings (in terms of rushing yards allowed per game). They also are allowing a league-low 3.5 yards per carry. Yet, for a litany of reasons, from the Ravens building some big leads to teams wanting to attack Baltimore’s struggling pass defense, there’s still a sense that they haven’t been tested much in that area.
That will change Sunday afternoon when the Philadelphia Eagles, winners of seven in a row, arrive at M&T Bank Stadium with the best rushing attack in football — and the hottest running back in the league. The Eagles are the second team in NFL history with at least 150 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns in six consecutive games. During that span, Saquon Barkley is averaging 179.2 yards from scrimmage per game and has seven touchdowns.
“Where do you start with Saquon Barkley?” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He’s just a really hard guy to tackle. His vision is really good. … His ability to see from edge to edge and all the way across whenever there’s a gap that’s not defended, he can see it. Not only see it, but get to it. All of the other highlight stuff is there as well, but just his ability to make a defense pay for not being in the right spot is probably the thing that jumps out at me the most.”
The game features several intriguing subplots. The Ravens’ top-ranked offense against the league’s top-ranked defense. The league’s top two rushers (Barkley and Derrick Henry) sharing the field, along with three legitimate MVP candidates in Barkley, Henry and Lamar Jackson. The NFL’s top two rushing attacks setting the tone. The most critical matchup might be the Ravens’ ability to slow down Barkley and the Eagles running game.
The Ravens have held teams under 100 yards rushing in nine of 12 games this year. They haven’t allowed more than 125 yards on the ground in a game all season. But they haven’t faced a back like Barkley (who has rushed for a league-leading 1,392 yards), too many dual-threat quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts or an offensive line as stout as Philadelphia’s veteran group.
The last time the Eagles were held under 160 yards rushing in a game was Week 6.
“We’ve played a lot of good offensive lines this year, but we have the same mentality — try to take it to them,” said Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh. “We’re going to try to dictate it as much as we can and not let them do that.”
The Eagles have a number of weapons, starting with the dynamic Hurts, two standout wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and a quality tight end in Dallas Goedert. But for the Ravens, it will all start with containing Barkley.
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During game weeks, we’ll examine some of the storylines, matchups and questions the Ravens face heading into the contest. This week’s first-and-10:
1. If Sunday’s game becomes a shootout, it may take a while to materialize. Both teams have struggled offensively early in games. For the Eagles, it’s been a season-long problem. They are averaging a league-low 1.5 points per game in the first quarter. They didn’t score their first first-quarter points until Week 9. For the Ravens, it’s a more recent issue. They scored on their opening possession in each of their first five games. In seven games since, their first possession has resulted in four punts, an interception, a lost fumble and a turnover on downs. Their 48 first-quarter points are their fewest in any quarter by a wide margin, and Jackson admitted this week that the slow starts are a concern.
2. The Eagles are in the NFC, which means there is an obligation to point out that Jackson is 23-1 in his career against the NFC. It’s the best out-of-conference winning percentage by a quarterback in league history. In those starts, Jackson has thrown 40 touchdown passes with nine interceptions and run for nine scores. Vic Fangio’s defense blitzes on only 18.6 percent of opponent dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. This will be a game where Jackson can show his growth in seeing the field and reading defenses.
3. Nobody uses light boxes more than the Eagles, but that hasn’t stopped them from having one of the top run defenses in football. Philadelphia hasn’t allowed more than 100 yards rushing in a game since Week 4. It’s also been weeks since they faced a dynamic running game. A Henry-heavy game plan, similar to what the Ravens featured against the Los Angeles Chargers, another team that goes light in the box, would make a lot of sense.
4. Baltimore’s converted right guard Daniel Faalele, one of the team’s biggest question marks going into the season, has shown improvement after a rocky start. On Sunday, he’ll face one of his biggest tests. Eagles second-year pro Jalen Carter has become one of the league’s most disruptive interior defensive linemen. This season, he has 3 1/2 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss and a forced fumble. According to Pro Football Focus, Carter has lined up at the left defensive tackle spot on 389 snaps. That would put him opposite Faalele. Expect Carter, the ninth overall pick in 2023, to see double-teams.
5. The Ravens have been using Kyle Hamilton primarily as a deep safety the past two games, but it will be interesting to see whether that continues Sunday. It has to be pretty tempting for Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr to get Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage as often as possible. He’s one of the team’s best and most physical tacklers, and getting him forward could be part of the plan to deal with Barkley and Hurts running the ball. Of course, the ability to take away deep shots to Brown and company will also be a priority on the back end. Brown is averaging 13 yards per target this season.
6. Harbaugh and Fangio probably won’t be exchanging holiday greetings before the game. Fangio was on Harbaugh’s first coaching staff in Baltimore and then coached with John’s brother, Jim, at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers. So it took Harbaugh by surprise when Fangio, then the Denver Broncos head coach, blasted him after the Ravens opted to run a play, rather than take a knee, in the final seconds of Baltimore’s 16-point victory over Denver in 2021. Harbaugh wanted to extend the Ravens’ streak of 100-yard rushing games. An irate Fangio said the Broncos expected it because “that’s their mode of operation there. Player safety is secondary.” Harbaugh responded by saying that he wouldn’t give the criticism “one second of thought.” The Ravens faced Fangio’s Miami Dolphins defense last year and put up 56 points. That included backup quarterback Tyler Huntley’s touchdown pass to Charlie Kolar with 2:28 to go in a game Baltimore led by 30.
7. The Ravens wanted a cornerback in the first round of the 2024 draft, and when they were on the clock at No. 30, they had the choice of two they liked: Clemson’s Nate Wiggins and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. The Ravens went with Wiggins, and he hasn’t disappointed. He leads all rookies with 10 pass breakups to go with 21 tackles and a forced fumble. He has allowed 22 receptions on 45 targets. His role in an evolving Ravens secondary is growing. The Eagles, meanwhile, are thrilled with how things worked out for them. They got Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at No. 22 and then traded up for the No. 40 pick to select DeJean. Both have been high-impact players. The two rookies are major reasons why the Eagles have one of the best pass defenses in football.
8. The Ravens did their own version of the “tush push” in Monday’s victory over the Chargers as tight end Mark Andrews took a direct snap on fourth-and-1 and surged forward with Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard pushing him from behind. The Eagles, however, are in a league of their own in terms of their efficiency on the play despite the retirement of center Jason Kelce. Harbaugh said the Ravens have studied the play and will have a plan for defending it. The plan should focus on not allowing many third- and fourth-and-shorts because the Eagles have been almost automatic.
9. Could this be the week the Ravens make a game-changing play on special teams? It certainly would be helpful, as would the Ravens avoiding special teams penalties that force their offense to start deep in their own territory. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has had similar problems as Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, missing all four of his kicks from 50-plus. This week’s special teams matchup features father versus son. Ravens senior special teams coach and kicking guru Randy Brown’s son, Tyler, is an assistant special teams coach with the Eagles. Brown’s daughter, Ryan, will sing the national anthem before the game.
10. The Ravens’ one big decision before Saturday’s 4 p.m. roster deadline is whether to activate nose tackle Michael Pierce to the 53-man roster. Pierce, who has missed the last four games with a calf injury, returned to practice this week and is in the middle of a 21-day practice window. Harbaugh said Pierce has a legitimate chance to play, and the big nose tackle would be a welcome addition against the league’s best running attack. The Ravens can open a roster spot by putting Kolar, who has a broken forearm, on injured reserve. If Pierce isn’t ready, the Ravens will probably have to move nose tackle Josh Tupou from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Tupou is out of practice squad elevations. It seems highly unlikely that the Ravens would go thin along the defensive line against a team that leads the league in rushing attempts.
Prediction
Eagles 30, Ravens 24
It’s probably foolish to pick against Jackson against an NFC team these days, but it’s more a reflection of how well the Eagles are playing than a statement about the Ravens. This is an Eagles team that can beat you in myriad ways on both sides of the ball. When it comes down to it, the Eagles offensive line and defense are much easier to trust than the Ravens offensive line and defense. This one will likely go down to the wire, but the bet here is that it’s the Eagles making the big plays late.
(Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
