The Philadelphia Eagles have nothing to lose against the Ravens and a lot to gain

PHOTO: Eric Hartline/Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) find themselves in an unusual position on Sunday. Playing on the road against the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) is no game for them need to win for some specific reason.

If they win three of their last six games and the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks lose just once each, the Birds will have an NFC East title and home-court advantage at least through the NFC Championship Game.

It’s not a very challenging schedule either – a team with a seven-game winning streak should be able to beat teams like the Carolina Panthers (3-8), Dallas Cowboys (5-7) and New York Giants (2-10). beat ) at home. The Eagles aren’t exactly playing with house money, but they’re pretty close.

Of course they want to target the top seed. But at the moment that seems rather unattainable. Philadelphia needs to win all of its games and the 11-1 Detroit Lions will most likely lose twice. Instead of focusing on something that is out of their control, focus on what they are doing may Do: Acquire the second-best seed in the NFC.

Considering that the game ahead is objectively the most challenging ever, the Ravens are far from a must-beat opponent (especially since they’re out of conference). The Birds have nothing to lose and a lot to gain against one of the AFC’s best.

Barkley’s defining MVP game?

PHOTO: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

A few weeks ago, I looked at AJ Brown’s importance to the Eagles’ offense and argued that he deserves to at least be in people’s minds when they vote for MVP. I mean, him Is An integral part of the passing attack and far more valuable than most other star receivers. It’s no coincidence that the Birds are 8-0 with him in the lineup.

But that all happened before Saquon Barkley broke the Eagles’ single-game rushing record with 255 yards on the ground. He achieved an incredible rushing total with just 26 runs and two touchdowns. This led to an increase be MVP talks, and for good reason.

If Barkley maintains his rushing pace (126.55 rushing yards per game) over an entire season, he would break the NFL’s single-season rushing yards record by about 46. A sum once considered unbreakable by some could belong to a player whose former team (the Giants) let him test free agency just a few months ago. Plus, he could break the record against this team. It’s poetic justice.

However, let’s get to what we already know. Barkley has over 400 more rushing yards than any running back in the NFL who isn’t Derrick Henry (Henry himself has 67), despite playing just 11 games. No one gets closer than 15 meters to the Penn State graduate per game. This is MVP stuff.

Against Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson, this game could be a drastic turnaround. Jackson will try to join Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana and Jim Brown as the only players to win back-to-back MVP titles. The Baltimore QB is currently one of the top favorites.

Assuming the winner of this matchup is led by the excellence of Barkley or Jackson, one of the two could emerge as the MVP favorite as early as the end of the week. Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills may have something to say about this, but it’s hard to believe voters can’t be swayed a little. If Barkley continues his record-breaking pace and the Eagles become winners as a result, his chances of becoming the first non-quarterback MVP since 2012 are very good.

If the Eagles beat the Ravens, they can beat anyone

The individual successes are great, but the goal of this season is obvious. It’s neither a Super Bowl nor a bust, but no one would be happy with anything less. This team is championship caliber and wants to win Now. While this game doesn’t skyrocket their chances of winning in February, a win shows that the Eagles are theoretically capable of beating anyone.

An away win against a team that has the second-most wins since the start of the 2023 season is a major achievement. A win is far from necessary, but it can show that no environment bothers Philadelphia. Even an entertaining back-and-forth game proves that a team like the Lions won’t have a walk in the park heading to the Super Bowl.

Of course you want to win every week. But the outcome of the Eagles’ game against the Ravens doesn’t have much of an impact on them. The NFC’s second seed seems to be the most likely outcome for the Birds, as they don’t have anyone special breathing down their necks and the Lions have a nice cushion as the front-runner.

Even though Philadelphia doesn’t have much to lose, there is a lot to gain. A win will still make a big difference, even if it doesn’t change the league lead.

PHOTO: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images