The Eagles make a big statement by defeating the Ravens 24-19 in Baltimore – Philly Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles took the short bus ride to Baltimore for what many believed would be a preview of the Super Bowl, and despite all the hype, the game lived up to expectations.

The Eagles were 3-point underdogs, partly because they were on the road and mostly because Lamar Jackson is an astonishing 23-1 against NFC teams in his career. None of that mattered today!

In a game that featured the NFL’s two best running backs, the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley took over the fourth quarter and could be on his way to being named the league’s MVP.

First half

The Ravens won the toss and pushed back to challenge the Eagles to score their first touchdown of the season in the first quarter.

On the first drive, the Eagles started with a 12-yard run by Saquon Barkley and tried to establish their O-line dominance early. Two incomplete passes to Parris Campbel and Britain Covey and a rare Will Shipley run followed; The ride ended to continue her early gambling problems.

The Eagles’ defense applied a lot of pressure during the Raven’s first possession, but couldn’t get to Lamar, who broke free from two would-be sackers and hit Zay Flowers for a big 40-yard gain to get the Ravens into the red zone to bring first possession. Jalen Carter finished the drive with a huge TFL to force the Ravens into a 34-yard field goal.

The second series was similar to the first, the Eagles and Jalen Hurts had two more incompletions and went three out. The Ravens again moved the ball easily behind Derrick Henry’s legs and Lamar’s agility, and the drive ended with a 14-yard TD pass to Mark Andrews.

The first quarter ended 9-0 Ravens after a missed PAT. They moved the ball 123 yards, just 22 yards for the Eagles. Philly couldn’t get anything going offensively. They also started the game with sloppy play, committing six penalties, including three on special teams. That can’t happen for a team that’s already struggling to score points in the first quarter.

The Eagles’ offense began the second quarter by getting the ball to AJ Brown on a slant for 13 yards, but the drive ended three plays later. The series ended with a beautiful punt by Braden Mann at the Baltimore one-yard line. The defense took advantage of the Ravens’ running back and forced a three-and-out, giving the Eagles excellent field position at the Baltimore 49.

The offense came alive when they got the ball back. The Birds moved the ball 49 yards with a nice mix of ball access to the receivers and Saquon’s rush. Jalen Hurts connected with Dallas Goedert for a 17-yard touchdown. You could see the sideline erupting, and at that score it seemed like it was a new ball game.

The defense was on top of its game and created an immediate three-pointer, including a huge TFL from Zack Baun. The offense had the ball back in no time.

The first three passes of the ensuing drive went to AJ Brown after the quick change of possession. The Eagles moved the ball methodically down the field, including a 12-yard quarterback draw that brought the ball to the 6-inch yard. This was followed by the brotherly shove for a touchdown and the lead. The Eagles took a 14-9 lead after two minutes.

The Ravens got the ball to the Eagles’ 23-yard line, but that drive failed after a sack by Jalen Carter forced a 50-yard field goal, bringing the game to 14-12 at halftime.

Leaning on Lamar Jackson’s legs, the Ravens escaped pressure and extended plays to make plays down the field with his arm. He finished the half with 11 completions for 140 yards and a touchdown.

After trailing TOP by 10 minutes after the first quarter, the Eagles found their rhythm and ended the half at the same time as Baltimore.

This was another game with a slow start saved by a hot streak. AJ Brown finished the half with 66 yards on five receptions and Saquon Barkley had 10 carries for 45 yards.

Jalen Hurts went 8 of 9 for 99 yards in the second quarter and scored two touchdowns on three runs for 18 yards, one through the air and one on the ground.

The Eagles’ zone defense has struggled against opposing offenses a few times on its first two drives this season, and the offense is the worst team in the NFL on its first two drives (expected points added) and the best team in the league, according to the EPA Rest of the game.

Eagles & Saquon explode in second half

The Ravens came out of halftime with a nice drive that was stopped by Zack Baun’s sack on third down, forcing Justin Tucker’s third FG attempt of the night that went wide left.

The Eagles went out three times and returned a punt that was ruled a fumble but was recovered by the Ravens. They fixed another mistake on the same drive, this time from Lamar Jackson, and once again fixed their own mistake. Baltimore got the ball to the Eagles’ 30-yard line, aided by a fourth-and-1 from their side of the field, but their kicker again missed wide right this time.

The Eagles took the lead with 37 points, but the team resembled the first quarter offense more than the second quarter offense that scored 14 points. The ride ended with another threesome. Braden Mann continued his good day by placing another nice punt at the Baltimore five-yard line. The score in the third quarter ended the same as the half. Baltimore had 88 yards and Philadelphia had 3 yards with zero first downs.

The passing game was effective when the offense was executing RPOs and running moves in the middle of the field. They left the entire neighborhood. Baltimore began the fourth quarter with a drive from the five-yard line. Mark Andrews was the preferred receiver on this drive, as he was for most of the game.

The Eagles started their first drive of the fourth quarter from the 29-yard line and returned to some playmaking that was sorely missed in the previous period. The Eagles’ pass protection was tested, but the running game began to wear out on the Ravens’ D-line and Saquon began pounding down the field and then ran for a long 25-yard run to tie the game at 21 :2 to make it a two-point game. 12. The Eagles’ loyal fans in the cold stands in Baltimore began chanting “MVP.”

The Eagles’ defense forced a change of possession with a 4th down on the Raven’s next possession, and when the Eagles got the ball back they began to run down the clock. Baltimore countered with timeouts, but Philadelphia made too many first downs for them to continue. The Eagles worked until 1:15 left in the game before Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal.

The Fangio-led defense held Baltimore to three points after the first quarter until giving up a touchdown with three seconds left to make the final score 24-19.

Final thoughts

The turning point came when the offense began targeting AJ Brown in the middle of the field and Jalen Hurts went six for six in the game. RPOs were also used in the crime. They need to start games with more of these play calls instead of passing plays with great depth of destination routes.

The Eagles’ running game, fueled by a punishing offensive line, wears you down the entire game, and in the fourth quarter it becomes too much for the opposing defense to keep going and keep up.

Saquon Barkley ran for more yards than any other running back against the Ravens this season. Chase Brown previously had the most rushing yards against him with 88, but that was in two games! Barkley ran for 62 yards in the fourth quarter and had 107 yards on 23 carries.

Justin Tucker missed three kicks in that game, costing Baltimore seven points.

The offense managed 141 yards and the defense, Derrick Henry, had 82 rushing yards. They are undefeated if he rushes for 90 or more yards. The Eagles defense is the second team to hold the Ravens offense under 20 points.

Player calls

Dallas Goedert was targeted four times and got the offense going with a huge touchdown grab.

Jalen Carter is a game destroyer. He had four tackles, one sack and an incredible three TFLs! He could be the best defensive tackle in the league.

Zack Baun was everywhere. He played many great games in an Eagles jersey, but when they needed a strong linebacker in a game, he showed by leading the team in tackles with 13, including a TFL.

Nakobe Dean also shone with ten tackles and played well all evening.

Quinyon Mitchell had a solid game and is a solid tackler. He doesn’t allow any yards after the catch. His side of the field is rarely tested.

Cooper DeJean drove Derrick Henry to the ground on a third down stop that has to be seen to be believed. The newbie is fearless!

Isaiah Rodgers had a fantastic stop on a Lamar tackle that will go unnoticed since Baltimore was on 4th-and-1, but it was an incredible play.

Braden Mann’s punting throw (2 inside the five) made the difference in this game.

Next week

The Eagles look to keep the good times going next week when they host the struggling Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, December 8th at 1:00 p.m. This is not a game the Eagles can overlook as the Panthers played better despite their record.

As always: thanks for reading!

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Mandatory attribution: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images