BALTIMORE — If Jalen Hurts subscribed to a philosophy, it’d be stoicism. He essentially preaches it in every huddle, with a stern stare. Remove thyself from all emotion, ye who play this game. Remember that thine only play is the next one. Doeth not what thy nerves and chemicals urge from within but only what thou must — and do it well!
If only these Philadelphia Eagles could be so inhuman. If only they could stomach the adrenaline stirring in their guts. If only they could silence the hollers and “M-V-P” chants their traveling fans hurled down on them during yet another convincing win sealed by Saquon Barkley. If only they could numb themselves from the momentum that pushed them through a come-from-behind, 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens, the latest NFL powerhouse to fall to a formidable franchise that’s now won its eighth straight game.
Only then might these 10-2 Eagles be completely detached from the 10-2 Eagles that collapsed a year ago. As it is, only the notion of being human binds these elated Eagles to the frustrated ones who couldn’t get out of their own heads. But, as Hurts might argue, their emotions are only symptoms of the system that’s actually surging them along. They are a Super Bowl-caliber roster reincarnated, coached by a veteran staff whose game plans are summoned from years of schematic tinkery. They are a brawny and blustery bunch of All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and high-profile draft picks strong-arming even their toughest opponents into consistent submission.
Hurts might call that consistency momentum — if only he believed in it.
“It’s a facade,” Hurts said Sunday. “It can begin and end at any moment.”
Like at the game’s beginning. Like when an Eagles offense devoid of DeVonta Smith due to a hamstring injury failed to cross midfield while punting on each of their first four drives. Like how Hurts fired passes out of four different offensive packages, incapable of finding an open receiver. Like how Lamar Jackson seized Philadelphia’s futility and punished a penalty-riddled Eagles team with two first-quarter drives that supplied the Ravens a 9-0 lead.
GO DEEPER
Barkley outplays Henry as Eagles beat Ravens 24-19: Takeaways
Incompetence appeared to be an early impetus to destruction. The Eagles doubled their season-high in first-quarter penalties by getting flagged six times for 45 yards. An A.J. Brown false start killed their second drive. Two Barkley touches provoked a third-and-7 in which second tight end Grant Calcaterra was brought inside for extra protection. Hurts was still sacked. The Eagles punted again.
And again.
And again.
Then Sydney Brown downed Braden Mann’s fourth punt at Baltimore’s 1. Was that momentum shifting? Or was that just circumstances finally favoring the better team at the right moment? Because an Eagles unit that entered the weekend the NFL’s sixth-ranked scoring defense (18.1 points allowed per game) began to throttle the Ravens. Jalen Carter crushed Jackson as he completed a 5-yard pass to Mark Andrews, who was taken down by Reed Blankenship and Nakobe Dean. Jordan Davis blew through the line and averted the AFC’s leading rusher, Derrick Henry, straight into Dean for no gain. Then Jackson rushed a third-down throw that fell short of Zay Flowers. The Ravens punted.
By then, snow started falling. Nature herself was trying to make people believe in momentum. This was Baltimore, by god. This was where thunderous names like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed hung in the Ravens’ Ring of Honor. This is where a franchise synonymous with destructive defense waged war against hapless offenses in the dead of winter. But Eagles coach Nick Sirianni attacked that belief, too. He preached to his players all week that it was the Ravens who’d need to match their physicality.
Saquon Barkley had his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season against the Ravens. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
Henry, who’d averaged 110.4 yards per game, more than anyone other than Barkley, was limited to 82 yards on 19 carries — 65 yards through three quarters. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun swallowed Henry for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-2 run in the second quarter. Later, in the second half, nickel safety Cooper DeJean — a rookie listed at 6-foot, 198 pounds — wrapped up Henry, picked the 6-2, 247-pound running back up and drove him into the ground. DeJean began fanning himself. The entire defense joined along. Were they heating up? Or were they the fire?
Say it with us…
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!@cdejean23 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/bDoLXiK59S— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 2, 2024
“Our identity is physical,” Baun said. “If you’re going to challenge that, then we’re going to show up and be more physical.”
Play by play, as Hurts would say. Momentum be damned. Did it improve a then-sputtering offense that a Ravens three-and-out after Mann pinned them at their 1 led to the Eagles’ best field position yet? Or was it just a weapon-heavy unit that finally had an advantageous aim? Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore ditched the two-tight end packages that cost them downfield options. They instead spread the Ravens defense out with three receivers. They turned to the zone-read game. Hurts gained eight yards on a keeper to the Baltimore 26. Two plays later, Hurts struck Goedert on a well-designed pick route in which Brown freed up the sideline on a quick reception Goedert turned into a 17-yard score.
Was there at least a rhythm? The Ravens punted again.
Was there a sense of propulsion? Hurts immediately fired a pass into the middle of the field, into a fray of several defenders, but it struck Brown for a 15-yard gain. Hurts was 4-of-5 passing for 53 yards on that drive, which he punctuated with a 1-yard Brotherly Shove score. He hit Brown three times for 44 yards within that sequence. But he said he’d had no conversation with Moore or anyone about changing the plan entering the drive.
“You know who A.J. is,” said Hurts, who finished 11-of-19 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown. (Brown had five catches for 66 yards). “He’s a helluva player. He’s been that. And any time he has the ball in his hands, he has the opportunity to make a play.”
So does Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP was mauled for the majority of his final three quarters. Nolan Smith sacked him to trouble a second-quarter drive. Jalen Carter backed the Ravens out of the Eagles’ red zone with a sack later that half. Baun and Jalyx Hunt split a sack to end another in the third. Jackson entered the weekend leading all quarterbacks in rushing (599 yards, three touchdowns) and was limited to 40 yards on seven carries — until he gained 39 yards on a scramble during a meaningless final drive. Jackson spent most of his time searching for downfield options. He completed 23-of-36 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He’d tell reporters his mother cussed him out after the game for not taking off more as a runner.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s game plan kept Jackson contained. Philadelphia often deployed a base front with three interior linemen who consistently got pressure against one of the NFL’s better offensive lines. The Ravens had to settle for field goals four times. Justin Tucker, a five-time All-Pro kicker, only made two of the attempts (and missed a point-after try). Tucker missed 47- and 53-yard attempts in the third quarter. Both would’ve given the Ravens the lead. Instead, the Eagles remained ahead 14-12.
It was then a Philadelphia offense that prides itself on wearing down its opponents with its run game broke through. Barkley burst into the open field behind pulling tackle Jordan Mailata for a 25-yard touchdown that put the game away at 21-12 with 8:04 left in the game. Barkley finished with 23 carries for 107 yards and the score. It was his eighth 100-yard game of the season.
If the Eagles felt the thrum of their heartbeats after the final whistle ended, they might have a sense of who they are and where they may be going. If a smiling Roseman, awaiting at the locker room door, elicited any reactionary emotion, it just might actually be positive. If they absorbed the Michael Jackson lyrics that blared through their postgame scenery — Don’t stop til’ you get enough — they might just be compelled to push themselves even further.
But that, of course, would require momentum. And, if you believe Hurts, their destination will arrive anyway.
“I’ve said this and I stand on it: There’s no moment when we’re going to arrive,” Hurts said. “It’s just a matter of just embracing your journey of growth, being wise and being able to learn from our mistakes, learn from our good moments and our successes and being able to properly assess them.”
(Top photo of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
