BALTIMORE (AP) — Saquon Barkley vs. Derrick Henry was never supposed to be a head-to-head matchup.
“It ain't basketball. It ain't like I go out there and tackle Derrick Henry,” Barkley said. “To be honest, I don't know if I really want to tackle Derrick Henry.”
Fortunately for Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles have a whole squad of defensive players assigned the task of tackling Henry, and they did a good enough job of that Sunday. They also kept Lamar Jackson under control in a 24-19 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Eagles’ eighth win in a row.
The much-anticipated rushing battle between Barkley and Henry didn’t quite live up to expectations. A good fourth quarter pushed Barkley up to 107 yards rushing, including a 25-yard touchdown with 7:56 remaining. Henry produced 82 yards along with three catches for 29 yards.
While Barkley may have passed Jackson in the MVP race, the Philadelphia defense was the story. The Eagles' approach was exemplified by coach Nick Sirianni's response when someone asked how he thought his team did matching Baltimore's physicality.
“They had to match ours,” Sirianni said. “That was our message going in — that they got to match our physicality. Again, that's a very physical team, that's a well-coached team, that's a team with a lot of good players. But yeah, I'd like that question rephrased a little bit.”
Justin Tucker's nightmarish season continued for Baltimore. The star kicker missed two field goals and an extra point as the Ravens (8-5) fell 1 1/2 games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The NFC East-leading Eagles (10-2) rallied from an early 9-0 deficit with two second-quarter touchdowns, and although Tucker did make a 50-yard kick shortly before halftime, the Ravens didn't manage a point after that until the final seconds of the game.
“Couldn’t get any rhythm going,” coach John Harbaugh said. “In the second half, we really couldn’t finish.”
Down 14-12, the Ravens had the ball for most of the third quarter but couldn't score because Tucker — an all-time great at his position who has slipped badly this year — missed kicks of 47 and 53 yards.
“We’re just going to rally around him," Baltimore safety Ar'Darius Washington said. “We know he’s a great kicker. He’s probably the greatest of all time. Whatever he’s going through, we’re going to be there for him. He’s our guy.”
Barkley's touchdown finally put Philadelphia ahead 21-12. After a field goal pushed the lead to 12, Jackson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely with 3 seconds left.
Jackson fell to 23-2 against the NFC as a starter. He threw for 237 yards and ran for 79.
“The front just kept at it, that’s it. We didn’t keep a spy on him, we didn’t do anything extra,” Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean said.
This matchup pitted Baltimore's top-ranked offense against Philadelphia's No. 1-ranked defense. The Ravens had the upper hand early, thanks in part to six Eagles penalties in the first quarter. Jackson threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Mark Andrews to make it 9-0.
The second quarter belonged to the Eagles, however. Jalen Hurts threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, then scored on a 1-yard sneak in which he appeared to mishandle the snap before securing the ball and getting it to the goal line.
Andrews scored his 47th career touchdown, tying Baltimore's franchise record set by running back Jamal Lewis.
Philadelphia's Braden Mann had five of his punts downed inside the 20 and two inside the 10. The Eagles didn't get on the scoreboard until after a 58-yard punt by Mann pinned Baltimore at the 1, and then Philadelphia forced a three-and-out to give its offense the ball back near midfield.
The Eagles were without WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring). Philadelphia S Reed Blankenship left the game because of a concussion. Eagles WR Britain Covey left with a neck injury, and Goedert exited with a knee issue. ... Ravens S Kyle Hamilton went into the concussion protocol in the first quarter but was able to return. Baltimore lost WR Rashod Bateman to a knee issue and S Sanoussi Kane to a hamstring problem.
Eagles: Host Carolina next Sunday.
Ravens: After a bye, visit the New York Giants on Dec. 15.
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