OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Derrick Henry makes his presence felt with a stiff-arm — sometimes more than one on a single play.
Saquon Barkley provided perhaps the highlight of the year in the NFL: He hurdled a defender backward in a game against Jacksonville a few weeks ago.
Henry and Barkley are leading a renaissance of sorts for featured running backs, and now the sport's top two rushing stars go head to head when the Baltimore Ravens host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. With more than 1,300 yards apiece on the ground, those two are even stealing headlines from Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts entering this matchup.
“Obviously, both great football players,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "A lot of respect for Derrick Henry. ... He's able to hit a home run and make you pay if not everybody is on the same page, if you're not tackling well, if you're not getting off blocks well, if you're not hustling to the football.
“So that part of it reminds you of Saquon because it's similar.”
The Ravens (8-4) and Eagles (9-2) signed Henry and Barkley as free agents last offseason. At a time when running backs are considered more and more interchangeable, these two still stand out.
Barkley rushed for 255 yards as the Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. Then Henry ran for 140 the following night in Baltimore's victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 yards rushing, just ahead of Henry's 1,325.
This is the first-ever matchup between two 1,300-yard rushers this early in the season.
“I knew Saquon from high school. We were in the All-Star game together. He jumped over somebody’s head, so I pretty much (saw) him before I even got to the league,” Jackson said. “With Derrick Henry — King Henry — I’m with him every day, and I’m seeing what he’s capable of, so it’s going to be a great matchup.”
This game pits the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense (Baltimore) against the top-ranked defense (Philadelphia). The Eagles and Ravens are also ranked 1-2 in rushing. Baltimore has the No. 2-ranked rushing defense.
“It’s a challenge for us, a challenge for our run defense — yes — because they do it with their offensive line, they do it with their back, they also do it with their scheme — which the quarterback is a part of, too,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "And they can throw off the runs. So, there’s a lot going on there.”
The running backs are receiving a lot of attention for good reason, but both these teams can move the ball through the air. Jackson is No. 1 in the league in passer rating, yards passing and touchdown-to-interception differential. Hurts' passer rating of 102.3 so far is the best of his career.
Jackson is 23-1 in his career against NFC teams.
The Eagles lost the heart of the team when defensive end Brandon Graham announced after the game that he was out for the season with a torn triceps. He said previously this would be his final season.
Even at 36, Graham was still producing at a Pro Bowl level. He was among the team leaders in snaps played and had 3 1/2 sacks this season, his 15th with the Eagles.
“I hate losing him for a lot of reasons. One, it might be his last year. Two, his leadership,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Most importantly, he was playing really good, and guys playing really good are hard to replace.”
After opening the season in Brazil, and road games at stops ranging from Los Angeles to Tampa Bay, the Eagles have a short bus ride to Baltimore before they play four of their final five games at home. The only other road game is another bus ride to play the New York Giants.
“At this time of the year, it’s a benefit. There’s no doubt,” Sirianni said. “To be in Philadelphia where you have these close teams next to you that you can take bus trips to, that’s huge. We played a lot of road games early on, but when you play a lot of road games early on, now you have the opportunity to play some home games."
The Ravens sacked Justin Herbert four times in their win over the Chargers. Baltimore has at least two sacks in 15 straight games, and if the Ravens can keep putting pressure on opposing QBs it could help a defense that has struggled against the pass.
Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy have eight sacks apiece this season.
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