The Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Baltimore to face the Ravens in a heavyweight matchup in Week 13. The Eagles’ defense held Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ high-scoring offense to under 20 points in a 24-19 win. It was only the second time this season that the Ravens were held under 20 points and if it weren’t for a late garbage-time touchdown, they would’ve scored a season-low 12 points.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but the Eagles took care of business to extend their win streak to eight games and improve to 10-2 on the season. The Eagles look to be one of the top teams in the NFL heading down the final stretch. Here are three takeaways from the statement win in Week 13:
One of the biggest headlines heading into this matchup was the league’s two leading rushers facing off. Derrick Henry looked like he was on his way to a big game, rushing for 38 yards and hauling in a pass for 16 yards in the first quarter. The Eagles’ defense was able to contain the bruising back as the game progressed. Henry finished the game with 82 yards on 19 carries with 29 receiving yards.
Saquon Barkley was coming off a historic performance in the Week 12 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The MVP candidate started slowly in Week 13 but picked it up in the fourth quarter. Barkley finished the game with 107 yards on 23 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run to give Philadelphia a 21-12 lead midway through the final quarter.
Barkley has 246 rushing attempts for 1,499 yards, both leading the league. The 27-year-old has 11 rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. He’s averaging a career-high 6.1 yards per carry and 124.9 rushing yards per game, both leading the league. Barkley leads the NFL in touches with 275 and scrimmage yards with 1,766.
Barkley has eight 100-yard rushing games in 2024, including his 255-yard performance in Week 12. He’s on pace to break the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set by Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson in 1984.
The Ravens jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on their first two possessions of the game. It looked like the game could get out of hand. The Eagles’ defense regrouped and forced three consecutive three-and-outs on the Ravens’ next three possessions. The Ravens kicked a field goal before halftime, but the Eagles took a 14-12 lead into the locker rooms.
The Ravens had opportunities to score points on their first two possessions of the second half. Legendary kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goal attempts in back-to-back possessions. The Eagles forced a punt in a two-point game to start the fourth quarter and then scored a touchdown off a Barkley run on the next drive to take a 21-12 lead.
The Ravens got the ball back with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, down by nine points. The Eagles forced a fourth down after rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean suplexed Henry in the open field. It was an impressive tackle and stop by DeJean against a tough player to bring down. The Ravens kept their offense on the field on their 42-yard line on fourth down but were unable to convert.
The Ravens got the ball back with just over one minute to go and scored a garbage-time touchdown. It was a stat-padding seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive. The Eagles essentially held one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses to 12 points. It was an impressive performance by Vic Fangio and the Eagles’ defense.
The Eagles have struggled to start fast in 2024. The offense typically takes a few possessions to get going and they sometimes fall behind. That was the same story in Week 13 against the Ravens.
The Eagles punted on their first four possessions and recorded only two first downs. They were down 9-0 going into the second quarter and committed six penalties in that span. It wasn’t until their fifth possession of the game that Jalen Hurts found tight end Dallas Goedert for a 17-yard touchdown to put the Eagles on the board.
The Eagles cleaned up their mistakes and played much better football as the game went on. They took their first lead of the game before halftime and remained in front through the final whistle. The Eagles can’t keep starting games sloppy, especially in the playoffs against the league’s top teams.
The Eagles earned a huge win on the road against an elite Ravens team in Week 13. There were some questions about how legit the Eagles were, but those questions are now in the rearview mirror. The Eagles are Super Bowl contenders and can compete with any team in the league.
The Eagles return home to face the 3-9 Carolina Panthers in Week 14. Four of their final five games will take place at Lincoln Financial Field. They’ll play two teams with winning records, the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 and the Washington Commanders in Week 16.
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