The Philadelphia Eagles have run off a seven-game winning streak -- with the emphasis on run. The Eagles have averaged 216 rushing yards per game during the streak.
Philadelphia will put its winning streak on the line against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Eagles offense has rushed for 2,127 yards, and the Ravens defense has yielded 935 yards to opposing ball-carriers. Each figure ranks as the second-best in the NFL this season.
That looks like a strength-versus-strength matchup between two of the NFL’s best teams.
The success of Philadelphia’s ground game also is reflected in the Eagles’ passing statistics. Philadelphia has thrown 288 passes, the fewest in the league in 2024.
The success of Baltimore’s rushing defense also is reflected in the Ravens’ passing-defense statistics. Baltimore has been thrown against more than any other defense in the NFL – 409 passes – and the Ravens have yielded more passing yards than any team in the league – 3,332.
In light of those stats, will the Eagles stick with their strength on the ground or will Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts throw more on Sunday?
“I look forward to winning, doing whatever is required to do that,” Hurts said. “… I think you just come into it and you want to try and live in what you’ve established yourself to be. And I’m sure (offensive coordinator) Kellen (Moore) will put us in the best position to go out there and be successful.”
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 223 rushing attempts and 1,392 rushing yards after running for a franchise-record 255 yards in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Philadelphia’s previous game.
“Wow, where do you start with Saquon Barkley?” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s just a really hard guy to tackle. I think his vision is really good. They run a lot of different schemes. Inside zone is kind of where they start – but inside zone, outside zone, they have different gap schemes.
“Just his vision – his ability to see from edge to edge and all the way across. Whenever there’s a gap that’s not defended, he can see it. Not only see it, but get to it. All of the other highlight stuff is there as well, but just his ability to make a defense pay for not being in the right spot is probably the thing that jumps out at me the most."
The only team with more rushing yards than Philadelphia this season is Baltimore. The Ravens have 45 more rushing yards than the Eagles but have played 12 games to Philadelphia’s 11.
Barkley is the only player with more carries and more rushing yards than Baltimore running back Derrick Henry. Like Hurts a former Alabama standout, Henry has 1,325 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns on 221 rushing attempts in 2024.
“Big, strong, fast, hard to tackle,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said of Henry. “He is as advertised when you see him in person. …
“We’ll have to be good with our fundamentals. You’ve got to be in the right positions on defense. You’ve got to tackle well. You’ve got to get off blocks well. You’ve got to have relentless effort to the football, which is everything we pride ourselves in defensive football and playing good football. 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.”
