Saquon’s late magic caps statement win in Baltimore – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The fourth quarter was once again magical for Saquon Barkley and the Eagles, and if the Ravens and their No. 1 run defense can’t stop him, who can?

Nobody can.

No one had rushed for more than 63 yards against the Ravens this year, and Barkley did it in the final 12 minutes.

The Eagles keep winning and after that statement in Baltimore against a very good Ravens team, I’m not sure when they’ll lose again.

Or whether they lose again.

The Eagles are now 10-2 and are on an eight-game winning streak. Be careful. They keep getting better.

Eagles 24, Ravens 19, thanks to a late Ravens touchdown that made the score deceptively close. But it was actually a 24-12 game until the final three seconds and it was a spectacular performance for the Eagles in all phases.

1. Simply a tremendous effort by the Eagles defense against a super strong Ravens offense, averaging 427 yards and 30 points per game and 7.0 yards per play. Against the Eagles, they managed 302 yards, 12 points and 4.7 yards per play until the final minute, statistics that the Ravens padded with a meaningless last-minute drive. Against a team that rarely turns the ball over, the Eagles couldn’t get anything away, but they pressured Jackson, beat him early and often, and kept him in check when he wanted to run. They kept Derrick Henry in check and made big stops in big moments. They gave up nine points in the first quarter and three on the Ravens’ next nine drives. And they did it without their defensive captains and leaders Brandon Graham and Darius Slay, much of it without Reed Blankenship, who suffered a concussion in the third quarter, and part of it without Nakobe Dean and Quinyon Mitchell, missing plays in the second half. But that was a monumental defensive performance and when you’re out there, Tristin McCollum is covering Mark Andrews and Avonte Maddox is covering Nelson Agholor across the field, and that’s not ideal, but the backups played well, the starters were spectacular, and if it was Any question about how good this defense is – and there shouldn’t have been – has all been answered. A defensive masterpiece.

2. And the defense kept the Eagles at bay until it was Saquon’s time and his fourth-quarter heroics continued against the NFL’s best run defense, because why wouldn’t they? He is Saquon. You can stop him for 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, but you can’t stop him for a whole game. At the start of the fourth quarter, he had 13 carries for 51 yards. The Ravens had him locked up. Nowhere to run. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, the Eagles got the ball back, and Barkley ran it 14 yards and then 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown with eight minutes left. Against the Ravens this year, no one had rushed for more than 63 yards, and Barkley managed 107-61 yards in the fourth quarter. It’s crazy how good he is and crazy how well this offensive line blocks for him. They get stronger as the game goes on and if the Ravens can’t stop Saquon in the 4th quarter, no one can. No one. He is the best player in the NFL and that was obvious to everyone who watched this game. What he did on Sunday in Baltimore – what he’s done all year – is nothing short of magnificent. He is the best player I have ever seen.

3. How about a shout out to Tristin McCollum, who was forced into action in the second half when Reed Blankenship was sidelined with a concussion? McCollum had played all 93 career snaps entering the game, in his third undrafted year against Sam Houston State and on the Ravens’ crucial fourth down – 4th-and-8 from the Ravens’ 42 with 6:18 left and the Eagles up Nine – it was McCollum who intercepted a pass from Lamar Jackson intended for Zay Flowers to end the tension. You have to give this kid so much credit. This was his 12th career game and he was ready for the moment. You have to love it. Nick Sirianni goes through a development phase at the end of practice where the guys who don’t get a lot of reps in practice or in games get extra work with the coaches, and there’s no doubt that’s one of the reasons guys like McCollum is mentally and physically fit and will be physically ready when given that opportunity.

4. Jalen Carter is giving the Eagles some of the best interior line play they’ve ever gotten. And by “always” I mean including Fletcher Cox, including Jerome Brown, including – hell, I go back to Bucko Kilroy and Floyd Peters. Not that I’ve seen them play, but Carter is playing at a simply astronomical level right now and his ability to impact the game shot after shot is mind-blowing. His restlessness isn’t always reflected in the box score, but on Sunday it was with a sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss. He now has 4½ sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 12 QB hits in 12 games. All-Pro Numbers for an Interior Designer. Fletch has put up these numbers twice in a full season and he is a borderline Hall of Famer. What Carter is doing for this defense is absurd.

More to come…

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