Vic Fangio is the yin to Nick Sirianni’s yang, Saquon Barkley is clutch again, and more Eagles-Ravens reactions
Plus Barkley’s clutch performances, Zach Baun’s dominance, and more.
The Eagles pulled off maybe their biggest win so far this season on Sunday against the Ravens. At this point, it feels like we’re saying that every week, but the Birds just keep winning, now with eight in a row. The NFC East title is within their grasp.
Needless to say, not much has gone wrong for them this season — especially since their bye week. But if you had to nitpick something, the offense was still pretty stagnant in the first quarter. The Eagles have been a second-half team all year, scoring just 17 total points in the first quarter this season.
The Birds didn’t score their first points in the first quarter until Nov. 3 against the Jaguars. But once the first quarter ends, the Eagles have kicked it into high gear, and Sunday’s game against the Ravens was no exception.
» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ offensive line met the challenge against the Ravens’ run defense
The Eagles scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take the lead, and while the offense was stagnant again in the third quarter, Saquon Barkley ripped off a 25-yard touchdown run to ice the game in the fourth. That has become a common theme for Barkley this season, as former center Jason Kelce pointed out.
Against the Rams, Barkley had a 72-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and against the Commanders, he had two fourth-quarter touchdown runs within 20 seconds to deliver the win against a division rival. Barkley is now up to second in the NFL MVP odds at most sportsbooks (behind Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen) after another 100-yard day on Sunday.
After a 2-2 start, Nick Sirianni and the Eagles have proven themselves in a big way over the last eight games.
But the star of Sunday’s game was Vic Fangio’s defense, which shut down a potent Ravens offense that entered the game second in the NFL in points and first in total yards.
“Vic Fangio brings a certain level of maturity to the building, juxtaposed with — I’m not saying Nick’s not mature, but he’s a younger, fiery coach,” former Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long said on his podcast. “You’ve got an elder statesman, that’s one of the biggest reasons I loved the hire, you’ve got a former head coach, older guy, different than Nick, yin to his yang, and he brings the maturity in the situation that bears out in a game like this.”
» READ MORE: The Eagles’ defense is the best reason to believe they can win the Super Bowl
Zack Baun led the defense with 13 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble. He’s been one of the best linebackers in the NFL this year after the Birds signed him to a one-year deal and changed his position, and people are taking notice, including former running back LeSean McCoy.