In what will certainly be a clash of the titans on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens will engage in a battle between the league’s top two rushing offenses. The Eagles lead the NFL with 193.4 rushing yards per game, while the Ravens enter the slugfest second at 180.2. Baltimore leads the league with 5.8 yards per carry, while Philadelphia is second at 5.2.
Not only will we see the top-two rushing offenses facing off, but the game’s top two running backs will take center stage. Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards, 6.2 yards per carry and 149.9 scrimmage yards per game, while Henry is second in all of those statistics (1,325 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry and 118.4 scrimmage yards per game).
In addition to Barkley vs. Henry, the league’s top dual-threat quarterbacks will face off in Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson — the first matchup between the quarterbacks. Hurts leads all NFL quarterback with 11 rushing touchdowns (second only to Henry with 13), and Jackson leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards with 599. Jackson has also thrown 27 touchdown passes to three interceptions on the season. He certainly has a case to win league MVP with the Ravens — much like Barkley does with the Eagles.
Here’s what to know about the showdown between two of the league’s best teams in the Eagles and Ravens on CBS:
Eagles vs. Ravens where to watch
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 1 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore)
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- NFL betting odds: Ravens -3, OU 51 (via BetMGM)
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Saquon Barkley vs. Derrick Henry
The matchup between the top two running backs in the NFL is going to be one of the most anticipated in years. The matchup between the two backs is the earliest matchup ever (Week 13) between running backs with 1,300-plus rush yards on the season. Barkley and Henry are both averaging 100-plus rush yards per game on six-plus yards per carry this season, which only four other running backs have done in NFL history.
Both Barkley and Henry have over 350 more rushing yards in the second half and overtime this year than any other player entering Week 13. Barkley’s 7.9 yards per carry in the second half are the most by any player in the past 30 seasons, ahead of Barry Sanders (6.9). Ironically, Henry is third on the list at 6.6.
Barkley and Henry account for nine of the top-15 rushing-yard games this season. They have seven of the top-nine speeds on rushes and four of the seven longest runs. Running backs have never finished first and second in rushing after changing teams, and only two running backs have won rushing titles after changing teams in NFL history (2001 Priest Holmes, 2002 Ricky Williams). Barkley and Henry are well on their way to accomplishing these feats.
Both Barkley and Henry are in the midst of historic seasons, and they don’t appear to be slowing down as December approaches.
Ravens run defense vs. pass defense
The Ravens are helter-skelter when it comes to their defense in the first season under defensive coordinator Zach Orr. No running back has more than 88 rushing yards against the run defense. The Ravens are second in the NFL in run defense, allowing 77.9 rushing yards per game. Only three times have the Ravens allowed 100-plus rushing yards in a game this season, and no team has run for more than 125 yards. The Eagles have rushed for 216.0 yards per game since Week 6.
Baltimore’s pass defense is the exact opposite of its run defense. The Ravens are 31st in pass defense, allowing 277.7 yards per game, and are also tied for last in the NFL in 25-yard completions allowed (31) this season. As a result, the Ravens are 23rd in scoring defense (24.5 points per game) compared to first last season (16.5 points per game).
Conventional wisdom would be for the Eagles to pass the ball and test a poor secondary. The real test will be to see how Philadelphia runs the ball against one of the best run defenses it’ll see all year.
Prediction
The Eagles don’t have a good history of playing in Baltimore, never winning a game there since the franchise’s inception in 1996. Philadelphia is 0-2 at M&T Bank Stadium and 0-2-1 in Baltimore against the Ravens.
History is not on the Eagles’ side, and Jackson is the best quarterback the Eagles will face all year. The Eagles defense showed it can contain a mobile quarterback in Week 11 when it held Jayden Daniels to 191 yards passing and 18 yards rushing, but Jackson is more experienced than a rookie in these situations. Henry is also a different matchup than what the Eagles have faced all season.
The Eagles will need to get Barkley going in what could become a shootout. Baltimore is going to score points, but both teams have started slow through the majority of the season. Whatever team gets off to the quickest start will gain control of this game.
Ravens 27, Eagles 26
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