Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Eagles Prove a Lot in Win

Posted December 1st, 2024 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles drew a lot of praise after the past two weeks, but there were still some doubters. People questioned the winning streak because the Eagles hadn’t played any top teams. As good as the defense was, some people wanted to see them tested by a great offense. As great as Saquon Barkley has been, some people pointed out that he hadn’t faced many good defenses.

Questions answered.

The Eagles went to Baltimore and beat the Ravens 24-19. That is a good team, having gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Eagles fell behind 9-0 and I think most people will admit that they started to wonder if this was the week when the Eagles might have their winning streak stopped. Lamar Jackson is a special QB and he was giving the defense fits early on.

There wasn’t any panic. The defense tightened up and then the offense woke up. Next thing you know the score is 14-12 and it felt like the Eagles had control of the game. It was fair to wonder if the Ravens would then counter-punch and take control back. Nope. The Eagles defense did give up yards, but they came through in key situations. Justin Tucker missed a pair of FGs and the Ravens didn’t score again until the closing seconds of the game.

If you had to sum up this game in one play, here it is.

That is Eagles rookie DB Cooper DeJean stuffing Hall of Fame RB Derrick Henry, a physical freak who has punished defenders for almost a decade. DeJean didn’t care about King Henry’s resume. He just put the big fella down. I can’t tell you how impressive that play is. I’m not sure how you quantify that.

The Ravens were going to have season lows in yards and points until their garbage time TD drive. And that was grealy aided by the officials not calling a blatant hold of Milton Williams. Baltimore finished with 19 points and 372 yards. That is only the second time all year they scored less than 20 points.

The Eagles defense is legit.

The offense got off to another slow start before coming alive in the second quarter. Saquon Barkley was 10-45 in the first half. He looked fine, but didn’t do anything crazy. The Ravens had the second best run defense in the league so every yard against them had to be earned. Barkley was shut down in the third quarter. Have no fear. The fourth quarter brought out the best in him.

Barkley finished the game 24-107-1 and helped his MVP cause. He came up big in the fourth quarter of the Eagles biggest game of the year. National audiences have now seen him do big things for three weeks in a row.

Jalen Hurts had somewhat of a quiet game, but did enough to help the team win. He ran for a TD and threw for a TD, while protecting the ball and running effectively. He made key plays when they were needed.

The Eagles are now 10-2, winners of eight in a row. I think you’ll start to hear them mentioned as being in the same class as the Lions, with the rest of the NFL a level below them. The Eagles are playing their best football of the year at the right time of the year. This team has good vibes and a real confidence about them.

A lot of that is due to the defense. Vic Fangio has his guys playing at an elite level. They don’t panic when a team gets off to a fast start. They adjust. Some of that is schematic and some is just players getting the feel for the opposing offense. Offenses challenge you in different ways.

The Eagles defense also just has some dudes who make plays.

Carter is an absolute stud. Zack Baun also had a great game. He led the team with 13 tackles. He had a TFL, a FF and half a sack. The sack came on a third down and pushed the Ravens back, making their FG attempt longer. Justin Tucker missed it. The Eagles make you earn every yard and every point.

The biggest compliment I can give the defense is that they pressured and bothered Lamar Jackson, but covered well enough that when he broke free he didn’t always have someone to throw to. Usually there is pressure or coverage, but not both.

Let’s hope the players can block out the noise and stay focused. This team has a ton of potential if they can just live in the moment and not buy into the hype.

Fun team.

Good team.

_

One Comment on “Eagles Prove a Lot in Win”

  1. 1 The Linc - Vic Fangio’s defense “has been nothing short of a revelation” - SportSourcio said at 6:05 AM on December 2nd, 2024:

    […] Eagles Prove a Lot in Win – Iggles BlitzCarter is an absolute stud. Zack Baun also had a great game. He led the team with 13 tackles. He had a TFL, a FF and half a sack. The sack came on a third down and pushed the Ravens back, making their FG attempt longer. Justin Tucker missed it. The Eagles make you earn every yard and every point. The biggest compliment I can give the defense is that they pressured and bothered Lamar Jackson, but covered well enough that when he broke free he didn’t always have someone to throw to. Usually there is pressure or coverage, but not both. Let’s hope the players can block out the noise and stay focused. This team has a ton of potential if they can just live in the moment and not buy into the hype. Fun team. Good team. […]