Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles make their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Sunday to face Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFC East-leading Eagles (9-2) have won seven in a row and play four of their final six games in Philadelphia, traveling only about 125 miles to visit the Ravens (8-4) this weekend and the Washington Commanders in Week 16.
Sunday’s game features the NFL’s two leading rushers. Barkley (1,392 yards) and Henry (1,325) are far ahead of Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs (944) in third place. Henry leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. Barkley (10) is tied for fourth and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts (11) tied for second.
The matchup also features two of the top candidates for Most Valuable Player honors entering Week 13 in Barkley and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award last season. Their competition includes quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Jared Goff of Detroit, with Allen widely considered the favorite.
“Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
“Excited about the opportunity this week because it’s our next one. It will be a really good opponent, really well coached, good players, good atmosphere that will be there. Excited about the opportunity this week. And we’re going to have to be on it against a really good team.”
The showdown at M&T Bank Stadium also pits Baltimore’s No. 1 offense (426.7 yards per game) and No. 2 scoring offense (30.3 points per game) against Philadelphia’s No. 1 defense (274.6) and No. 6 scoring defense (18.1).
The Eagles have held seven consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards, while the Ravens have gained at least 329 yards of offense in all 11 games.
Philadelphia is coming off a 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in which Barkley smashed the franchise record with 255 rushing yards.
Baltimore also earned a prime-time win in Los Angeles, defeating the Chargers 30-23 in the “Harbaugh Bowl” on Monday night behind Jackson’s three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
Jackson said he’s looking forward to the Barkley and Henry show.
“I’ve known Saquon from high school. We were in the all-star game together and he jumped over somebody’s head,” Jackson recalled Wednesday. “So I’ve pretty much seen him before I even got to the league, college, anything. I’ve been knowing about Saquon, but Derrick Henry — King Henry — I’m with him every day and I’m seeing what he’s capable of, so it’s going to be a great matchup.”
Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith practiced Wednesday after sitting out Monday with a hamstring issue. Nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) was designated to return from injured reserve. Tight end Charlie Kolar (broken arm) is out for several weeks and cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) did not practice.
The Eagles lost veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to a season-ending triceps injury Sunday. Wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed the win over the Rams and did not practice Wednesday. Neither did cornerbacks Darius Slay (concussion) or Kelee Ringo (calf).
Philadelphia is 5-1 away from home this season — 6-1 if you count their season-opening “home” victory against the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Baltimore is 4-1 at home.
The Ravens hold a 3-2-1 lead in the series with the Eagles. They haven’t met since Baltimore’s 30-28 win in Week 6 at Philadelphia in 2020.