The Baltimore Ravens earned a blowout road win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, with John Harbaugh defeating his brother Jim for the third time in his illustrious coaching career.
The Ravens are back in the win column, but with a short week left and a very tough opponent looming, one player in particular will need to be extra careful when beating film.
Philadelphia Eagles elite running back Saquon Barkley is putting together an MVP-caliber season, marking another milestone with the team's recent win over the Los Angeles Rams.
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Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell is congratulated by running back Saquon Barkley after scoring against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, November 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Barkley set a single-game franchise record with 255 rushing yards, breaking the previous record of 217 held by Eagles Hall of Fame member LeSean “Shady” McCoy. Barkley had a phenomenal night, scoring two monster rushing touchdowns and gaining 47 receiving yards on four catches, topping 300 yards from scrimmage.
Barkley is currently on pace to outpace Adrian Peterson's 2012 rushing season with the Minnesota Vikings, and is just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record, ultimately winning MVP honors. did.
All of this means, as one star defender told Fox News Digital, the Ravens have a “difficult task.”
Ravens star Kyle Hamilton talks support for military children at NFL annual event
“A lot of teams have tried to do that this season and failed,” said Ravens star safety Kyle Hamilton, who spoke to Our Military as the representative organization for this week's “My Cause My Cleats.” He also talked about choosing kids. “But in a short week, it's going to take a lot of preparation. It's just the mental thing to put us in the right position to be successful. Not being in the wrong gaps, not being in the wrong gaps as a DB. It's about being fit and making good tackles.”
“I think (running the ball) is a huge part of this team. They run the ball well, but they also have weapons on the outside that can throw the ball if they get too aggressive. It keeps us honest, but I think knocking out the run game will go a long way in winning that game.”
Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards and has scored 10 points on the ground this year, making him one of the most productive backs in the NFL.
But Hamilton knows that while Barkley and the Eagles boast the top rushing attack at 193.4 yards per game, they aren't the best all-around offense in the league. He sees it every week on the sideline.
Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens plays safety before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. (Kim Clement Neitzel-Iman Images)
The Ravens are averaging a whopping 426.7 yards per game compared to the Eagles' 389.1. Quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat ability with his arms and legs plays a big role there, but a lot of that has to do with the addition of Derrick Henry this offseason, which clearly paid off. I'm raising it.
In the Ravens' win over the Chargers, Henry totaled 140 yards on the ground, giving him 1,325 total yards on the year, second only to Barkley. He also has 13 rushing touchdowns, but couldn't find the end zone for the first time this season against Los Angeles.
Hamilton and his defensive brethren are ready to play in one of the league's most anticipated games this Sunday, but he also wants to see more of himself playing on the sideline. I also want to see it often.
That means Jackson, Henry and the Ravens offense are in control.
“We want to go out there and play, but usually if we can dominate the time of possession, we win the game,” Hamilton explained. “The long drives keep us fresh and allow us to play fast. Once we get three-and-out, we can get right into the groove and score really high at that point. We get points, we get threes. ” – and out.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley steals the ball against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. (Gary A. Vasquez Iman Images)
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“We've had a lot of games where we made some big waves, so it's easier said than done, but if we can stick to that, it's going to be hard to win.”
The two best teams in the league with the top two running backs in yards will meet in Baltimore on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
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