Eagles-Ravens: Success Will Take What It Takes

Two of the most prolific offenses in the NFL will meet in the Charm City on Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) carries the ball against Los Angeles Chargers. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - In the shadow of a meltdown in Chicago sits the secret to success in Philadelphia.

The most impressive aspect about the Nick Sirianni regime heading into Baltimore for an Ali-Frazier-like heavyweight fight with the Baltimore Ravens is the shape shifting the Eagles can do.

"The plan" coming into the season with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore wasn't to run it more than everyone else but that's how things have unfolded during the franchise's third consecutive 9-2 or better start, which is actually a downtick from the 10-1 markers it planted in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

"Success takes what it taken," is a favorite Sirianni saying.

Yet often gets asked about the run-pass ratio entering games instead of the reasons why the run-pass ratio was what it was exiting his latest win. So Sirianni does his best to explain things proactively. At best it's the salmon swimming upstream.

The latest attempt came Friday in advance of the Eagles' visit to 8-4 Baltimore in what is the NFL's marquee matchup over Thanksgiving weekend when asked about being 32 in pass attempts vs. No. 1 in rushing tries.

"Again, we'll do anything we need to do to win the football game," the coach said, repeating a mantra that is usually followed by 'If we have to run it 40 times we will. if we have to throw it 40 times we will.'

Yet the Eagles coach often gets asked about the run-pass ratio entering games instead of the reasons why the run-pass ratio was what it was exiting his latest win. So Sirianni does his best to explain things proactively. At best it's the salmon swimming upstream.

The latest attempt came Friday in advance of the Eagles' visit to 8-4 Baltimore in what is the most highly-anticipated matchup in the NFL over the entire Thanksgiving weekend slate of games.

This time Sirianni was asked about being No. 32 in pass attempts vs. No. 1 in rushing tries.

"Again, we'll do anything we need to do to win the football game," the coach said, repeating a mantra that is usually followed by 'If we have to run it 40 times we will. if we have to throw it 40 times we will.'

The Eagles coach tried a different path this time to explain that the personality of the game dictating those numbers.

"This last month of the season has been very unique. I'm not sure how many times we've even passed it in the fourth quarter in November. I'm not even sure how many times we've passed it in the fourth quarter because we haven't needed to," Sirianni said. "We’ve been in four-minute offense. That doesn't mean – in four-minute offense, you play your offense, but when you're up two, three scores, you tend to play it more conservative in those particular cases.

"I don't look too much into that. We have the ability to throw it when we need to throw it, and we have the ability to run it when we need to run it. And that's a good thing to have."

The Ravens are a foe that could demand a different path from the Eagles. Through its first 12 games Baltimore is averaging 6.97 yards-per-play, the second-best mark in NFL history to the 2000 "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams, who were at 6.98.

In many ways, the Ravens have out-Eagles'd the Eagles with a higher-octane passing game behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who is No. 1 in passer rating (117.9), passing yards (3,053), passing touchdowns (27), and TD to interception ratio (27/3). Baltimore also has more 20-yard and 10-yard rushes than Philadelphia behind Derrick Henry, who has eerily similar numbers to Philadelphia MVP candidate Saquon Barkley.

"Every game dictates something different," Sirianni said. "We'll see how each game goes."

The only thing you know you're getting with these two teams is physicality.

"A real physical game," Eagles' star WR A.J. Brown said. "I told this to our room: 'Don't step out between the lines if you're not going to be physical, because that's what it's going to be.'

"That's how you want it to be. Don't complain about no calls, play through contact, and just go make plays."

As far as who makes the plays, it's Barkley vs. Henry, right up until it isn't.

Success takes what it takes.

JOHN MCMULLEN's PREDICTION: Ravens 27, Eagles 23