Eagles vs. Ravens: Birds defeat Ravens for eighth straight win; Reed Blankenship left game with concussion, playoff scenarios, more

After a relatively quiet three quarters on the ground, Saquon Barkley stayed patient in the fourth and capitalized in a big way.

On first-and-10 from the Ravens’ 25-yard line, Barkley ripped off an explosive run for a touchdown to put the Eagles up, 21-12. Left tackle Jordan Mailata pulled across the formation to block inside linebacker Roquan Smith and Lane Johnson sealed off outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, creating a lane for the star running back to exploit.

Cornerback Tre’Davious White missed a tackle at the nine yard line and Parris Campbell blocked cornerback Marlon Humphrey at the goal line, allowing Barkley to cruise into the end zone.

Reed Blankenship was ruled out with a concussion late in the third quarter. The starting safety collided awkwardly with Nelson Agholor on an incompletion and immediately visited the medical tent.

Shortly thereafter, Blankenship headed back to the locker room with a concussion spotter. Tristin McCollum, the 2022 undrafted safety out of Sam Houston State, took Blankenship’s spot alongside C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Blankenship, 25, has started all 11 games for the Eagles this season. He last sustained a concussion in Week 14 last season against the Dallas Cowboys.

Two lopsided quarters. One in Baltimore's direction. The next in the Eagles' direction.

The Ravens out-gained the Eagles, 133-22, in the first quarter. The Eagles out-gained the Ravens, 142-36, in the second quarter.

The Eagles hold a 14-12 lead at the break, but their defense has looked strong after a slow start and the offense seems to be finding a rhythm.

The Ravens might want to stop letting A.J. Brown find the soft spot in their zone defense.

Connections of 14 and 15 yards from Jalen Hurts to Brown helped set up a one-yard Hurts touchdown run via the Tush Push that gave the Eagles a 14-9 lead with two minutes until halftime.

The Eagles sandwiched their best defensive series with two touchdown drives right before the break. They forced their first Baltimore three-and-out, highlighted by a Zack Baun tackle for loss.

After pinning Baltimore deep in its own end and forcing a punt from the end zone, the Eagles finally had the ball in Ravens territory, beginning their fifth drive on Baltimore's 49-yard line.

The Eagles needed just six plays to get on the scoreboard. Dallas Goedert's 17-yard touchdown catch from Jalen Hurts completed a touchdown drive that took just 2 minutes, 51 seconds.

The drive featured a seven-yard completion to Jahan Dotson, a nine-yard run from Saquon Barkley, another eight from Hurts, and a Hurts to A.J. Brown connection for another nine yards.

DeVonta Smith is inactive and will not play Sunday in Baltimore due to his lingering hamstring injury.

Smith was a limited participant in Eagles practice both Thursday and Friday but did not get healthy enough to play in Sunday’s showdown.

The wide receiver position is thin for the Eagles on Sunday. Rookie Johnny Wilson is also out with a hamstring injury. The Eagles signed Parris Campbell to the active roster on Saturday, taking the spot vacated by injured linebacker Ben VanSumeren, who is on injured reserve.

In mid-September, John Harbaugh’s team was 0-2 after a home loss to Gardner Minshew and the Raiders. They’d just made it to the AFC championship game last season and had a trip to Dallas looming. Things looked bleak.

“The NFL is a race to improve,” said Harbaugh, who, in his 17th season, is the second-longest tenured head coach in the league.

The Ravens have improved, and they’re back in the race. They have since gone 8-2 and now have the seventh-best record in the league.

In Week 13, players across the NFL will be celebrating My Cause My Cleats. Players have the opportunity to wear their heart on their feet as they highlight a cause they are passionate about on the field.

Here are some of the Birds' cleats and causes ...

Jalen Hurts: The Jalen Hurts Foundation 

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) can’t clinch the playoffs this week, but they’ll need to defeat the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) Sunday to keep pace with the Detroit Lions (11-1) in the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

There is only one path where the Eagles win a tiebreaker against the Lions with a 15-2 record — win out and root for Detroit to lose to the Green Bay Packers (9-3) in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football. In that scenario, the Eagles would win the tiebreaker based on having a better conference record.

Otherwise, the Eagles will need the Lions to lose at least two games to have a realistic shot at overtaking Detroit and securing the NFC’s top playoff spot. The Chicago Bears (4-8) could’ve helped the Eagles’ chances on Thanksgiving, but lost to the Lions in such an idiotic way — letting the clock expire while still having a timeout to use — Chicago fired head coach Mark Eberflus less than 24 hours later.

The Eagles listed wide receiver DeVonta Smith as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith was at practice on Friday, but was a limited participant for the second day in a row because of a hamstring injury that sidelined him last Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. After Friday’s practice, the 26-year-old wide receiver said he didn’t know whether he would be able to play.

“It’s really not my decision,” Smith said.

The Eagles are aiming to extend their seven-game winning streak against the Baltimore Ravens in a marquee matchup featuring two of the league’s top rushers, Ravens’ Derrick Henry and Eagles’ Saquon Barkley. After an impressive win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles turn their attention to Baltimore in arguably their toughest test of the season.

The Eagles are currently 3-point underdogs against the 8-4 Ravens, who are coming off a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Henry racked up 140 yards on the ground in the Ravens win as they sit in second place in the tightly contested AFC North. Meanwhile, Barkley is coming off a career-high 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles have an impressive 9-2 record heading into Week 13. Will the streak end in Baltimore? Or will Jalen Hurts and Barkley lead the Eagles to a 10-2 record? Here’s what experts in the local and national media are saying:

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) face the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) Sunday afternoon in what could end up being a preview of this year's Super Bowl.

The game is airing on CBS, and is scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Calling the game is CBS' top broadcast crew — Jim Nantz and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who is quietly in his eighth season calling NFL games. Tracy Wolfson will report from the sideline.