{"id":6178,"date":"2024-11-30T07:51:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T07:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178"},"modified":"2024-11-30T07:51:58","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T07:51:58","slug":"report-running-backs-the-center-of-attention-when-barkley-and-henry-face-off-in-an-eagles-ravens-tilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Derrick Henry makes his presence felt with a stiff-arm \u2013 sometimes more than one on a single play.<\/p>\n

Saquon Barkley provided perhaps the highlight of the year in the NFL: He\u00a0hurdled a defender backward\u00a0in a game against Jacksonville a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Henry and Barkley are leading a renaissance of sorts for featured running backs, and now the sport\u2019s top two rushing stars go head to head when the Baltimore Ravens host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. With\u00a0more than 1,300 yards apiece\u00a0on the ground, those two are even stealing headlines from Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts entering this matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, both great football players,\u201d Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. \u201cA lot of respect for Derrick Henry. \u2026 He\u2019s able to hit a home run and make you pay if not everybody is on the same page, if you\u2019re not tackling well, if you\u2019re not getting off blocks well, if you\u2019re not hustling to the football.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that part of it reminds you of Saquon because it\u2019s similar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ravens (8-4) and Eagles (9-2) signed Henry and Barkley as free agents last offseason. At a time when running backs are considered more and more interchangeable, these two still stand out.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Baltimore<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo\/Eric Thayer)<\/p>\n

Barkley\u00a0rushed for 255 yards\u00a0as the Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. Then Henry\u00a0ran for 140\u00a0the following night in Baltimore\u2019s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 yards rushing, just ahead of Henry\u2019s 1,325.<\/p>\n

This is the first-ever matchup between two 1,300-yard rushers this early in the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew Saquon from high school. We were in the All-Star game together. He jumped over somebody\u00b4s head, so I pretty much (saw) him before I even got to the league,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWith Derrick Henry \u2013 King Henry \u2013 I\u00b4m with him every day, and I\u00b4m seeing what he\u00b4s capable of, so it\u00b4s going to be a great matchup.\u201d<\/p>\n

This game pits the NFL\u2019s No. 1-ranked offense (Baltimore) against the top-ranked defense (Philadelphia). The Eagles and Ravens are also ranked 1-2 in rushing. Baltimore has the No. 2-ranked rushing defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u00b4s a challenge for us, a challenge for our run defense \u2013 yes \u2013 because they do it with their offensive line, they do it with their back, they also do it with their scheme \u2013 which the quarterback is a part of, too,\u201d Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. \u201cAnd they can throw off the runs. So, there\u00b4s a lot going on there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The running backs are receiving a lot of attention for good reason, but both these teams can move the ball through the air. Jackson is No. 1 in the league in passer rating, yards passing and touchdown-to-interception differential. Hurts\u2019 passer rating of 102.3 so far is the best of his career.<\/p>\n

Jackson is 23-1 in his career against NFC teams.<\/p>\n

The Eagles lost the heart of the team when defensive end Brandon Graham announced after the game that he was out for the season with a torn triceps. He said previously this would be his final season.<\/p>\n

Even at 36, Graham was still producing at a Pro Bowl level. He was among the team leaders in snaps played and had 3 1\/2 sacks this season, his 15th with the Eagles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate losing him for a lot of reasons. One, it might be his last year. Two, his leadership,\u201d Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. \u201cMost importantly, he was playing really good, and guys playing really good are hard to replace.\u201d<\/p>\n

After opening the season in Brazil, and road games at stops ranging from Los Angeles to Tampa Bay, the Eagles have a short bus ride to Baltimore before they play four of their final five games at home. The only other road game is another bus ride to play the New York Giants.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time of the year, it\u00b4s a benefit. There\u00b4s no doubt,\u201d Sirianni said. \u201cTo be in Philadelphia where you have these close teams next to you that you can take bus trips to, that\u00b4s huge. We played a lot of road games early on, but when you play a lot of road games early on, now you have the opportunity to play some home games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ravens sacked Justin Herbert four times in their win over the Chargers. Baltimore has at least two sacks in 15 straight games, and if the Ravens can keep putting pressure on opposing QBs it could help a defense that has struggled against the pass.<\/p>\n

Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy have eight sacks apiece this season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Derrick Henry makes his presence felt with a stiff-arm \u2013 sometimes more than one on a single play. Saquon Barkley provided perhaps the highlight of the year… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nREPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Derrick Henry makes his presence felt with a stiff-arm \u2013 sometimes more than one on a single play. Saquon Barkley provided perhaps the highlight of the year...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"634\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"422\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178\",\"name\":\"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg\",\"width\":634,\"height\":422},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"Derrick Henry makes his presence felt with a stiff-arm \u2013 sometimes more than one on a single play. Saquon Barkley provided perhaps the highlight of the year...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":634,"height":422,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178","name":"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-30T07:51:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wire-92629813-1732897401-642_634x422.jpg","width":634,"height":422},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=6178#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"REPORT: Running backs the center of attention when Barkley and Henry face off in an Eagles-Ravens til!t"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6178"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6187,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6178\/revisions\/6187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}