I’m Not Gonna Say It
December 2, 2024
I have been around here long enough to know what to say and when to say it. And I also know when not to tempt the football gods. So I’m not gonna say it today.
Oh, I know exactly what you’re thinking after that 24-19 win in Baltimore by the rejuvenated Eagles, their eighth straight victory. It was not pretty, but a 10-2 record with five games to play looks drop-dead gorgeous to me this morning.
In my 33 years at WIP, I learned that moments like this are why so many people in Philadelphia love sports, and especially the Eagles. Streaks like this revitalize the city. Our lifeblood is hope. Sunday’s fairly easy win brought boatloads of hope and breathless anticipation.
The Ravens are not the Giants or (ugh) the Cowboys. They are one of the best teams in the NFL, with the No. 1 run defense and two MVP candidates on offense in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Plus, this game was in Baltimore in December, where and when Jackson had been 10-0 in his career.
It’s so easy to say it today, to dream the ultimate dream. In many of my years at WIP, I was the first to make the boldest proclamations, to voice the innermost thoughts of so many fans. But not now.
Nope. I’m not gonna say it.
When is the last time a free agent came to this city and had the seismic impact that Saquon Barkley has had this season? Every time he carries the ball, I expect him to break through and race for the goal line. The Giants should be ashamed that they blew over $100 million on a stiff like Daniel Jones and refused to guarantee Barkley $15 million a season.
But their loss has been the Eagles’ gain. Barkley ran for 107 yards on Sunday against the No. 1 rushing defense in football. No runner had amassed more than 63 yards in a game this season against the Ravens.
That’s how good Barkley is, and how tough the offensive line is in front of him. Did anyone predict the Eagles would lose the greatest center in their history (Jason Kelce) and improve the next year? I sure didn’t. I was dumb enough to see Kelce’s departure, and the collapse last season, as signs of imminent doom.
I have been wrong before – but never this wrong. The Eagles have doubled my prediction of five wins already, with five left to play. It wouldn’t shock me if they tripled my prediction and ran the table from here.
Needless to say, a 15-2 (or 14-3) team can be expected to accomplish big things in the playoffs. The biggest things. So there’s no reason for me to say it. One of my best callers, Kenny Justice, often called me a moosch, a jinx. But I have learned my lesson.
I’m keeping my mouth shut, for once.
Barkley has been getting all the headlines these days, and with good reason. But there were lots of other heroes in the Ravens win. They deserve a mention today, too.
How many times does a punter have such a dramatic effect on the outcome of a game? Braden Mann turned in the key play when he pinned the Ravens back at their own one-yard line after Baltimore had jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. The field position from that punt set up the first Eagles touchdown and removed all of Baltimore’s swagger.
Jalen Carter has been a revelation this season, and never more so than against the Ravens on Sunday. He was held on more plays than I could count (no calls!), and still managed a sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss. He is in much better shape this season. It shows.
Three new additions to the defense – Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell and Zack Baun – just keep exceeding expectations. Baun is having the best year by an Eagles linebacker in a decade. Maybe two decades. And the other two kids just keep frustrating receivers with tenacious coverage. Bravo again to GM Howie Roseman for three brilliant additions.
Speaking of DeJean, was there a better moment than when the young defensive back grabbed the 247-pound Henry, lifted him off the ground and then slammed him back down? Henry, who has punished DBs his whole career, must have been shocked by the audacity of the rookie. I loved it.
Finally, of course, there’s QB Jalen Hurts. He has always come across as a team-first player, and the best evidence yet is this season. In many ways, he has taken a secondary role to Barkley in the offense, with no complaints. Hurts is simply managing games now, with turnover-free efficiency.
Given how things ended at Alabama, Hurts deserves to stand in the middle of the field, confetti fluttering down, sometime in his career. He deserves to be a . . . . no, I’m not gonna say it.
I find it very interesting that the last stop for the NFL this season is New Orleans. I was there two months ago for the Eagles victory over the Saints, one week before their second (and last) loss in Tampa.
That weekend was brutally hot and the city was loud and dirty. I vowed never to go back, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t take another trip to the Bayou, with the stakes much higher than a September game against a bogus opponent.
The truth is, after what happened on Sunday in Baltimore, it would be a surprise if the Eagles were not there early in February. Just consider the obstacles in their path. Detroit has a better record (11-1), but the Lions needed a gift from the awful Bears to win the Thanksgiving game. The Vikings (10-2) barely got past Arizona and their dumbass coach Jonathan Gannon, 23-22.
Who else is a threat in the NFC? Nobody, really. The NFC championship game already looks like a lock – Eagles vs. Lions. And I would be surprised if the big contest wasn’t at Lincoln Financial Field. The Lions are going to lose again before the playoffs. I’m sure of that.
And then, well, you know. I hear New Orleans is much nicer this time of the year. The only thing that would make it even better is the dejected look on Andy Reid’s face after the Eagles trounce his lucky and overrated Chiefs, with Taylor Swift sobbing in her luxury box.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m doing what so many fans are doing this morning, fantasizing about a glorious end to an improbable season.
I’m just not gonna say what it is.
Because you already know.