Eagles will need more Saquon magic after DeVonta Smith injury update

After a bit of an iffy start to their season, the Philadelphia Eagles enter their Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens with a legitimate argument of being the team to beat in the NFC. Yes, the Detroit Lions are amazing, and the NFC North as a whole (sans Chicago) looks impressive, but the Eagles have dominated on both sides of the ball lately.

As well as they've played, Philadelphia's schedule has been relatively light, especially lately. That will change with a road matchup against the Baltimore Ravens coming up. Their challenge to beat Baltimore will only get tougher with DeVonta Smith's injury update.

He was deemed questionable entering the day, but Smith has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. This will be Smith's second missed game of the season. Beating Baltimore without him won't be impossible, but the Eagles will need more from their primary contributors - mainly Saquon Barkley.

Eagles will need to rely on Saquon Barkley even more following DeVonta Smith injury update

When the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley this offseason, everyone knew he'd be good. Adding a player that talented behind that offensive line made it obvious. Expectations were high, yet Saquon has completely shattered them.

The 27-year-old enters Sunday's game with 1,392 rushing yards on 223 attempts and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He has tacked on another 257 yards and two touchdowns in the air. He leads the NFL in rushing attempts, yards, yards per attempt, yards per game, touches, and yards from scrimmage. He has played so well, in fact, to the point where he is legitimately in the MVP conversation despite being a running back.

As great as Barkley has been, this profiled as a game where the Eagles would rely on their star-studded wide receiver duo of Smith and A.J. Brown. Baltimore has allowed 277.7 passing yards per game - the second-most of any team in the NFL. That's by far the biggest weakness on their team. On the flip side, they've allowed just 77.9 rushing yards per game. Some of that has to do with them playing ahead a decent amount, but their run defense is stout.

With Smith out, though, the Eagles will likely need more from Barkley. Sure, Brown is active, but the Ravens can pay more attention to him. With Jahan Dotson as their WR2 thanks to Smith's injury, The Ravens can try and take Brown out of the game, putting more pressure on Barkley to be impactful. It won't be easy against a strong run defense, but if Barkley wants to be in the MVP discussion, MVPs show up in games like these.