Zack Baun and the Eagles defense had just held the Baltimore Ravens to 19 points.

They had called on star quarterback Lamar Jackson for the sack three times, and while they still ran for 82 yards, they were able to repeatedly stand up to and control the Ravens’ MVP-caliber running back, Derrick Henry. Baltimore, one of the NFL’s best offenses, managed just two touchdowns, the latter coming at the last second in garbage time when the Ravens couldn’t do anything else.

Baun was ever-present, as was his linebacking partner Nakobe Dean and up front Jalyx Hunt, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Nolan Smith and certainly Jalen Carter – to the point where the second-year defensive tackle was either held or played double or both every other game, but still caused constant chaos at the line.

Facing what was supposed to be their toughest matchup of the entire season, the Eagles’ defense dominated Sunday’s 24-19 victory in Baltimore.

Then, in his locker postgame, Baun, a one-year recruit who instead became an absolute revelation for the team at linebacker, described his teammates with the one word Philadelphia loves to hear.

“I think a lot of people on this defense and on this team were.” outsider “Having that chip on your shoulder — I know, I know Nakobe has it, and a lot of these linebackers have it. “(We) just play aggressive. We want to strengthen teams, we want to wear them down, and that’s what we did.”

And perhaps the term is particularly suitable for Baun.

In his four previous seasons with New Orleans, Baun never played as well or had such a big role. He was a specialized pass rusher and had only been to the playoffs once before – his rookie year in 2020, Baun recalled, when he was only a special teams player and the Saints were eliminated after the divisional round.

But here in Philadelphia, under the supervision of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, he has developed into a suffocating off-ball linebacker — possibly even an All-Pro linebacker when all is said and done — and is now well on his way back to the Eagles were 10-2 and had all but secured a spot in the postseason.

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Baun leads the Eagles in tackles with 118 (including 74 solo tackles) through 12 games, and as of Monday morning, he is the highest-graded linebacker in the NFL with a defensive grade of 89.6, according to Pro Football Focus, above San Francisco’s Fred Warner (88, 4) and Washington’s Bobby Wagner (83.7).

On Sunday against the Ravens, his 13 tackles led the afternoon, with some of them coming in crucial situations such as Baltimore’s third-and-2 late in the first half.

The Eagles were on the field but trailed 9-7 while the Ravens tried to pass the ball to Henry to keep the pace going. Looking for the first down, Baltimore counterattacked to eliminate its power runner wide left on the handoff to gain the few needed yards and then maybe more, but Baun immediately pounced on the snap and shot right through the blockers and straight to Henry in the backfield, who lost yards and a drive was abruptly stopped.

In the third quarter, with the Eagles holding a narrow two-point lead but with Baltimore on another third down with the ball at their own 15, Baun blitzed and threw aside Ravens running back Justice Hill, who had no chance as a blocker had. Hunt, as the defensive end, pushed his way out of his block and around the corner, sending both pass rushers rushing toward a retreating Jackson who was well out of the pocket.

Jackson was trailing by 14 yards when Baun and Hunt closed in to bring him down for the combined sack, forcing a fourth down and a field goal attempt from 47 yards out that Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker missed at to keep the Eagles in the lead.

Then there were all the smaller plays that kept the potential damage to a minimum, like the run below where Baun and Dean both plugged the hole at the line so Hill had nowhere to go.

That added up.

“We just stay in our keys,” Baun said of how the Eagles defense kept the Ravens in check. “We knew it was going to be a tough, tough game and that’s what we made of it. That’s what we like.”

That’s the call of an underdog, the call of a player who was supposed to shore up a long-weak position but has instead developed into the best linebacker the Eagles have had in years, and the call of an identity that Philadelphia needs. No convincing – that Since 2018, dog masks have always been at hand.

“Our identity is physical,” Baun said. “If you want to challenge that, we’ll show up and be more physically active.”

Even against the best in the NFL.

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