The Philadelphia Eagles have made it to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they will take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are coming off an impressive Monday night victory over the Minnesota Vikings, 27-9.
The Vikings looked like a shell of their early-season, and even Week 17-selves. That is not trying to take away from the Rams’ impressive victory. The defense showed up in a big way, recording nine sacks. That is tied for the most sacks in a game this season, as the New England Patriots hit that number when they defeated the Chicago Bears on November 10. This young and upcoming defense will get their second chance at the Eagles.
In the first matchup, the talented Rams defense only sacked Jalen Hurts once. However, Jared Verse will be looking for revenge in this matchup. Verse’s first game against the Eagles was his first and only down moment of his stellar rookie season. He registered a 40.8 PFF grade in the 37-20 loss. His next lowest-graded game was 63.7 against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. It is safe to say that star offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson gave him problems. Verse will look to add an exclamation point to his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign.
The Eagles’ offense is looking to neutralize Verse once again and hopefully have similar success as the unit did in Week 12.
Running back Saquon Barkley had 302 total yards and two touchdowns in the victory, one of Barkley’s many standout moments this season. Considering his success in the first matchup and the projected weather in Philadelphia, he will be a primary key to victory.
Saquon’s Signature Moment
Barkley has had many signature moments in an Eagles’ uniform already. However, this Sunday is shaping up to be possibly the biggest one. A snow game is on the horizon for Lincoln Financial Field. As of writing this article, there is projected to be three to six inches starting around kickoff.
Many people remember the Eagles matchup against the Detroit Lions many years ago. It will not be snow on that level, but it will be close, as eight inches fell during that game. However, even with less snow, if Barkley does anything similar to what he did in the regular season, he will cement himself even further into Eagles lore.
The Rams will be keying in on the run regardless of the weather. The question is, will devoting the extra resources be enough to stop Barkley?
Barkley sees eight or more men in the box at the 26th-highest rate in the league. That number isn’t as high as many would think, thanks to A.J. Brown and company. However, it’s likely that number increase in this matchup. Despite that, Barkley is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
Barkley has a knack for breaking the big run, leading the league with six rushes of 50-plus yards. The Eagles running back is a fantastic talent and has been put in the perfect situation in Philadelphia. Can he be the hero on Sunday, with the defense keying in on him? The answer will be a resounding yes by the fourth quarter.
The Defense Knows Best
The year this Eagles’ defense has had compared to last year cannot be understated. The team gave up the seventh-most yards in 2023, and are giving up the lowest amount in 2024. It is an outstanding transformation led by Vic Fangio, and his defense showed up last week, forcing three turnovers.
The Packers’ offense did not have an answer for what the Eagles were doing on defense, resulting in only 10 points. The Rams will be a more difficult challenge, but the Eagles will be at home instead of on the road like they were in Week 12. It could be argued that the first matchup was also a home game, and you would not hear too many arguments from anyone.
Now, Matthew Stafford will have to venture into the snow, a place where he has historically struggled. Stafford is 1-8 in his career playing in precipitation. In the famous snow game in Philadelphia, Stafford fumbled five times. That was over a decade ago, but worth mentioning. The defensive line stuffing the run game and forcing Stafford to throw in subpar conditions will be the key to victory.
Philadelphia Eagles Game Prediction
The weather may make this a closer game than anticipated. Both teams will be honing in on the run. It will just be a test of who the more physical team is. I believe that is the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Rams have done a great job of strengthening both of their lines over the past two years. Replacing Aaron Donald is no easy task, but they have a great successor in Jared Verse. This game has the vibe of a Saquon legacy game, where he puts the offense on his back. He has done that many times this season and will do it again when he finds the endzone.
The Eagles roster is better constructed to win this type of football game. It also helps to have the best defense in the league. Having that puts a ton of things in motion. However, the defense will miss Nakobe Dean this week.
Dean was having a breakout season, and now it will be next man up with Oren Burks or Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Despite losing Dean for the rest of the playoffs, this will be another outstanding showing for the defense.
Final Score: Philadelphia Eagles 21, Los Angeles Rams 14
