The Eagles and the Rams met today and battled throughout every second of this game. Both offenses started hot where you saw both Dallas Goedert and Copper Kupp dominate the opposing secondary.
Kupp started the game with 56 receiving yards while Dallas Goedert started the first quarter with 45 receiving yards. Hurts and Stafford went neck and neck as the game carried on even until the closing seconds of the first half.
The Rams had the ball with two minutes left in the first half and marched down the field to score a touchdown off of a beautiful catch by Paku Nacua. After that score, the Rams held a 14-10 lead with 32 seconds left on the clock.
Jalen Hurts and the offense came onto the field with a goal to score before the end of the half. He found A.J. Brown for a big 38-yard gain that was then followed by a Horse Collar penalty that added another 14 yards. This would lead to the infamous brotherly shove score to close the first half as the Eagles took a 17-14 lead.
Both offenses continued to battle but the Eagles defense was able to stop the Rams from scoring throughout the whole third quarter. The Eagles’ offense turned the ball over in a possible scoring drive as Jalen Hurts threw an interception in the end zone.
The offense came back and drove down the field to score the first point of the second half as an incomplete pass to DeVonta Smith led to a field goal to put the score at 20-14. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles’ defense was able to hold off the high-powered Rams offense to give the Jalen Hurts and company a chance to extend the game to a two-score lead.
With 9:55 left on the clock, the Eagles’ offense marched down the field with the mindset of putting away the Rams for good. Hurts found A.J. Brown for a big 36-yard gain. Swift then broke through for 8 yards on 3rd and 4 to keep the Eagles’ drive alive.
The Eagles had moments on this drive where there was a ton of miscommunication but the Birds kept pushing forward after milking 3 minutes off of the clock. The Eagles red zone offense has struggled mightily this season and with the game on the line, the offense was only able to muster a field goal to put the game at 23-14 after a terrible call for a QB draw.
A key component to the Eagles win over the Rams was time of possession. The Eagles offense had the ball for about 38 minutes of the game while the Rams only had the ball for 21 minutes. Philly was patient on their offensive drives and they were strategic. If they can find a way to win in the red zone then the Eagles will be the most dangerous team in the league by the end of the season.
Eagles take on the Jets in week 6
Philadelphia will now head to the Meadowlands with a 5-0 record to take on the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets at MetLife. Hurts and the offense have taken great steps forward but need to find a way to be more efficient in the red zone. Brian Johnson’s reliance on the run game when the team is within 10-15 yards has been a poor choice. Let’s see how they improve on that while still being undefeated.
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
