The Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams will battle at Lincoln Financial Field this weekend for the right to advance to the NFC Championship game. Philadelphia’s defense led the team to a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, while Los Angeles’ high-powered offense took center stage in a 27-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Philly and Los Angeles squared off in Week 12 of the NFL season – a 37-20 Birds win on the West Coast. Saquon Barkley set a new franchise rushing record with 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the NFL’s Divisional Playoffs, the second-seed Eagles and fourth-seed Rams will enter a gridiron rematch with the season on the line for both clubs.
Cooper Kupp Gets Hollywood Buzzing Against Birds
Before we can talk about Cooper DeJean’s impact against Cooper Kupp in their November matchup, it would be wise to look at the benchmark set by the Rams’ receiver over his career. In three meetings with Philly before this season, Kupp collected 18 receptions for 317 yards, an average of 106 yards per game or 18.2 yards per reception. On two occasions at home in Los Angeles, the third-round wide receiver finished with 118 receiving yards on the afternoon.
In his lone road matchup in Philadelphia in September 2020, Kupp finished with five catches for 81 yards in a 37-19 Rams win that dropped the Eagles to 0-3 on the way to a 4-11-1 finish. Stafford located Tyler Higbee for three touchdowns in the Los Angeles win.
Eagles Rookie Duo Shines in Week 12 against Los Angeles
Philadelphia’s highly-prized cornerback duo of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been everything that the front office could have expected since being selected at last year’s draft. Mitchell, the Eagles’ first-round choice, has been a starting outside cornerback alongside Darius Slay from the start of the season. DeJean, Philly’s second-round selection, was added to the starting lineup by Vic Fangio in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns.
Six weeks later, the rookie duo were matched against one of the NFL’s premier combinations, Kupp and Puka Nacua. While Nacua eclipsed the century mark with 117 yards, his running mate (Kupp) was limited to just 60 yards, although the eight-year NFL veteran did score a touchdown in the Rams loss. That output is lower than Kupp’s 75 yards-per-game average over 100 NFL contests in his career.
Fangio was candid with the media about the Week 12 matchup on Tuesday. “They drove it early on us during the first drive of the game,” the Eagles defensive coordinator said. “Early in the game, we weren’t very sharp, and they were. These guys (the Rams) are a gameplan-specific team. They are going to have a mode of operation of the way they want to attack you. We have got to be ready for that.” Eagles fans can be confident that Fangio and his coaching staff will showcase their own game plan to slow down a talented Rams offense from a blazing hot start on Sunday afternoon.
Pivotal Battle of Mr. Cooper – DeJean vs. Kupp
DeJean had nearly identical stats against the Rams wideouts earlier this season. DeJean allowed three receptions and 38 yards on four targets in coverage against Nacua. Kupp also caught three passes on four throws but netted only 11 yards. The Eagles rookie had a pass breakup against each veteran receiver in the Philly victory. Fangio was resistant to heap praise on a specific player from the matchup earlier this season. “We played a lot of zone,” the defensive-minded coach said. “So, I don’t think you can say he (DeJean) had great success one way or the other on any of their guys.”
Fangio had DeJean glued to the side of Kupp, one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. His nine matchups against Kupp were the most of any Eagles cornerback during Week 12. The Eagles’ defense sliced Kupp’s typical production by half – 106 yards per game average against the Eagles before this season to 60 yards in the matchup in November at Sofi Stadium.
Los Angeles finished inside the top 10 in passing with 325 yards per game during the 2024 regular season. Philadelphia finished first overall as the top passing defense, allowing under 175 yards via the air this season. If Fangio can again limit the damage from the slot wide receiver position, Los Angeles may have issues finding room to operate its offense, as it did during the Eagles’ Week 12 win.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
