The Philadelphia Eagles took care of business in the Wild Card Round of the postseason by defeating the Green Bay Packers, 22-10. Now the Eagles will host the scorching hot Los Angeles Rams, who some experts view as one of the toughest remaining teams that nobody else wants to play at this point in the postseason. Although it’s worth mentioning that the Eagles dominated the Rams in Week 12, as Saquon Barkley carried Philadelphia to a 37-20 victory in Los Angeles.
Now the Rams will be forced to travel across the country to the City of Brotherly Love following a short week of preparation after playing on Monday night. After the Eagles had their way on the ground against the Rams during the regular season, many are expecting a much closer matchup in their second meeting. Here are three storylines to watch for when the Eagles host the Rams in the Divisional Round.
Can the Rams stop Saquon Barkley?
While it’s fair to say that Barkley likely won’t be able to replicate his 255-yard performance against the Rams from Week 12 once again, Los Angeles will have to prove that they can slow down Philadelphia’s superstar running back. Barkley had 26 carries for 255 rushing yards against the Rams in Week 12. Since that embarrassing gashing, the Rams have allowed just one 100-yard rusher (Alvin Kamara, 112 rushing yards) in their last seven games.
In the last four games that the Rams have utilized their entire starting defense, they have yet to allow a team to score double-digit points. While it’s certainly an impressive feat, Los Angeles has yet to face an offense that is loaded with star power and a dominant offensive line quite like the Eagles. Therefore, it’s difficult to judge how dominant the Rams’ defense truly is.
Especially since it took two late game turnovers for the Rams to escape with victories against the injury riddled San Francisco 49ers and the struggling Arizona Cardinals. In fact, Cardinals backup running back Michael Carter had 13 carries for 70 rushing yards against Los Angeles in Week 17. Kyler Murray also had four carries for 32 rushing yards as well. Which proves that the Rams actually struggled against the last dual-threat quarterback that they faced, so they must be prepared for Philadelphia’s one-two punch of Barkley and Jalen Hurts.
Who will replace Nakobe Dean and how will Sean McVay attack them?
After Eagles starting linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Packers, veteran Oren Burks stepped up in his place. Yet Burks struggled with missed tackles and many are calling for Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to start rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. against the Rams. While Fangio hasn’t revealed who will start on Sunday, he mentioned that both players are in the mix.
Regardless of who starts in place of Dean, they’re surely going to be targeted by Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles loves to utilize star wide receive Puka Nacua in tight alignments, as well as targeting tight end Tyler Higbee. Therefore, both Burks and Trotter need to be ready for whatever the Rams will throw at them in coverage.
In Philadelphia’s first matchup with the Rams, they were actually able to get both Burks and Trotter on the field thanks to their big lead. Burks was targeted twice in coverage against Nacua, allowing one reception for seven yards, according to Pro Football Focus. While Trotter was targeted just once in coverage and broke up a pass intended for tight end Colby Parkinson.
While it’s unclear which linebacker will start for the Eagles, McVay and company will surely be ready to test them early and often in Philadelphia. Higbee was off to a scorching hot start last week against the Vikings and has a history of terrorizing the Eagles. If the Rams are able to consistently target either Burks or Trotter, Philadelphia’s defense could struggle to get off the field in the Divisional Round.
Which trends will continue in Philadelphia?
There are plenty of trends and streaks in play heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Eagles and Rams, yet which one will continue in Philadelphia? Here’s a closer look at each of the trends and streaks that are worth monitoring ahead of the Divisional Round matchup in the City of Brotherly Love (credit to Pro Football Focus and NFL Next Gen Stats for the stats and information).
- Eagles are 10-0 in games that Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have started in and completed this season.
- Jalen Hurts is 3-0 in home playoff games in his NFL career. Hurts is 0-3 on the road or at neutral site playoff games in his NFL career.
- Eagles are 6-0 at home in the Divisional Round in team history, which is the best record in NFL history.
- Eagles are 5-0 in games that A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert have started in this season.
- Matthew Stafford is 1-8 in nine career games played in either the rain or snow.
- Since 2021, teams that played on Monday night in the Wild Card Round are 1-3 in their Divisional Round game the following week.
- No team in NFL history has defeated multiple opponents in a single season with 14 or more regular season wins entering the game. Rams defeated the 14-win Vikings last week and will visit the 14-win Eagles in the Divisional Round.
- Jared Verse had three or more total pressures in every start this season, except in Week 12 against the Eagles, when Philadelphia’s offensive line limited him to just one total pressure.
- Seven players have rushed for 200 or more rushing yards against a team during the regular season and then played against that same team in the playoffs. All seven players were held to less than 100 rushing yards in their postseason rematch. Barkley will become the eighth player to do so on Sunday. Can the Rams keep the streak alive and stop Barkley from reaching the century mark?
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
