The Rams won the toss, deferred, and the Eagles’ defense forced a three and out on the Rams’ first drive. Philadelphia took over and scored a TD a minute later off a 44-yard Jalen Hurts TD run to jump up to an early 7–0 lead.
Shortly after that score, three forms of precipitation fell onto Lincoln Financial Field. But like Jalen Hurts has said.
“Rain, sleet, or snow, the Eagles are trained to go”
There are many observations from South Philly and the Eagle’s big win over the Rams as they march towards a Super Bowl title.
Eagles Offense
Much of the offensive play-calling was questionable throughout the game, and there were costly mistakes that made this game closer than it needed to be.
Lane had a false start from the one-inch line, and a Mekhi Becton penalty for getting down the field took away a big pass play to Dallas Goedert that had the Birds setting up shop at the LA two-yard line.
The Eagles were also in 11 personnel (one tight end)44 times and 12 formations (two tight ends) 15 times. Last week, they ran plays from the 11 formation twelve fewer times. The Eagles decided on a different style of attack in the snow.
Jalen Hurts started the game with three straight completions and then busted off a 44-yard TD run to take an early 7–0 lead over LA. He was under pressure a lot in this game, and when facing this in the first half, he only completed two passes and was taken down on four sacks.
Hurts, and the Eagles’ O-line struggled mightily in this one, including giving up two points due to a safety late in the game. The Rams had seven sacks in the contest. Still, Jalen completed 15 of 20 passes, including 2 or 3 drops, depending on which stat server you use. He also could have had four touchdowns. A pass to Goedert to the 2-yard line was called back due to a penalty that likely took away a Brotherly Shove TD. A drop by AJ at the 1 took away another, and a false start at the 1 took a third.
Jalen suffered an injury to what looked to be both legs in the fourth quarter. His status and progress this week will be monitored closely. If he plays, and I believe he will, he and the passing game need to perform better in the NFCCG.
Saquon Barkley had two explosive TD runs versus the Rams during the regular season and added two more in the postseason. Saquon ran a 62-yard TD in the first half and added a 78-yard in the second. The Rams went into the game thinking they had a plan to stop Barkley. Mike Tyson stated it best: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Saquon finished the game with 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground and added 27 more yards in receiving. He is the true league MVP.
AJ Brown had zero drops on 98 targets heading into this game and made two uncharacteristic drops in the first half. He finished with two receptions on seven targets for 14 yards. He will look to bounce back versus Washington.
DeVonta Smith caught all 4 of his targets, good for 21 yards, and became the all-time post-season leader in receiving yards in the Eagles franchise. Smitty has 10 catches for 80 yards versus the Commanders this season and will look to add to those totals in the NFC Championship game.
Dallas Goedert hauled in a huge 3rd down reception for 31 yards in the third quarter, leading to an Eagles field goal. He also had a tough catch and ran down to the Ram’s 2-yard line, which was called back due to a penalty on the other side of the field. He has been a welcome addition since returning from injury in both the pass and run game. He finished the game with four receptions for 56 yards and moved to third on the Eagle’s all-time post-season receiving yards leaderboard.
Eagles Defense
This team can win any game with the defense performing at this level. They created two turnovers, had five sacks, and only allowed 111 rushing yards. After a slow start getting pressure on Rams QB Matthew Stafford in the first half, they dialed it up in the second. When Stafford was pressured, he had four completions for 34 yards. When he was not, he completed 22 pass attempts for 290 yards on those 37 dropbacks.
Jalen Carter Carter picked up Stafford like he weighed 25 lbs on one of his two sacks in the game, demonstrating his unmatched strength. He was a game-wrecking menace all game. He punched the ball out for a turnover, had 3 QB hits, a batted ball, five tackles, two TFLs, and two sacks. He managed all this while being double-teamed on 26 of his 49 pass rushes. He is making his case as the best DT in the league.
Nolan Smith is showing why the Eagles drafted in the first round and the reason for having patience with edge rushers developing at the NFL level. Nolan had a strip sack recovered by Baun and a TFL. He has been the best pass rusher on the team this postseason, and he defends the run better than any other. His sophomore leap has been exciting to watch.
Jalyx Hunt played 17 impactful snaps. He had a sack on 3rd and a goal to force an FG for the Rams, which proved to be a crucial four points not on the scoreboard for them. Jalyx never stopped on the play and returned to get the sack on Stafford from behind. His speed and energy have been a huge boost for this defense. The rookie has a promising future. It was only fitting that the rookie gets a sack when the theme for the Eagles post-season is “Let’s Hunt”
Zack Baun had a great game as the green dot QB of the defense. He finished the game with six tackles, a pass defended, and a tackle for loss. Some were concerned with how he would perform calling the defensive plays; he and the defense did not skip a beat. He is named an all-pro for a reason, and he shows up every game!
Oren Burks played better after a full week of practice with the starters, as he did during week 17. Oren made a big tip on a 3rd down pass play with 5 minutes left, demonstrating good recognition to jump up and get a hand on the ball. He was tied with the team lead for defensive stops with 4. Burks has filled in admirably for the injured Nakobe Dean.
Moro Ojomo played 19 defensive snaps and made some impactful plays. He had a TFL and a sack when the defense needed him the most down the stretch. Many of the DTs were gassed and the Eagles are fortunate to have someone as reliable as Moro to come in the game.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr did not have an axe drop moment, but he was big for the Birds on special teams and contributed with two tackles for the defense. The rookie is gaining valuable experience and has a bright future.
Big Play Slay had a beautiful PBU on the opening offensive drive for the Rams and finished the game with three pass breakups. Slay was targeted 16 times, the most by any player in a playoff game in the Next-Gen stats era.
Quinyon Mitchell left the game in the first drive injured and was ruled out at halftime. The Eagles replaced him with Isaiash Rodgers. Quinyon intimated that he would be fine for the NFCCG. They will need him to advance.
Isaiah Rodgers played well in Quinyon Mitchell’s absence. In addition, he scooped up a Jalen Carter forced fumble and ran it down to the red zone, which resulted in a field goal a few plays later. He may see extra reps in practice this week depending on the availability of Mitchell.
Philly Dawgs:
The duo of Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith Jr. combined for five hurries, ten pressures, three sacks, three TFLs, and two forced fumbles.
https://twitter.com/PHLEagleNews/status/1881136198502240549
Eagles Special Teams:
Jake Elliott made 3 clutch FGs and missed 2 PATS. His struggles continue to be an enigma.
Braden Mann put on a master class of getting the ball down on the snaps in that snowstorm. Hats off to him. A single mistake during that process could have resulted in a loss. He also had 199 yards on four punts.
Looking Ahead:
The Philadelphia Eagles will host their sixth NFC Championship Game (the most of any team in the league by two or more) since 2000 versus Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday at 3:00.
As always, Thank you for reading.
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