The Philadelphia Eagles will host the NFC Championship for the second time in three years. The NFC’s No. 2 seed took down the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in a snow game during the Divisional Round. Philly will face their NFC East rival, Washington Commanders, for the third time this year, but this time, a trip to the Super Bowl is on the line. Here are five takeaways from the Eagles’ snow playoff win over the Rams:
Each week, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finds a new way to amaze the football world. Eagles fans can’t help but be grateful to Joe Schoen and the New York Giants for letting the All-Pro back walk in free agency.
Barkley talked to Eagles legendary running back LeSean McCoy ahead of Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup with the Rams in the snow. McCoy put together one of the most memorable snow game performances in a win over, ironically, Matthew Stafford, who was with the Detroit Lions at the time. McCoy carried the ball 29 times for a franchise-best 217 yards with two touchdowns. His record, set in 2013, held up until Barkley broke it in the Week 12 win over the Rams this season with his 255-yard performance.
McCoy’s advice to Barkley worked. The 27-year-old carried the ball 26 times for 205 yards with 62 and 78 yards touchdown runs. His 78-yard touchdown came with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 28-15 lead. Barkley dominated the Rams this year, totaling 534 yards and four touchdowns in two games.
Barkley was held out of the Week 18 matchup against the Giants after head coach Nick Sirianni decided to rest most of his starters ahead of the playoffs. The Pro Bowler was just 101 rushing yards shy of breaking Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson’s record for most rushing yards in a single season.
Barkley passed Dickerson to take over third place for most rushing yards in a single season, including playoffs, with his 205-yard performance in the Divisional Round. Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis has the most and second most rushing yards. Barkley needs three rushing yards to take over second place and 147 rushing yards to become the NFL’s all-time single-season leading rusher, including playoffs.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts caught a lot of flak this season for his sub-par passing numbers. The 26-yard-old attempted the few passes and had the lowest passing yards of his career since taking over as the full-time starter in 2021. Hurts’ season wasn’t as bad as some people may think. The $255 million quarterback had the highest completion percentage, best passer rating, and least interceptions since 2021. He had 32 total touchdowns and just 10 turnovers.
The criticism seemed to be at an all-time high after the Eagles’ Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. Hurts passed for just 131 yards in his return from a concussion. Superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown caught one pass for 10 yards and was only targeted three times. Eagles fans wanted to see Hurts and the passing game rebound to feel confident in the team’s pursuit of a Super Bowl championship.
Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game didn’t prove the doubters wrong against the Rams in the Divisional Round, but they didn’t need to. This year, the Eagles’ offensive identity has been Barkley and the run game. The snowy and windy weather during the playoff game against the Rams assured the run game would be the offense’s focal point.
Hurts was 15/20 for 128 yards in the win. He had seven carries for 70 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening possession. Hurts didn’t turn the ball over and was efficient. That’s all he needs to do to win games for this Eagles team. Fans might want to see more out of their quarterback, but the only thing that matters is to win games and hold up the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. The Eagles are two wins away from making that a reality.
Hurts must do a better job at getting the ball out quicker and avoiding sacks. The Rams sacked him seven times with one of those times occurring in the end zone for a safety. The costly sack cut the Eagles’ lead to one point heading into the final quarter. Hurts has now been sacked nine times through the first two games of the playoffs.
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught only four passes for 21 yards in the Divisional Round win over the Rams. Smith’s 21 yards moved him into first place as the Eagles’ all-time postseason receiving yards leader with 481 yards, passing Hall of Fame wide receiver Harold Carmichael. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert sits in third place with 450 yards.
The Eagles featured the NFL’s No. 1 defense throughout the 2024 season. The unit shut down Jordan Love and the Packers in the Wild Card Round and did enough to survive Stafford and the Rams in the Divisional Round.
The Eagles were without starting linebacker Nakobe Dean who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over the Packers. Oren Burks replaced him, playing relatively well. Rookie cornerback sensation Quinyon Mitchell left the playoff game against the Rams midway through the first quarter with a shoulder injury and didn’t return. It was a massive loss for the Eagles, but early reports suggest that the injury isn’t serious.
The Eagles allowed 402 total yards against the Rams. Stafford threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, and the run game combined for 111 yards. The defense was able to generate two turnovers, recovering two fumbles. Jalen Carter played exceptionally well, recording five tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss.
After Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Stafford and the Rams orchestrated a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to cut the Eagles’ lead to six points. Hurts and the Eagles’ offense would go three-and-out on the following drive.
The Rams got the ball back with 2:23 remaining in the game. Stafford connected with wide receiver Puka Nacua, who ran out of bounds at the Eagles’ 21-yard line after a 37-yard gain. The Eagles forced a 3rd & 2 attempt at the 13-yard line with 1:14 left in the game. Carter made the play of the game, sacking Stafford for nine yards to bring up fourth down. Stafford fired the ball incompletely intended for Nacua, turning the ball over on downs. Hurts took a knee on the following play to send the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game.
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott had what could be argued as the worst season of his career in 2024. It was an uncharacteristically bad year after three consecutive seasons of being one of the NFL’s best, most reliable kickers.
Elliott’s struggles carried into the playoffs. He missed an extra point during the Wild Card win over the Packers, which could’ve proved costly. The Packers made it a six-point game in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead with a touchdown. The miss didn’t come back to haunt Elliott and the Eagles, but it could’ve.
Elliott was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in the Divisional Round against the Rams but missed two extra points. Those two missed points were the difference between an eight-point and a six-point game. Had the Rams scored a touchdown on the final drive, they could’ve taken the lead with an extra point and would be playing in the NFC title game instead of the Eagles. The snowy and windy elements didn’t help his cause, but Elliott must play better and stop putting his team in bad situations.
The Eagles survived the red-hot Rams and advanced to the NFC Championship Game. They’ll host rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Expect Lincoln Financial Field to be rocking on Championship Sunday.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
