Eagles end Rams’ season

The Los Angeles Rams had the Philadelphia Eagles right where they wanted to. They couldn’t finish the job. The Rams battled the Eagles in their NFC Divisional Playoff game in the same way their season played out. 

They were out of it before they came storming back. The Rams started the 2024 NFL season 1-4. They finished strong and won the NFC West title. This game against the Eagles mirrored the season the Rams had.  

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 19: Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) tackles Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) during the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams on January 19th, 2025 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

“There were a lot of people at 1-4 that were talking about who was going to replace everybody on every position of our team and, ‘Should we sell the farm at the trade deadline? Should we tank?’ All of that,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said after the game. 

“So just proud of our guys for not listening to all that and just going and playing and doing what we can do. there were a lot of people at 1-4 that were talking about who was going to replace everybody on every position of our team and, ‘Should we sell the farm at the trade deadline? Should we tank?’ All of that. So just proud of our guys for not listening to all that and just going and playing and doing what we can do,” Stafford went on to say.

At one point late in the game, the Rams looked like they were out of it when they found themselves down double-digits with less than five minutes remaining.

After Saquon Barkley busted loose for a 78-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left in the game, the Rams could have easily folded up and called it a day. But that’s not the way Sean McVay’s team rolls. 

A play here, a play there, and suddenly the Rams found themselves in a position to possibly make a stunning comeback to upset the NFC’s No. 2 team.      

Stafford and the offense could finish off their last drive of the game and the Eagles were able to secure a 28-22 win. 

“Okay, first of all, you give credit, you know, congratulations to the Eagles,” McVay said.  “It was a tough, hard-fought game. You give them credit and they made enough plays to be able to win the game. Man, I’m damn proud to be associated with this football team. I didn’t see it going any other way than us winning that game, 29-28. I think this game, in a lot of ways, epitomized the resilience, the grit, the ability to overcome adversity. Just had a couple things that we couldn’t overcome. 

The failure of not being able to complete that last drive to give his team what would have been a monumental comeback weighed on Stafford’s mind after the game. 

“We’d love to have scored at the end,” Stafford said. “Obviously it felt like as an offense, we had them on the ropes, and that they probably felt it, too. We were moving the rock really well the last two drives, and then just a couple of unforced errors here and there and got behind the sticks. 

“And you do that against a team like that, with a defense like that, it’s going to be a difficult, difficult thing to overcome. But proud of the way we fought. And sure wish we could have done a little bit there at the end to get it done,” Stafford added. 

Stafford and the Rams had an up-and-down game when it came to moving the football against the Eagles and could not get going until it was desperation time. Stafford passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns, but he missed 18 passes while completing 26 tosses. 

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 19: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) breaks a tackle during the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams on January 19th, 2025 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

With a herky-jerky balance from the offensive unit the Rams fell back on depending on its defense to come to the rescue. Outside of allowing Barkley to break out with two long touchdown runs (78 yards and 62 yards), the defense of the Rams kept a lid on Philadelphia’s offense. 

The Rams sacked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts seven times. The impressive performance follows Los Angeles picking up nine sacks against the Minnesota Vikings in a Wild Card Playoff game that was played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

That’s a total of 16 sacks in two straight playoff games, a feat not too many teams have accomplished. However, fumbles by Stafford and running back Kyren Williams on back-to-back drives proved to be too costly for the Rams to overcome. 

“I think you saw, there were some times where some uncharacteristic things, just in terms of the ball handling,” McVay said. “We had two turnovers that probably don’t necessarily occur in different elements. A couple of drops you could see. When [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley] got to the second level, similar to the first game, but there were some different layers that we did have in our defense.”

Photo image caption for lead photo: PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 19: Los Angeles Rams tight end Davis Allen (87) runs with the ball during the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams on January 19th, 2025 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)


Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading