The Philadelphia Eagles took on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. These two teams met last season, where the Eagles came out victorious. This was a test for both teams as many people believe that they are contenders in the NFC conference outside the Detroit Lions.
The Eagles were without wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. The Rams were without offensive lineman Rob Havenstein, who has been dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out the last two games.
Game Recap
The Rams got the ball first and wasted no time moving down the field. Kyren Williams had a big run for 27 yards which put his team in the red zone. It looked like they were going to run it in for the TD, but the ball came out. Initially ruled down by contact, Nick Srianni challenged the call. It was overturned to a fumble recovered by the defense.
The Eagles took over at their own 16-yard line, and wasted no time moving down the field. Jalen Hurts found AJ Brown for a big gain, and Saquon Barkley doing what he does best. They got in the red zone, but the Rams defense held them to a field goal.
Los Angeles got the ball, and Matthew Stafford found his receiver Puka Nacua several times for a big game. They got back in the red zone, and they were able to run it in for the TD to take the lead. They never faced a third down on their first two drives of the game.
The Eagles’ next possession ended with them going three and out after Hurts took a sack on 3rd down. The Rams’ next possession also ended with them going three and out after failing to convert on their first third down of the game.
Philadelphia got the ball back and Hurts found his receiver for a 27-yard gain to get in the red zone. They were forced to settle for a field goal again after they kept moving back due to numerous penalties. Luckily, their defense forced another three and out after Stafford was sacked for a nine-yard loss.
The Eagles got decent field position off the punt return and quickly moved into their opponent’s territory. They got in the red zone thanks to a big gain by Barkely, then Hurts found Brown for the touchdown. It was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but officials overturned the call after review.
The Rams could not answer and were forced to punt once again after failing to convert on third down. Philly had a chance to put more points on the board, not to mention they got the ball to start the second half. They faced a fourth down and decided to go for it. It was a turnover on downs, and that was the end of the first half.
The first play of the second half began with a handoff to Saquon Barkley for a 70-yard touchdown. The Rams answered with a touchdown of their own to make it a one possession game after a defensive pass interference put the ball at the one-yard line.
Philadelphia’s next drive ended with a handoff to backup running back Kenneth Gainwell for a 31-yard TD. The Rams had to settle for a field goal due to loss of yardage plus an offensive holding penalty, but the kick was no good.
The Eagles got back in the red zone on their next drive, but offsetting penalties forced them to also settle for the field goal. The kick was good, and the lead was extended to 16. The Rams got the ball at their 30-yard line, and needed to put points on the board quickly.
One notable thing was that the Rams did not have much success running the ball in the second half. They also were not converting on third downs. Their first drive of the fourth quarter is where they faced a 3rd and 11. They did not convert it, but got enough yards to make it a manageable fourth down.
Stafford found Tutu Atwell for a seven-yard gain to convert the fourth down and extend the drive. They faced another third down on the drive, and Stafford found Nacua for the 10-yard gain. It would have been their first third down conversion, but Nacua was called for offensive pass interference.
They had to replay the third down, and Stafford was sacked for an eight-yard loss which took them out of field goal range. The Eagles got the ball with a little over five minutes left in the game with a chance to put the nail in the coffin.
With time not on their side, the Rams used two of their timeouts to try to get a stop. Their defense put the Eagles in a 4th and 1 situation at their own 18-yard line. A stop would allow the Rams to take over in the red zone.
The Eagles would end up getting the first down thanks to a defensive offside penalty. They faced another third down, and Hurts handed it off to Barkley for a 72-yard TD. That was the nail in the coffin as the lead increased to 23.
The Rams scored on their next drive thanks to another fourth down conversion. Stafford once again found Atwell for the big gain. He then proceeded to find Cooper Kupp for a 27-yard touchdown. They attempted the two-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful.
With 1:07 minute left, the Rams attempted the onside kick. It was unsuccessful, but a penalty on Dallas Goedert allowed them to retry. But it did not matter as the onside kick was once again unsuccessful and the Eagles kneeled it out.
The Eagles won 37-20 and improved to 9-2 on the season. This marked their seventh consecutive win, going undefeated since their bye week. With the Commanders losing to the Cowboys, the Eagles have a three-game lead in the NFC East division.
Saquon Barkley finished with 302 total yards, with 26 carries for 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He has been the missing piece for the Eagles offense, and has put himself in MVP/OPOY conversations. He is on pace to break the single season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984 with 2,105.
Jalen Hurts finished with 15 completions out of 22 attempts for 179 yards and one touchdown. AJ Brown finished with six receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown. Kenneth Gainwell finished with five carries for 22 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, December 1. The game will air on CBS and begin at 4:25pm EST.
Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, the top two rushing leaders, will be the matchup to look forward to. Both players are in the mix for OPOY as well as MVP. And of course the battle of the dual threat quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.
Matthew Stafford finished with 24 completions out of 36 attempts for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Puka Nacua finished with nine receptions for 117 yards. Kyren Williams finished with 16 carries for 72 yards and one touchdown. Cooper Kupp finished with eight receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown.
While the Rams drop to 5-6, they are just a game out of first in the NFC West division. They have division wins over the 49ers and Seahawks, but lost to the Cardinals which puts them third in the division. They are still in the hunt for the playoffs and winning the division.
Their next game is on Sunday, December 1 against the New Orleans Saints. The game will air on Fox and start at 4:05 pm EST.
Photo Courtesy: @Eagles/X
