Tim McManus
Sarah Barshop
Sarah Barshop
ESPN Workers Author
Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cowl the Inexperienced Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cowl the Texans. She got here to ESPN after working as a author and editor for Sports activities Illustrated. You’ll be able to comply with her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles rode into the NFC Championship Sport on the energy of Saquon Barkley and the protection, knocking off the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 within the divisional spherical on Sunday.
In different phrases, nothing has modified.
Barkley proved to be the Rams’ kryptonite as soon as once more, speeding for a franchise-record 205 yards. He broke off two landing runs of 60-plus yards, together with a 76-yarder within the latter phases of the fourth quarter that set off a celebration at Lincoln Monetary Area, full with “MVP” chants and snowballs being thrown.
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His efficiency was paying homage to the Week 12 matchup towards L.A. when he popped off for a franchise-record 255 yards.
When the sport was unsure — and it was after quarterback Jalen Hurts was taken down for a security that closed the margin to 1 late within the third quarter. Former Georgia teammates Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith Jr. compelled fumbles on back-to-back sequence to arrange a pair of subject targets that gave Philadelphia some respiration room. Then Barkley performed nearer.
There might be some questions on Hurts’ well being (he appeared to injure his left leg within the second half) and whether or not the passing sport is as much as the take a look at heading into the NFC title sport towards the Washington Commanders on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Fox). However there isn’t any denying the effectiveness of the formulation that acquired them there.
Greatest gap within the sport plan: Clock administration to finish the primary half. Coach Nick Sirianni’s dealing with of the state of affairs was questionable. After a Hurts sack moved the Eagles again to the Rams’ 45-yard line, Philadelphia might have taken a timeout with about 20 seconds left to attempt to run a play that might get them again into subject purpose vary. As an alternative, Sirianni let the clock run down to a few seconds to arrange a Hail Mary, which led to a different Hurts sack and 0 factors for the Eagles.
Most shocking efficiency: Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers changed an injured Quinyon Mitchell within the lineup and got here up with one of many largest performs of the sport, scooping up a Kyren Williams fumble on the primary play of the fourth quarter and returning it 40 yards. It seemed like Barkley cashed in for his second TD of the day however was dominated brief, resulting in a Jake Elliott subject purpose for a 19-15 Eagles lead.
Eye-popping stat: Barkley reached a max pace of 20.78 mph on each of his TD runs. He has 9 speeding TDs on the season the place he reached 20-plus mph. Previous to this season, the Eagles had six such landing runs going again to NFL Subsequent Gen Stats debut in 2016. Los Angeles Chargers rookie large receiver Ladd McConkey is the one ball service who has hit a sooner max pace (20.84) this postseason. — Tim McManus
Subsequent sport: vs. Washington Commanders, 3 p.m. ET, Sunday (Fox)
The Rams’ postseason run ended with the loss to the Eagles on Sunday, because the staff scored 22 factors with the snow coming down for a lot of the sport in Philadelphia.
The offense discovered the top zone twice: a 4-yard landing go from quarterback Matthew Stafford to tight finish Tyler Higbee on the Rams’ first drive of the sport and one other to Higbee with lower than 2½ minutes remaining within the sport to make it a six-point sport.
Stafford accomplished 26-of-43 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Stafford ends his third playoff run with the Rams with 15 passing touchdowns within the playoffs for Los Angeles, tying Kurt Warner for probably the most in staff historical past.
The groups traded possessions fairly evenly by way of three quarters earlier than the Rams struggled to guard the ball, with fumbles by working again Kyren Williams and Stafford on back-to-back drives within the fourth quarter.
In accordance with ESPN Analysis, the Rams are the primary staff to lose a fumble on back-to-back drives within the playoffs because the Dolphins within the 2016.
Eye-popping stat: Stafford’s first-quarter landing go to tight finish Higbee had 0.4 yards of separation on the arrival on the throw. That is the fewest yards of separation on any Stafford passing landing as a Ram, based on NFL Subsequent Gen Stats.
Promising development: The go rush. Per week after tying a playoff file with 9 sacks, the younger Rams protection sacked Hurts seven occasions, giving them a complete of 16 in a two-game span — probably the most over a two-game stretch within the playoffs since sacks turned official in 1963, based on ESPN Analysis.
Greatest gap within the sport plan: Stopping the Eagles’ working sport. The Rams knew the problem of this after permitting 314 speeding yards — together with a franchise-record 255 by Barkley — of their Week 12 loss to Philadelphia. The Eagles’ first two touchdowns have been on rushes of 44 yards (Hurts) and 62 (Barkley) and Philadelphia completed with 285 yards on the bottom. — Sarah Barshop
