Kyren Williams made a cut through the snow, but as he tried to push forward, the ball slipped loose on the slick field. The Eagles recovered and returned it, ending one of the Rams’ drives.
On the very next series, Matthew Stafford dropped back to pass but was strip-sacked, and the Eagles recovered another fumble. These turnovers led to two field goals by the Eagles in the fourth quarter, changing the momentum of the game. The Rams lost 28-22 in Philadelphia on Sunday, falling just short of hosting the NFC Championship game.
“We had two turnovers that don’t necessarily occur in different elements,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
After a tough 1-4 start to the season, the Rams had fought back to become NFC West champions. They had a short week following their playoff win over Minnesota and managed to keep the game close until the final possession, despite the difficult snowy conditions. The Rams were still in a position to pull off an upset, even as wildfires had affected large parts of Southern California.
Stafford, despite dealing with sore ribs, kept the Rams in the game with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson, which made the score 28-22. The Rams had one last chance with two minutes left, and Stafford completed passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles’ territory.
However, Stafford was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down, and his fourth-down pass attempt fell incomplete, ending the Rams’ hopes.
“I felt like we had total control toward the latter part of that game,” McVay said. “The momentum was in our favor and we had an opportunity to be able to win that game and we just came up short.”
Cooper Kupp had a surprisingly small role in the game, catching just five passes for 61 yards. Tyler Higbee, who had been hospitalized just six days before for a chest injury after coughing up blood, returned to catch a 4-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 7 in the first quarter.
Williams, who had rushed for 106 yards, fumbled, which could have potentially cost the Rams a chance to win the game.
“It felt like as an offense, we had them on the ropes, and that they probably felt it, too,” Stafford said. “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.”
Saquon Barkley was a major force for the Eagles, running for 205 yards and scoring rushing touchdowns of 62 and 78 yards. Barkley had a total of 459 yards and four touchdowns in the two games this season against the Rams, with all touchdowns coming from runs over 60 yards.
“Saquon got to the second level, similar to the first game, but there were some different layers that we did have in our defense,” McVay said. “He was able to pull away.”
Joshua Karty kicked two field goals for the Rams, and the defense managed to sack Jalen Hurts for a safety, cutting the Eag
les’ lead to 16-15.
Unlike earlier in the season, the Rams were out of time to make a comeback.
“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,” Stafford said. “So just proud of our guys for not listening to all that and just going and playing and doing what we can do. And we did that.”
The playoff game ended with a few shirtless fans celebrating in the crowd of 65,000 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. These were the same fans Rams rookie linebacker Jared Verse had mentioned before the game that he “hates.”
Verse, who attended high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, about 100 miles from Philadelphia, was trolled by Barkley after the Eagles running back scored on a 62-yard run. Barkley slowed down near the end zone and looked back to taunt Verse, who had been goading the fans during warmups and relished their boos.
Once the game began, the Eagles showed Verse on the big screen, and the fans booed him again. Verse winked at the camera, cementing his place as a target for Philly sports fans.
Despite his playful trash-talking, Verse, who made the Pro Bowl and is a strong candidate for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award with 77 pressures and 4.5 sacks, earned respect from his teammates.
“It’s still cool. I love his game,” Carter said. “He’s a baller.”
In the end, while Verse had his fun, it was Barkley and the Eagles who dominated the field and are now just one win away from their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.
