This season, three teams stood out in the NFC: the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings. Combined, they finished with a 43-8 record in the regular season.
For the Los Angeles Rams, reaching the Super Bowl might require beating all three of them. They’ve already defeated one.
One of the biggest surprises of the wild-card round was the Rams’ dominant 27-9 win over the Vikings. Even though they had to move their home playoff game to Glendale, Arizona due to wildfires in Los Angeles, they still managed to defeat a 14-3 team. Now, in the divisional playoffs, the Rams must face another 14-3 team—the Philadelphia Eagles—this time on the road in Philadelphia.
The matchup
No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (11-7) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (15-3)
Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia
3 p.m. ET
How to watch Rams at Eagles
The game will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Betting odds
The Eagles are favored by 6 points at BetMGM. The total for the game is set at 44. In Week 12, the Eagles were 3-point favorites at home against the Rams and won 37-20, easily covering the spread.
X-factor
Will Cooper Kupp have a big game? He has been surprisingly quiet in recent weeks, with just five catches for 82 yards in the Rams’ last four games. Puka Nacua has stepped up as the Rams’ top receiver, and Kyren Williams has been effective on the ground, but to beat one of the NFL’s best defenses, the Rams might need a breakout performance from Kupp. However, that won’t be easy against the Eagles’ strong cornerbacks.
How the Rams can win
When the Rams first faced the Eagles, Saquon Barkley had one of the best rushing games in NFL history, running for 255 yards. That performance likely served as a wake-up call for the Rams’ defense. Since then, they’ve allowed an average of 104.1 rushing yards per game. However, they haven’t faced a running back of Barkley’s caliber since. The Eagles will try to control the game with Barkley and their offensive line, so the Rams must stop their ground game to have a chance at an upset.
How the Eagles can win
The Rams’ run defense will be crucial, as the Eagles haven’t been great at passing. They gained just 121 net passing yards against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round and have failed to throw for over 210 yards in 12 of their 18 games this season.
At some point, the Eagles will need to make some big passing plays if they want to go far in the playoffs. If the Eagles can pass effectively against the Rams—especially with Jalen Hurts, who almost won the MVP two seasons ago—they will be hard to beat.
Prediction
This game should be much closer than the regular-season matchup in Los Angeles. The Rams’ defense, which played great in their wild-card win over the Vikings, has improved since their first meeting with the Eagles and Saquon Barkley. The Rams will also have a solid plan for moving the ball against the Eagles’ top-tier defense. The Eagles are 13-1 since the end of September and are one of the best teams in the NFL, but the Rams won’t be an easy opponent. This game should be close.
Eagles 17, Rams 14
