If the Los Angeles Rams are going to emerge victorious from their NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, stopping the Jalen Hurts is going to be essential.
However, the Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback noted his role in the offense changes from game to game, and he believes this game will come down to the play of his offensive line against the Rams’ defensive line.
LA held the Minnesota Vikings to their third-lowest total yardage of the season in the Wild Card.
“They’ve always been a great team, and we caught them while they were hot and we’re catching them while they’re hot again,” Hurts told reporters on January 15.
“This is a young team led by a great coach, great quarterback, great players all around. They got a great defense. They’ve been very disruptive up front. Just got to come in and execute. I think it starts in the trenches in a game like this, and we’ve been able to run the ball effectively. And so, hopefully, we continue to impose our will up front.”
The Eagles’ offensive line is one of if not the best in the NFL. Philly allowed the 12th-lowest pressure rate and gained the second-most rushing yards before contact in 2024, per Pro Football Reference.
What an elite offensive line looks like. #FlyEaglesFly
Philly’s blocking was a key part of how Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards.
That is an ominous sign for a Rams defense that tied for the fifth-most yards per carry allowed per attempt during the regular season. Barkley’s rushing opens up the Eagles’ passing game.
“I don’t think that there’s been a game where he’s been taken away,” Hurts said. “They try. He’s a great player, and I think we complement each other well. And he’s been able to just get dirty yards, dirty yards, dirty yards, and soon enough, he pops one off. And so that’s been a big part of our success this year as a team, and that’s a credit to everyone playing a role in that.
“It’s a collective effort.”
Hurts said what Barkley was able to do this season is “not normal” and that he is a “special player.” The Rams must at least slow him down to force the Eagles into passing situations.
Rams Defense Must Stop Run to Create Opportunities vs Jalen Hurts, Eagles Passing Game
GettySaquon Barkley #26 and Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles are interviewed after beating the Los Angeles Rams.
Hurts took the eighth-most sacks and had the fifth-highest sack rate in 2024. The Rams tied a playoff record with 9 sacks against the Vikings in the Wild Card.
Hurts downplayed the impact that performance will have on the Eagles.
“You don’t think about that,” Hurts said. “You trying to think about what you can control, keeping the main thing the main thing. Go in trying to be the best we can be, and in control of what we can, so that’s the approach.”
THIS DEFENSE >>>
Hurts noted how different the Rams were from the first time when the two teams met.
The Eagles won 37-20 as Hurst completed 68.1% of his passes for 179 yards and 1 touchdown in that game, absorbing 1 sack.
Barkley rushed for a career-high 255 yards in that game, and that was in LA. This game is in Philadelphia amid potential poor weather conditions that could limit the effectiveness of the Rams’ offense, particularly in the passing game.
Rams Can Bend But Must Not Break
GettyKobie Turner #91 and Jared Verse #8 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrate a sack against the Minnesota Vikings.
Slowing Barkley down could be enough for the Rams, so long as they marry that with the right offensive approach.
The Rams were 3-1 when they held teams below 100 rushing yards, which happened to the Eagles one time during the 2024 regular season in a game they won over the New York Giants in Week 18. Barkley did not play in that game.
On Wednesdays we think about @saquon versus the Rams 👀
The Rams were still 7-6 when allowing over 100 rushing yards.
Their true cutoff mark was 125 rushing yards allowed. They were 8-1 when they held teams to that many yards or fewer and went 2-6 when opponents surpassed that mark.
The Rams were also 7-1 when they rushed for over 100 yards and 3-5 when they did not. Their 98-yard performance in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers fell just shy of bolstering the former mark.
For LA, beating the Eagles means stopping the run, including short-yardage merchant Hurts.
Comments
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Sends Clear Message Before Rams Divisional Game