As the Philadelphia Eagles get set to face the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round this coming Sunday in South Philadelphia I have a message for Eagles Nation: Don’t get freaked by the lights. I’m not talking about the bright lights and getting lost in the moment. I’m talking about the highlights. Yes, the actual highlights you’re going to see all week of the Rams obliterating and eliminating the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, 27-9, as well as the Birds’ slow moving and inept offense versus the Packers last Sunday.
Los Angeles, the team and especially the city, has had a tough week as wildfires decimated large portions of the metropolitan area. The Rams channeled all of their grief and anger into a dominant defensive exhibition of speed and emotion recording a record nine sacks and had Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looking out his ear hole and for his mouthpiece all night long as they completely over-powered Minnesota in an NFC wild-card game that was moved from Southern California to Glendale, Arizona.
Was it impressive? Yep. Did they destroy a 14-win team that was playing for a one seed just eight days before? Yep. Did they have a little more juice last night dedicating the game to the city of Los Angeles? Yep. Have they ripped off six straight wins, when their starters have played, since they last lost to the Eagles back on November 25th in week 12. Yep. Do they have a Super Bowl winning coach, in Sean McVay and a future hall of fame quarterback in Mathew Stafford? Yep.
Are all of these things true to the best of our knowledge? Yep.
Just don’t get freaked by the lights.
The Eagles on the other hand are going to be questioned because of their anemic passing game Sunday against the Packers. The same pundits and talking heads are going to harp on the fact that Jalen Hurts went almost two full quarters without completing a pass.
The “experts” are going to try to cast the seeds of doubt because A.J. Brown caught one pass for 10 yards on three targets and then buried his nose in a book late in the fourth quarter on the bench.
They’re going to try to give you pause by pointing out that the Eagles scored only seven points off of four Packer turnovers while letting Green Bay hang around, clinging to just a one score lead early in the fourth quarter.
There are a whole lot football gurus and fans-alike out there, including but not limited to, Eagles fans that tend to get stuck in the moment and characterize the team by how they played in the most recent 60 minutes. Think big picture people, big picture. One bad game does not a team make. And Sunday’s game with the Packers wasn’t a bad game. It was a win and there are no bad wins in the NFL playoffs. It’s the only thing that matters in the postseason.
Back on December 22nd the Eagles lost to the Commanders 36-33, despite Washington turning the ball over five times. Did that all of the sudden make the Eagles a bad defensive team or did they just have a bad game? Did that heart breaking and ill-timed loss make them a soft team? A weak team? A team lacking a killer instinct? Because the last time I checked the Birds haven’t lost since and still have the top scoring defense in the league, yielding under 17 points per game and have only given up 10 points per game in their last three games since that loss in Landover.
Was their offense virtually unwatchable on Sunday? Yep. Did they fail to put the Packers away early and let them hang around late? Yep. Did they make the game painful and gut-wrenching for their fanbase? Yep. Did Jalen Hurts look like the Jalen Hurts that triggered A.J.-gate after the Carolina game? Yep.
Are all of these things true to the best of our knowledge? Yep.
But here’s what most fans fail to remember. It’s a 60 minute game. Do you realize that if Saquon Barkley doesn’t slide at the end of Sunday’s game and takes it to the house, it would have ended up a 19 point victory for Philly and the Birds would have scored 29 points, three more than their average per game? And that was on a bad day against a very good Green Bay defense that balled-out until the end.
Don’t get freaked by the lights.
The Winning Formula
Since the loss to Tampa Bay way back on September 29 the Birds’ offense has become pretty formulaic.
- Throw early with a side of Saquon in the first half.
- Take a lead into halftime.
- Keep Jalen on somewhat of a pitch count and run him when appropriate.
- Pound Barkley in the second half until opponent’s will breaks.
- Celebrate and repeat the following week.
A heavy dose of second-half Saquon controls the clock and wears down the opponent’s defense until he pops for a home run or two. By the time the clock reads triple zeroes, he and his teammates should be walking off the field with the only thing that matters – a “w”. How do you think the Birds won a franchise record 10 straight games and 13 of their last 14? I didn’t say it was pretty but it’s how the Birds make the sausage.
Battering Ram
Barkley rushed for 1245 yards this year in the second half of games averaging just a hair under seven yards per clip and most of his long balls have come after half time this year. That’s when the opposing defense is the most vulnerable and tired and when #26 is programmed to kill. And that’s just what he did the last time he faced the Rams defense. Barkley set a single game franchise rushing record with 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 victory back in week 12. The touchdowns were of the 70-yard variety. He finished the game with 303 yards from scrimmage, 13 more yards than the Rams had total as a team.
Monday night the Minnesota offensive line got bullied by a very young and fast Rams defense. That’s nice but the Birds offensive line does the bullying in this league so good luck with that.
None of this is to say that the Rams are a fraud. They are a good, young and up and coming team that is improving every week. They got off to a 1-4 start this year but since then they are 10-3 in the last 13 games when their starters have played. However, their record against playoff teams is just 2-3 and on this year’s resume they can’t hide from losses to the Bears and the Dolphins. They have some big play weapons but they aren’t exactly the greatest show on turf 2.0, as their offense ranks 19th in the league posting 21.9 points per game. But I will say this. The Rams have one guy who scares me to the point of chronic insomnia in the days leading up to the game – wide receiver Puka Nacua. Now let’s never speak of him again.
The Eagles defense is number one in scoring giving up just under 17 while the Rams are muddled in the middle of the pack, yielding 21.9 points per game, ranking them 15th of 32 teams.
Lights Out
All week these so-called experts are going to get on their over reaction and recency bias soap boxes and they’re going to try to astonish you with stories and statistics and dazzle you with stimulating footage and official sounding schemes like “cover three” and “zero blitz” while many may try to get you to fall prey to the colorful blue and yellow highlights. They’ll have no supporting, empirical evidence, mind you none. But the hyperbole is going to be entertaining. Just remember that when kickoff rolls around next Sunday at 3 pm, all the highlights in the world should not divert your attention from the fact that the Rams are overmatched and that the Eagles are on a mission. These are just the facts of the match-up and they are undisputed.
The Los Angeles Rams have had a terrific ride. Improbable, impressive, and over.
Comments
Message to Eagles Nation: Don’t Get Freaked by The Lights