Two things can be true: The Los Angeles Rams played well enough to win on Sunday, and they also made too many mistakes to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
They outgained the Eagles by 52 yards, had two more first downs and only committed three penalties in the 28-22 loss, but it’s hard to win with two turnovers and allowing three long touchdown runs.
Even with all the mistakes the Rams made on Sunday, they were in position to potentially win the game thanks to a miraculous fourth-quarter surge late. But they came up just short, making one too many mistakes down the stretch.
Looking back at the heartbreaking loss, these 11 plays were the most consequential, costing the Rams a potentially stunning upset win over the Eagles. Had things gone differently on any of these plays, we might be talking about Los Angeles hosting the NFC title game instead of Philadelphia.
Jalen Hurts’ 44-yard TD
Just as they did in Week 12, the Eagles struck first. On their opening drive, Hurts ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run, breaking a tackle by Neville Gallimore and sprinting into the end zone to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead. It was a deflating start to the game for the Rams and though they did retake the lead on the next drive, giving up a long touchdown run to the quarterback is not how they wanted to kick things off.
What a start for 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/oZQKff70fJ
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
Saquon Barkley’s 62-yard TD run
On the Eagles’ third drive when the Rams were leading 7-6, it was Barkley’s turn to break off a long run. He went 62 yards untouched to the end zone, picking up where he left off in Week 12 when he had two long touchdown runs in the second half against the Rams. It was a tough play for Kamren Kinchens to make in the open field but his missed tackle was a big one.
That gave the Eagles a 13-7 lead and they never trailed again from that point forward.
SAQUON BARKLEY OH MY
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Two negative runs on third-and-short
The Eagles lived in the backfield on Sunday, whether the Rams were dropping back to pass or running the ball. There were two instances where Kyren Williams was tackled in the backfield on third-and-short, potentially costing the Rams points each time.
The first time was with 13:33 left in the second quarter on third-and-2 from the Eagles’ 11-yard line. The Rams were trailing 13-7 at the time and a touchdown would’ve put them ahead, but Williams was tackled for a 2-yard loss and L.A. settled for a field goal.
The second play was on third-and-1 from L.A.’s 44-yard line with the Rams trailing 13-10 about 9 minutes into the third quarter. Williams was stopped for a 2-yard loss and the Rams punted on the next play, ending any chance of either tying the game or taking the lead when they had the momentum.
Saquon Barkley’s 16-yard catch on third-and-14
Just before halftime, the Rams had the Eagles backed up near their own goal line on a third-and-14. Chris Shula decided to blitz by rushing five defenders, which completely backfired. Hurts flipped it out to Barkley in the flat and the All-Pro running back sprinted upfield for a 16-yard gain and a first down.
The Eagles didn’t get points out of that drive but had the Rams stopped them on third down, they would’ve gotten the ball back with a chance to either tie it at 13 or take the lead into halftime.
3rd and 14 from their own 5-yard line? No problem for the @Eagles.
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Botched handoff in red zone
After three-and-outs by both teams to start the second half, the Rams got moving in the right direction on their second drive of the third quarter. Cooper Kupp caught a 30-yard pass on third down followed by a 30-yard run by Williams, getting the Rams to the Eagles’ 8-yard line with a first-and-goal.
The score was still 13-10 at the time and the Rams were knocking on the door of taking their first lead since 7-6, but Stafford and Williams fumbled the handoff and it resulted in a 5-yard loss. Two plays later, Stafford got sacked and the Rams had to settle for a field goal to tie it at 13.
Dallas Goedert’s 31-yard catch on third-and-5
On the very next drive, the Rams got the Eagles into third-and-5 from their own 35-yard line. Needing a stop, Goedert got away from Quentin Lake down the field after the DB fell down and left the Eagles TE wide open.
Goedert picked up 31 yards and got the Eagles to the Rams’ 34-yard line, putting the Eagles in position to take the lead. And that they did. Jake Elliott made a difficult 44-yard field goal with 2:24 left in the third to put the Eagles up, 16-13.
1️⃣ to 8️⃣ 8️⃣
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Drops by Tyler Higbee and Puka Nacua late in 3rd quarter
These two plays happened on the same drive, just two snaps apart. And they came right after the Eagles took the lead with Elliott’s 44-yard field goal. On first down, Stafford threw a perfect pass over the middle to Higbee, but he dropped it. It may not have gone for a big gain, but it was a costly mistake.
Two plays later, Stafford threw toward Nacua along the left sideline on third-and-2, but Nacua also dropped the pass as he was going out of bounds. The Rams had to punt as a result.
Those are two catches Higbee and Nacua make in normal weather conditions, but they’re also two plays you’d expect them to make no matter what. The Rams got the ball back quickly thanks to a safety on the Eagles’ next drive, but the two drops hurt.
Kyren Williams’ fumble
This was probably the most consequential play in the game for the Rams. On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Williams coughed it up near midfield after picking up the first down on second-and-2.
The Eagles scooped it up and returned it to the Rams’ 10-yard line, putting them on the doorstep of increasing their 16-15 lead. The Rams were moving the ball at the time and could have potentially gone down the field and taken the lead with a field goal or touchdown, but instead, they fell further behind because of the turnover.
Williams has had fumbling issues for the last two seasons but this was his costliest one yet.
FUMBLE! @Eagles ball!
📺: #LARvsPHI on NBC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/QnOU4u3bce— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
Matthew Stafford’s fumble
The defense limited the Eagles to only a field goal after Williams’ fumble, but yet again, the offense gave the ball away on the very next drive. On third-and-10, Stafford was sacked by Nolan Smith and the ball came out, leading to a recovery by the Eagles.
They got it at the Rams’ 38-yard line and after converting on fourth-and-4 with a pass to A.J. Brown, they got into field goal range. Elliott made a 37-yarder to put the Eagles up 22-15 with 6:22 to play, which wasn’t the end of the world but it was a painful turnover by the offense once again.
Another fumble! @Eagles recover!
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Saquon Barkley’s 78-yard TD run
This seemed like the nail in the coffin for the Rams. Technically, it wasn’t because Los Angeles still had a chance to win the game, but allowing a second long touchdown to Barkley was a back-breaker.
It came on the first play of the drive, as Barkley took the ball to the left side, broke through the first level of the defense and found a seam to the end zone for a 78-yard touchdown. That put the Eagles up 28-15 and considering how badly Los Angeles’ offense was struggling, it seemed like the score that would put things out of reach.
SAQUON BARKLEY 78 YARDS GOOOOODBYE!
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📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/88LvtJoEFa— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
Beaux Limmer allowing sack to Jalen Carter in red zone
After a quick touchdown drive and a three-and-out by the Eagles offense, the Rams got the ball back with a legitimate chance to win the game. A 37-yard catch by Nacua got the Rams to the Eagles’ 21-yard line with 1:25 to play and no timeouts, within striking distance of the end zone with plenty of time.
A false start by Kevin Dotson on second-and-7 made it second-and-12, but the Rams got 10 yards on a throw over the middle to make it third-and-2 from the 13. That’s when disaster struck.
Limmer allowed a quick sack to Carter, letting the defensive tackle into the backfield in a flash. Had Limmer held his block, Stafford might’ve hit Higbee over the middle for a potential game-winning touchdown or at least a first down. Instead, Stafford was sacked and the Rams failed on fourth-and-11 the next play.
JALEN CARTER SACK!
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📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/xbICRDUTHw— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
