The Los Angeles Rams knew they would be battling not only the 14-win Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, but also the elements. With 4-6 inches of snow in the forecast, they prepared to play in frigid and difficult conditions but they still weren’t ready for how impactful the weather would be.
Despite being in the game for the first half, going into halftime trailing by only three points, the Eagles ran away from the Rams in the second half – just as they did in Week 12. It didn’t help that the snow made the field incredibly difficult to navigate for the Rams offense, but they had no real answer for the Eagles’ ground game again.
Saquon Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns, breaking away with touchdown runs of 62 yards and 78 yards. His second score of the day put the Eagles up 28-15, just about icing the game.
But the Rams weren’t going to go down without a fight. They scored a touchdown with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter, got a quick stop on defense and marched down the field in the final minute getting to the Eagles’ 21-yard line. Unfortunately, they failed on fourth down, ending their comeback effort.
Final score: Eagles 28, Rams 22
Game notes
- The Eagles struck first, and in a flash, too. After three passes for 25 yards and two runs by Saquon Barkley for 5 yards, Jalen Hurts broke off a 44-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 6-0 after only 3 minutes of action.
- The Rams wasted no time answering back, marching down the field and scoring a touchdown of their own on their opening drive. They went 67 yards in 13 plays, capping the drive off with a 4-yard touchdown by Tyler Higbee.
- Both teams punted on their second possessions after taking sacks on third down.
- Saquon Barkley picked up where he left off in Week 12, breaking off a 62-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead. It was his third touchdown run of 60-plus yards in his last three quarters against the Rams.
- Just before the end of the first quarter, Stafford connected with Demarcus Robinson for a 48-yard catch deep downfield. The Rams stalled in the red zone, though, only coming away with a field goal to make it 13-10.
- Jared Verse was one of the few defenders who didn’t have a sack last week, but he got one on Sunday afternoon – and it was a big one. He took down Hurts for a 9-yard loss, knocking the Eagles out of field goal range and forcing a punt.
- The Rams struggled on third down in the first half, going just 2-for-6. Williams was tackled for a loss on two third-and-short runs, the second of which led to a punt.
- The Eagles reached the Rams’ 32-yard line just before halftime, but a sack by Omar Speights and then by Verse on consecutive plays ended the half with a whimper for Philadelphia. The Rams trailed 13-10 at halftime.
- After three-and-outs by both teams to open the second half, the Rams got going on offense. Cooper Kupp caught a 30-yard pass on third-and-4 and on the next play, Kyren Williams ripped off a 30-yard run. The offense stalled in the red zone again after a fumbled handoff on first down and then a sack on third down. The Rams tied it up with a 34-yard field goal to make it 13-13.
- The Eagles took a 16-13 lead with 2:19 left in the third quarter on a 44-yard field goal. That came not long after a 31-yard catch by Dallas Goedert.
- The Rams narrowed the gap with a sack by Neville Gallimore that resulted in a safety, making the score 16-15. That play occurred with just 26 seconds left in the third quarter, getting the ball right back for the Rams after a punt.
- The game’s first turnover occurred on the first play of the fourth quarter, a costly fumble by Kyren Williams on second-and-2. The Eagles recovered it and returned it 40 yards to the Rams’ 10-yard line. Kevin Dotson knocked Isaiah Rodgers out of bounds, which ended up saving the Rams four points because Philadelphia settled for a field goal.
- The Eagles tacked on another field goal after a Stafford fumble, with the Rams clearly struggling to hold onto the football. That made it 22-15 with 6:18 left in the game.
- Barkley put the nail in the Rams’ coffin with a 78-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left in the game, his second long touchdown of the afternoon. It put the Eagles up 28-15 and with the Rams’ offense struggling, it seemed to put the game out of reach.
- The Rams didn’t go quietly, putting together a touchdown drive late in the fourth. After marching down the field in 10 plays, the Rams made it a six-point game with a touchdown pass from Stafford to Colby Parkinson.
- After getting a stop on the Eagles’ next drive, the Rams got the ball back with just over 2 minutes left and only trailing 28-22.
- The Rams drove down the field and got to the Eagles’ 21-yard line with under 2 minutes to play, but the drive stalled after a false start and sack. Stafford’s final pass was a fourth-down throw that went out of bounds, ending the Rams’ comeback.
It was over when…
…Stafford’s pass intended for Nacua sailed out of bounds on fourth-and-11, ending any hope of miracle for the Rams. They went down swinging and almost pulled off a crazy comeback, but they came up just short.
The @Eagles deny LA on 4th down! pic.twitter.com/xnrObNlccp
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
3 stars of the game
No. 3 star: Jared Verse – 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 3 TFL
No. 2 star: Puka Nacua – 6 catches, 97 yards
No. 1 star: Matthew Stafford – 26-for-44, 324 yards, 2 TDs
Play of the game
The Rams didn’t go down without a fight, and it was largely thanks to Puka Nacua’s 37-yard reception down the right sideline late in the fourth quarter.
🤯🤯🤯
📺: @NFLonNBC | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/kWD1RnPrPJ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 19, 2025
What’s next?
The Rams will head into the offseason with a sour taste in their mouth after losing to the Eagles for a second time. They were one win away from hosting the NFC Championship Game again, but the Eagles were too much to overcome. It would’ve been a big upset if they had beaten the Eagles, knowing how much talent Philadelphia has, but it just wasn’t in the cards for this Cinderella team after its 1-4 start to the season.
