This season, there were three teams far in front of the rest of the NFC. The Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings combined to go 43-8 this regular season.
The Los Angeles Rams might need to beat all three to make a Super Bowl. They already have knocked off one of them.
One of the more shocking results of the wild-card round was the Rams’ thorough domination of the Vikings in a 27-9 win. The Rams had to move their home playoff game to Glendale, Arizona because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area, and still trounced a team that was 14-3. This week in the divisional playoffs, the Rams’ challenge is to beat another team that went 14-3 during the regular season, and do it at 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
This game will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Betting odds
The Eagles are a 6-point favorite at BetMGM. The total for the game is 44. Back in Week 12, the Eagles were a 3-point favorite at the Rams for a Sunday night game, and won 37-20 to easily cover the spread.
X-factor
Does Cooper Kupp have another big game left in him? He has been stunningly quiet for weeks. He has five catches for 82 yards in the Rams’ last four games combined. Puka Nacua is the Rams’ No. 1 receiver and Kyren Williams grinding out yards on the ground is a big part of the offense, but to beat one of the best defenses in the NFL the Rams might need a throwback Kupp game. That won’t be an easy ask against the Eagles’ top-tier cornerbacks.
How the Rams can win
The first time the Rams and Eagles played, Saquon Barkley had one of the best rushing games ever. Barkley had 255 yards on the ground, the ninth-most in NFL history. That game might have been a wake-up call for the Rams’ defense. Since then L.A. has allowed a reasonable 104.1 rushing yards per game. The Rams also didn’t face a running back anywhere near Barkley’s level in that stretch. The Eagles want to control the game with Barkley and their offensive line. The Rams can’t let the Eagles run wild again. If they contain Philadelphia’s ground game, they might have a shot at an upset.
How the Eagles can win
The Rams’ run defense is a huge key to the game because Philadelphia isn’t passing the ball well. The Eagles had 121 net passing yards against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. They’ve failed to throw for more than 210 yards in 12 of their 18 games this season. At some point this postseason, the Eagles will have to generate some explosive pass plays if they want to make a deep run. If the Eagles can pass it effectively against the Rams — Jalen Hurts almost won MVP two seasons ago, after all — then Philadelphia will be really hard to beat.
Prediction
The game should be much closer than the regular-season meeting in Los Angeles. The Rams’ defense, which was fantastic in the wild-card round against the Vikings, is much better than it was the first time it faced the Eagles and Saquon Barkley. We also know the Rams will have a great plan to move the ball against the Eagles’ superb defense. Philadelphia is 13-1 since the end of September and has established itself as one of the best teams in the NFL. But the Rams won’t be an easy out. This should be a close game. Eagles 17, Rams 14
