The Philadelphia Eagles will seek their first NFC championship game appearance since 2023 against a Los Angeles Rams team, which pulled off an upset in an outstanding fashion. Despite Philadelphia blowing the Rams out of the water in week 12, this Los Angeles team is playing with a different type of hunger, which could potentially catch the Eagles by surprise.
The Philadelphia Eagles are entering this game off the back of a 22-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers. There is no other way to describe this game other than an Eagles defensive masterclass. Philadelphia’s defense was able to hold Green Bay scoreless until they finally made a field goal over midway through the third, and they did not score their first touchdown until the first possession of the fourth quarter.
Despite Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts returning after missing 3 weeks to a concussion, he played the game as if he had never been injured. Hurts finished the game with 2 passing touchdowns and 131 total passing yards, but he was still relentlessly running the ball, seemingly unbothered and fearless of reaggravating any concussion. Hurts rushed for 36 yards on 6 total carries, with his longest run being 15 yards. The Eagles also refused to shy away from attempting a quarterback sneak, also known as the Eagle’s “tush push”, when trying to convert on fourth down.
The Los Angeles Rams, on the other hand, are rolling after a 27-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, who lost only 3 games in the regular season. They handily won this game in the face of adversity, as they not only had to play a 14-win team, but although they were supposed to have home-field advantage, they were unfortunately unable to play in the SoFi Stadium due to the tragic Los Angeles wildfires. This forced them to host Minnesota at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
Regardless of these circumstances, the Rams still handled their business, putting up a historic performance on the defense side of the field. The Los Angeles defense, lead by defensive tackle Kobie Turner, sacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold nine times, making them one of only 6 NFL teams to sack the opposing quarterback 9 times in a playoff game. 6 of the 9 record setting tackles came in the first half, which marked the most sacks in the first half of a playoff game since 1988, when Washington sacked Minnesota’s quarterback Wade Wilson in the NFC Championship game.
As for the offense, quarterback Matthew Stafford had a tremendous outing, finishing with 209 passing yards on a completion rate of 70.4%, and 2 passing touchdowns. Star running back Kyren Williams led the team in rushing yards with 76, and Tight End Tyler Higbee led the team in receiving yards with 58 yards gained on perfect efficiency, receiving all 5 of his targets.
There is no doubt that this game will be a defensive battle for both teams, but Los Angeles will once again need to overcome adversity, Not only will they have to travel across the country to play on the road in Lincoln Financial Field, but Philadelphia is expecting snow accumulations of about 4-6 inches on game day, which undoubtedly favors the Eagles who are more accustomed to playing in colder weather conditions.
Regardless, the winner of this game will have to go on to face the Washington Commanders, who in their last outing pulled of an upset on the road against the Detroit Lions, who finished the season tied for the best record in the league at 15-2. Not only did the Commanders pull off an upset, it was an absolute beating, as they won by double digits with a final score of 45-31.