Paced by a historic rushing performance from running back Saquon Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles used Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams to send a message.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs behind guard Landon Dickerson (69) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
Don’t look now, but you can now say the Philadelphia Eagles have just as good a shot at representing the NFC in the Super Bowl as the 10-1 Detroit Lions.
I don’t know if they’re as good as Detroit, but I don’t think the rest of the conference wants to face this team in January, especially in South Philly. After Sunday’s game, in other words, you have to count the Eagles as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
If you’re looking for me to make that case, let me start with the Eagles’ dominant 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, which was nationally televised on NBC.
The Birds physically unhinged and dismantled the Rams on both sides of the football. The Eagles (9-2) took Los Angeles behind the woodshed and gave them a beat down. It was their seventh straight win since disastrous loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October.
On offense, Birds running back Saquon Barkley had a performance that added him to an NFL Most Valuable Player conversation that includes Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derek Henry, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The Eagles head to Baltimore next week to see Jackson and Henry up close.
Against the Rams, the former Penn State running back accounted for 302 yards of the Eagles’ 481 yards. He had a career-high and an Eagles single-game record of 255 yards including touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards. He also had 47 yards receiving on four receptions and set a single-game record for yards from scrimmage.
“Saquon’s a special player. Our offensive line played special against a very good defensive line. We came into this game knowing that we had our hands filled with them,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “We were able to hit a couple of home runs. Saquon has that ability to hit home runs.”
Barkley said it was a matter of patience and trusting in his teammates along the offensive line.
“That’s football,” Barkley said. “You wish that every run is a seven-yard pop, 10-yard pop, but it’s not like that every time. You gotta stick with it. You gotta grind it out, you got to get a rhythm and we’ve been getting a great rhythm with the guys up front in recent weeks.”
Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was the beneficiary of Barkley’s stellar performance. He completed 15-of-22 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown. He also gained 39 yards on 12 carries including a couple of carries on third down that prolonged Eagles drives.
As great as Barkley was for the Eagles’ offense, it was the Birds’ defense that set the physical tone for the game. Led by the aggressive physical play of defensive end Brandon Graham, the Eagles sacked Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford five times and had eight tackles for loss.
Graham had the Birds’ first sack of Stafford, and he finished the game with four total tackles, two tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits. But it turned out to be a bittersweet night for Graham, because he left the game late in the fourth quarter with what has been diagnosed as a season-ending triceps injury.
“I’m just trying to process everything right now,” Graham said following the game. “You know what? I’m going to keep my spirits up and keep enjoying it, because we got a special team right now, and it’s time for some people to step on up. I’m happy for us as a team. If anything, if I’m going to go out, I was happy with the way I played today. I couldn’t ask for nothing else.”
If that’s the case, it is more than likely the final game of Graham’s career as a member of the Eagles, because he is in the last year of his two-year contract with the team.
Perhaps the hidden MVP of the Eagles defense was defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was constantly double-teamed by the Rams. The preoccupation with Carter enabled defensive lineman Milton Williams to come away with two sacks and two tackles for loss and linebacker Nakobe Dean, who had eight total tackles, five solo, one sack, and two tackles for a loss.
“He’s been getting used to it and we have to make sure we do our part when we get that free opportunity, we go to make it,” said defensive tackle Jordan Davis. “Milton (Williams) definitely got there.”
As the Eagles celebrate this latest win, they’re looking forward to their biggest challenge as they take on the Ravens. That game will certainly go a long way to us how good this Eagles team will be coming into the postseason.
You can catch that game at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon on CBS-3.
Leave a Comment