The Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles game in the NFC playoffs on Sunday is a rematch of a regular-season meeting. On Nov. 24, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley broke loose for 255 rushing yards, including touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards, in Philadelphia’s 37-20 victory.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 179 yards and one touchdown in that contest.
When Philadelphia defeated the Rams 23-14 last season, Hurts threw for 303 yards and one touchdown and ran for 72 yards and another TD.
“I think you guys need to understand that I don’t play the game for anything other than to win,” Hurts said during a press conference this week. “And my role in each game will be different and the approach in each game is different. And you just want to go out there and do your job and take advantage of opportunities, obviously. And I think some things are magnified a little bit more because there’s less opportunity in certain areas. But, ultimately, it’s about winning the game. You know, we’re talking about playoff football.”
As Barkley recorded the NFL’s ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in 2024, Hurts had 2,903 passing yards, the lowest of his four seasons as Philadelphia’s No. 1 quarterback. But Hurts’ passing-efficiency rating was the highest of his career, and the former Alabama signal-caller still ran for 14 touchdowns.
“He’s a stud,” Rams coach Sean McVay said about Hurts on Friday. “You look at it, especially playing them this year and then last year, he’s a real threat to be able to beat you with his arm or his legs. I think they’re doing an excellent job, and he knows how to play winning football. He’s taking great care of the football. He’s obviously a threat to be able to pull it down, whether that’s a designed run or whether those are off-schedule things if the rush integrity isn’t on point. That’s why they’re so difficult to defend.
“They’re as good as it gets up front. They’re incredibly well-coached. They have skill position weapons all over the place, and then they’ve got a quarterback that can beat you with his arm or his legs and then Saquon is doing some really special things even for his standards that he set over the course of his career. And so that’s why these guys are who they are. I have a lot of respect for Jalen and the competitor that he is. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
Los Angeles throttled the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 in a Wild-Card Weekend game on Monday night to advance. The Rams sacked Hurts once in the November meeting.
“I think every game is its own game,” Hurts said, “so, obviously, we’re going to look back at the tape and look at this team, and, you know, like we said, this team is different than what it was. We just got to go out there and execute. …
“I think they’ve always been a great team, and we caught them while they were hot, and we’re catching them while they’re hot again. And this is a young team led by a great coach, great quarterback, great players all around. They got a great defense. They’ve been very disruptive up front. Just got to come and execute. I think it starts in the trenches in a game like this, and we’ve been able to run the ball effectively, and so, hopefully, we continue to impose our will up front.”
The Eagles have gone to the postseason in all four years that Hurts has been their quarterback. In 2021 and 2023, Philadelphia lost first-round games to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2022, the Eagles went all the way to the Super Bowl. The current postseason started for Philadelphia on Sunday with a 22-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The Rams and Eagles square off for a spot in the NFC Championship Game at 2 p.m. CST Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. NBC will televise the game.
“You have these special opportunities, and you definitely want to take advantage of them,” Hurts said. “Obviously, we’re taking it one day at a time, but it comes down to keeping the main thing the main thing and improving. You know, when you win, you’re winning, you’re beating your opponent. But improving is beating yourself.
“I always think that it comes down to just how am I learning from my moments, my experiences and applying them to the next opportunity. And you want to take advantage of those opportunities, so I think that’s where I am -- in an improvement mindset and just trying to take steps every day. I think this team is at that same place. There’s no complacency. There’s no lack of hunger. It’s just taking it one day at a time, taking it one day at a time and just doing it.”
