NFL
By: George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams return to SoFi Stadium for a Sunday night match-up against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams, looking to keep pace in the NFC West, look to make it 2 consecutive wins following their 28-22 victory over the New England Patriots. The Eagles are looking for their 7th consecutive win following their 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford led a balanced offensive attack against the Patriots. Stafford completed 18-27 passes for 295 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game. The offensive line did a good job at pass protection, not allowing a sack to the Patriots. The key to the Rams offensive success was Coach Sean McVay keeping a balanced attack. The Rams ran 51 total offensive plays against New England with 27 pass attempts and 24 rushing attempts. The Rams offense is more difficult to defend when McVay keeps the offense balanced. Against the Eagles, the Rams will be facing a tough defense. To keep the Eagles defense honest, McVay will need to keep the Rams offensive attack balanced as he did against the Patriots.
WR Puka Nacua and Cooper Cupp led the passing attack with a combined 13 receptions for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns. Eagles cornerbacks Darius Slay, Jr. and Quinyon Mitchell will be tasked with covering Nacua and Cupp. Stafford will continue to look for his top two receivers but must avoid trying to force the ball into tight coverage. WRs Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, and Jordan Whittington will need to be key contributors in the Rams passing game against the Eagles secondary. Look for TE Colby Parkinson to have a big role in the Rams passing game.
RB Kyren Williams will be a key for the offensive attack. On the season, Williams has rushed for 750 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Eagles defense allows an average of 99 rushing yards per game. The Rams offensive line will be looked upon to open running lanes for Williams and Blake Corum. Williams has the speed to get to the edge and run outside. The Rams running attack has shown they can run inside behind guards Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson and center Steve Avila. Look for the Rams to attempt to run the ball inside against the Eagles defense.
The defense will face a formidable Eagles running game, which averages 181 rushing yards per game. Saquon Barkley leads the Eagles with 1137 rushing yards with 8 touchdowns. Barkley is having a rejuvenated 1st season with the Eagles. Kenneth Gainwell will be expected to see action in the Eagles backfield spelling Barkley. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will look to come up with a defensive game plan that slows down the Eagles running game.
While the Rams will key on containing Barkley, they cannot forget about quarterback Jalen Hurts. On the season, Hurts is 2nd on the Eagles with 417 rushing yards. Hurts can escape the pocket and run for significant gains extending the Eagles drives. The Rams edge rushers, Jared Verse and Byron Young will need to be disciplined in their pass rush. Throughout the season, Verse and Young have at times crashed down the line leaving the outside open. They will need to make sure they do not allow an outside escape for Hurts, who will take it if it is presented. Verse and Young will need to maintain outside discipline while the interior defensive line led by Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, and Bobby Brown IV will look to collapse the pocket from the inside.
Hurts is a threat to run the ball, however the Rams cannot ignore his ability to throw the ball downfield. Hurts has passed for 2197 yards with 12 touchdowns on the season. Hurts will spread the ball around, completing passes to 13 different receivers. Devonta Smith leads the Eagles with 41 receptions for 516 yards and 4 touchdowns. A.J. Brown is 2nd on the team with 33 receptions for 618 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rams cannot sleep on TE Dallas Goedert, who has 31 receptions for 387 yards and will be a factor in the Eagle’s passing attack. In pass coverage, the Rams defenders must not get caught looking into the Eagles backfield to see what Hurts is doing. If they do that, the Eagles receivers will find themselves wide open for big gains.
After a 1-4 start to the season, the Rams find themselves 1 game out of first in the NFC West and are looking to keep pace. They will face a well-balanced Eagles team on offense and one of the top defensive teams in the NFL. Look for the Eagles to make it 7 straight victories on Sunday Night.
