Kyren Williams made a sharp cut in the snow, but the Rams’ 1,200-yard rusher lost the football on a slippery, snow-covered field, and the Eagles quickly recovered and returned it, halting a promising drive for Los Angeles. On the very next series, Matthew Stafford dropped back, attempted to throw the ball, but was strip-sacked, and the Eagles seized on another fumble.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles capitalized on these game-changing turnovers, kicking two field goals off the Rams’ mistakes — turnovers that might not have happened if the game were played under clearer conditions at SoFi Stadium. In the snow and cold, the Rams squandered late scoring opportunities and lost 28-22 to the Eagles, ending their hopes of hosting the NFC Championship game.
“We had two turnovers that don’t necessarily occur in different elements,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said.
After starting the season 1-4, the Rams managed to turn things around, eventually becoming NFC West champions. They faced a short week following a playoff victory over Minnesota, but kept the game competitive until the final moments. Despite the fumbles in the cold, the Rams — who had already endured the challenges of wildfires ravaging parts of Southern California in the past two weeks — were still in a position to pull off an upset.
Stafford, despite playing with sore ribs, threw for 324 yards and kept the Rams in the game with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson, bringing the score to 28-22. With two minutes remaining, the Rams got the ball back, and Stafford completed passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles’ territory. However, Stafford, who had thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of his first seven playoff games with the Rams, was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down and then threw an incomplete pass on fourth down, ending their chances.
“I felt like we had total control toward the latter part of that game,” Rams coach McVay said. “The momentum was in our favor, and we had an opportunity to win, but we just came up short.”
Cooper Kupp had a surprisingly limited impact in the game, catching only five passes for 61 yards. Just six days after spitting up blood and being hospitalized with a chest injury following the playoff win over Minnesota, Tyler Higbee made a strong return, catching a 4-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to tie the game at 7.
Williams rushed for 106 yards, although his fumble cost the Rams valuable yardage and scoring opportunities. “It felt like as an offense, we had them on the ropes, and I think they probably felt it too,” Stafford said. “We were moving the ball well on our last two drives, but a couple of unforced errors set us back.”
Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley continued to torment the Rams, running for two long touchdowns — 62 and 78 yards — and finishing with 205 total rushing yards. In two games this season against the Rams, Barkley racked up 459 yards on 52 carries and scored four touchdowns, all on runs of over 60 yards.
“Saquon got to the second level like he did in the first game, but we did have some different layers in our defense,” McVay said. “He was able to break away.”
Joshua Karty kicked two field goals for the Rams, and the defense managed to sack Jalen Hurts for a safety, narrowing the score to 16-15. Unlike their season’s early struggles, the Rams ran out of time to make a comeback in this game.
“There were a lot of people at 1-4 questioning everything — who should replace whom, whether we should sell off players at the trade deadline, or if we should just tank the season,” Stafford said. “I’m just proud of our guys for ignoring all that noise, going out, playing hard, and doing what we could. And we did that.”
The playoff game ended with some shirtless Eagles fans in the crowd of 65,000 at Lincoln Financial Field celebrating wildly. These fans were the same ones that Rams rookie linebacker Jared Verse had previously expressed his dislike for. Verse, a first-round draft pick from Pennsylvania, had said he “hates Eagles fans,” which led to some trolling from Saquon Barkley. Verse attended high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, around 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Barkley ran for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead, but not before slowing near the end zone and turning to taunt the trailing Verse.
During pregame warmups, Verse played to the crowd, egging on the fans and enjoying the boos that came his way in the light snow. When the game started, the Eagles showed a shot of Verse sitting on the bench, and the fans booed him again. Verse winked at the camera, solidifying his spot as one of the villains in Philly sports history.
Despite the boos, Verse had an impressive season, making the Pro Bowl and earning consideration for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award after recording 77 pressures and 4.5 sacks.
“It’s still cool. I love his game,” Carter said. “He’s a baller.”
Verse talked a lot during the game, but it was Barkley and the Eagles who controlled the ball, moving closer to their second Super Bowl appearance in three years.