After an up-and-down start to the season back in September, Philadelphia Eagles fans have been on easy street since their favorite team returned from the bye, holding a six-game win streak for the third season in a row.
Now granted, it hasn’t always been easy, as their showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars was way too close for comfort, and the Cleveland Browns kept things close back in Week 6, but considering the Eagles have a point differential of +90 since October, Philly’s dominance has been clear.
And yet, in Week 12, the Rams have their toughest challenge since what Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals – or maybe even Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – when they travel to Inglewood for a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
Facing off against a Sean McVay team that has won four of their last five games, even if their loss to the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football left a bad taste in many a fan’s mouth, the Rams are fighting hard to make it to the playoffs in a very challenging NFC West and really need a win against a foe of the Eagles’ caliber to prove they are legit. Unfortunately for LA, the Eagles are, without a doubt, one of the best teams in the NFL, and if the past six weeks are of any indication, Philadelphia has a pretty good chance to keep their winning ways alive no matter who lines up on the other side of the ball.
1. Saquon Barkley runs wild on the Rams’ defense
As unsurprisingly as it may be for any football fans who have tuned into a game this year, the Eagles officially rank first in rushing yards, attempts, and touchdowns in the NFL at 1,813, 364, and 19, respectively.
That’s right, the Ravens gave them a good run, with the dynamic duo of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson giving it their all, but through Week 11, the Eagles hold the crown, with Barkley specifically holding the top mark in attempts and yards-per-game across the league.
And in Week 12, the Eagles get to face off against a run defense that ranks 18th league-wide, which is honestly impressive, considering they rank 26th in rushing attempts allowed.
Through their first ten games of the year, the Rams have allowed all but two of the teams they’ve played to run for 100-plus yards, with just the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins – not particularly prolific rushing teams – falling under triple digits. They gave up 163 yards to the Lions, 131 to Philly’s old back DeAndre Swift and the Chicago Bears, and an astounding 231 to the Arizona Cardinals back in Week 2 in a game that called the team’s entire season into question.
Now granted, for the first time seemingly all season, the Rams are basically fully healthy, with none of their defensive starters appearing on the injured report midway through the week. Chris Shula will have the full weight of his defensive arsenal at his disposal to defend Barkley, which features traditional box players like Bobby Brown III, Kobie Turner, and emerging rookie linebacker Omar Speights but could also include defensive backs like Kamren Curl, Quentin Lake, and Cobie Durant.
But in the end, Barkley is still Barkley, and considering how young the Rams are up front, with all seven of their base package front seven players still on their rookie contracts, the Eagles’ superstar RB should be able to slice and dice up LA’s finest on the way to another MVP-worthy performance.
2. The Eagles shut down Jared Verse off the edge
While fans in Philadelphia are stumping hard for Quinyon Mitchell to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award upon season’s end, as the pride of Toledo has only allowed 24 completions on 46 targets for 286 yards and zero touchdowns, Jared Verse is still widely considered the favorite to win the award and for good reason.
Starting every game he’s appeared in so far this season while playing 77 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps, Verse has been among the best edge rushers in the NFL period through 11 weeks of the 2024 NFL season, with the pride of Florida State recording 4.5 sacks, 42 tackles, 14 QB hits, ten hurries, and two forced fumbles. Verse currently ranks 10th among 114 edge rushers in the PFF defensive grade, and while his pass-rushing grade of 82 is impressive, ranking 12th, his run-defense grade is even better, with just three other players earning a better mark.
Needless to say, fans will be talking about Verse for a very long time, as he’s rapidly become the new defensive focal point of a defensive unit that lost Aaron Donald to retirement, but in Week 12, he lands one of his toughest tests yet in the dynamic duo of Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, who rank among the best tackle tandems in the NFL.
Now granted, Hurts has been sacked plenty in 2024, with QB1 having already been taken down 28 times on the way to what just might be a new career high if the trend continues, but how much of that production has been because of poor play from Mailata and Johnson? Well, considering Mailata has only allowed one sack and Johnson hasn’t allowed a sack since 2023, it’s clear Philly’s starting tackles aren’t the problem.
Could Verse end up having a big game against the Birds? Potentially so, but don’t be surprised if his stats top out at just a few tackles and nothing else in a regular “Welcome to the NFL” moment.
3. Jalen Hurts beats Matthew Stafford despite throwing for less yards
So, if the Eagles’ best player runs wild on the Rams’ defense, and LA’s best defensive player isn’t able to impact Hurts’ passing game, this should be a fairly easy win for the Eagles, right?
More likely than not, the answer is yes, but don’t be surprised if Stafford finishes out the game with more passing yards in defeat than Hurts has in victory, as that has been both players’ MO all season long.
In games where the Rams pulled out the win, Stafford has averaged 249.4 yards per game, but in losses, he’s actually earned more yards, 12.6 more per game, to be exact. Now granted, some of that makes sense, as teams often have to throw the ball more in a losing effort than a winning one, but some of it also has to do with McVay just really loving to attack opposing defenses through the air, as his team has attempted 101 more passes than runs in 2024.
The Eagles, by contrast, really aren’t nearly as into throwing the ball, with 98 more rushing attempts than passing attempts on the season. Fortunately, when they do throw the ball, it’s been very effective, as despite recording the fewest passes of any team in the NFL, they rank 22nd in passing yards, with AJ Brown already having 618 receiving yards and DeVonta Smith not too far behind at 516.
Is there a world where Stafford throws for over 300 yards against the Eagles? Potentially so, as even though Vic Fangio’s unit ranks second in passing yards allowed, they still have a 300-plus passing game against Baker Mayfield back in Week 4. But will that prevent Philly from securing the win? Unlikely, as the Rams aren’t very good at running the ball, and the Eagles’ defense should be able to overcome a one-dimensional passing attack on the way to their seventh-straight win.
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