Saquon Barkley sizzled in the snow as the Philadelphia Eagles survived a late scare to beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in picturesque but dramatic playoff conditions to reach the NFC championship game on Sunday.
Barkley made a 62-yard drive to the house in the first quarter before extending his team’s lead to 28-15 with a 78-yard touchdown run with five minutes left to reach 205 yards on the night, continuing a Phenomenal first year. Philly which saw him eclipse 2,000 rushing yards during the regular season.
Sophomore defensive tackle Jalen Carter starred for the Eagles with two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble as the Rams had to pay for costly turnovers.
Jalen Hurts finished 15 of 20 for 128 yards and rushed for a touchdown, while Matthew Stafford threw for 324 yards and two scores as the Rams saw their campaign end.
The Eagles will now face Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders for a spot in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans next weekend, a month after losing 36-33 in a thriller against the NFC East division rivals.
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Saquon Barkley scores a brilliant 78-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, to secure the Philadelphia Eagles’ spot in the NFC Championship Game
Statistics leaders
Los Angeles Rams
- Passage: Matthew Stafford, 26/44, 324 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Rushing : Kyren Williams, 19 carries, 106 yards
- Reception : Puka Nacua, 6 catches, 97 yards
Philadelphia Eagles
- Passage: Jalen hurts, 15/20, 128 yards
- Rushing : Saquon Barkley, 26 carries, 205 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Reception : Dallas Goedert, 5 catches, 56 yards
As Rocky Balboa’s music played in Philadelphia, snow fell and chaos ensued in a second half of slips, slides, falls, drama and a dash of Saquon.
The Rams threatened to take a late turn at Lincoln Financial Field when Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson on a four-yard touchdown run with 2.48 left just moments after Barkley thought he had iced the game with his score of 78 yards.
As the Eagles’ next drive stalled, Stafford – armed with 51 game-winning drives under his belt – was able to convert on third-and-10 against Demarcus Robinson before stunning the Eagles with a 37-yard strike to Puka Nacua, who was on hand to make an exceptional jump on the sideline to move his team to the 21-yard line with 1.33 to play.
After a false start penalty on Kevin Dotson brought Los Angeles back to second and 12, Carter virtually sealed the game moments later by sacking Stafford for a nine down on third and two. With one last chance, the Rams quarterback failed to find Nacua as the Eagles breathed a sigh of relief.
Touchdowns from Jalen Hurts and Barkley had given the Eagles a 13-10 lead at the break, before Joshua Karty’s 34-yard field goal tied things up on the first drive of a second half heavily impacted by snowfall.
Jake Elliott responded with a 44-yard field goal to restore the Eagles’ lead, but not without a scare after Hurts injured his knee on a hard hit by blitzing safety Jaylen McCollough. The quarterback was taken to the blue tent for treatment before returning with a knee brace.
The pain seemed to persist as his lack of mobility allowed Neville Gallimore to pull him down for a safety that would put the Rams within 16-15.
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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scores a stunning 62-yard touchdown to give his team the lead over the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams running back Williams would then feel the wrath of an inspired Carter, who managed to let go of the ball before seeing teammate Isaiah Rodgers bring it back to the 10-yard line. Barkley was then stuffed at the one-yard line, but where the Eagles might have usually gone for the “push,” they instead turned to Barkley again in light of Hurts’ injury.
This resulted in another stop by the Rams defense, followed by a false start penalty on Lane Johnson that forced the Eagles to settle for Elliott’s 23-yard field goal attempt to make the score 19- 15.
Carter wasn’t the only former Georgia Bulldog running, with Nolan Smith making his presence felt on the Rams’ drive by forcing another fumble, this one recovered by Zach Baun to set up Elliott’s 37-yard kick for a 22-15 lead with 6.18 remaining.
Knowing the snow was coming, both teams detonated the traps in pursuit of a first stronghold. And it was the Eagles who struck first on the sixth play from scrimmage as Hurts broke free for a 44-yard rushing touchdown, Elliott missed the ensuing extra point. It was the longest streak of the Eagles quarterback’s NFL career and an immediate reminder of Philadelphia’s read-option threat via Hurts and Barkley.
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scores a 44-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter of their NFL playoff divisional round game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams mounted an instant response when Tyler Higbee fired Stafford’s needle-threaded dagger between two defenders at the goal line for a four-yard touchdown at the end of a 13-play drive.
The possession looked like it was going to end on third-and-7 when Stafford’s low pass to Higbee was ruled incomplete, only for Sean McVay to successfully pass a challenge. Williams was then on hand to convert on fourth-and-1 to set up first-and-goal from the four-yard line.
Barkley’s moment wasn’t far behind, the NFL’s leading rusher after a bruising block from Mekhi Becton to break away for a 62-yard touchdown and a 13-7 lead.
Karty cut the lead to three with a 30-yard field goal before Verse delivered derailing sacks on Philadelphia’s next two possessions before halftime.
What’s next?
It’s conference championship Sunday, with the Eagles hosting the NFC Commanders.
Super Bowl LIX will take place on Sunday, February 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports NFL.
