Snow Bowl Pt. 2 — Eagles Beat Rams, Injuries, and Weather in Divisional Round, Will Host Commanders in NFC Championship

Nothing ever comes easy with this team, but we’re two down with two to go.

The Eagles took down the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in a shootout in the snow, and now have a home game against a division rival for a chance at the Super Bowl.

The Eagles started off as strong as one could have hoped. Jalen Hurts took the ball 44 yards for the longest run of his career and an opening drive touchdown for the Eagles. Jake Elliott brought the vibes down with a missed PAT, which marks his second miss of these playoffs.

Philly’s defense appeared to get a three and out of the Rams opening drive, but an LA challenge revealed that Tyler Higbee actually secured the catch for a first down. The Rams used this momentum to drive all the way down the field, culminating in a Higbee touchdown. Joshua Karty proved himself capable of making the extra point, giving the Rams a 7-6 lead.

The worst part of this drive though, was the fact that Quinyon Mitchell was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. The rookie cornerback was a huge part of the defense’s success and losing him was a massive blow.

This loss was softened when Saquon Barkley reminded everyone why he’s the best running back in the NFL. After a three and out from each team Barkley broke free for a 62-yard touchdown. Elliott made the extra point this time to put the Eagles up 13-7.

The Rams again marched the Eagles’ energy by marching down the field, but this time the defense was able to hold them to a 30-yard field goal, bringing the score to 13-10.

This is where the score would stay until the end of the half. The Eagles had possession as the clock expired in the second quarter, but A.J. Brown being unable to secure a catch before going out of bounds and a bad sack on Hurts prevented them from putting any more points on the board.

When the second half started, it was clear that the weather was going to play a big factor in this game. Both teams would connect for field goals on their opening drives. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they were forced to settle for theirs after a big Dallas Goedert reception that would have put the Eagles at first and goal was negated by a Mekhi Becton holding call. Worse yet, Hurts seemed to injure his knee after taking a sack on the following play.

The defense was able to get a three and out, but a solid punt pinned the Eagles within the five-yard line. Two plays into the drive Hurts was sacked once again, but this time in the end zone for a Rams safety, bringing the score to 16-15.

Things seemed bleak, but the fourth quarter started out with a bang for Philly. Jalen Carter punched the ball out of Kyren Williams’ hand, and Isiah Rodgers scooped it up and took it all the way down to within the 10-yard line for the Eagles. Three Saquon runs later and it looked like he was in for the touchdown, but a review showed that he was half a yard short.

Ordinarily, this is no problem, that just means it’s time for the brotherly shove. That’s what they did and they’re in for the touchdown again, except Lane Johnson jumped, meaning a false start pushed them back five yards. The Eagles were forced to kick the field goal and went up by 4 at 19-15.

The defense would come through again, when Nolan Smith got a huge strip sack on Matthew Stafford, giving the Eagles the ball once again. The offense was unable to get into the endzone again, but Elliott was on a mission to avenge his missed PAT, nailing a 37-yarder in terrible conditions to put the Eagles up 22-15.

The defense submitted their case for being game MVP by forcing another three and out on the Rams, but Barkley had other plans. First play of the drive he bounced it outside and took it 78 yards to the house. Absolute beast.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Elliott’s white whale in the PAT came back to strike again, as he pulled it left. Birds go up 28-15.

The Rams woke up after this and drove down for a touchdown of their own, and a made PAT brought the score to 28-22.

An Eagles three-and-out gave the Rams the ball back with a little over two minutes to go and no timeouts.

These are the moments when legends are made, and today Carter has become a legend. It seemed like Stafford was going to drive LA all the way down the field for a game-winning touchdown, and he got them down to just outside the red zone. The Eagles managed to put the Rams into a third and three, and this is where Carter shined. He flew through the LA o-line like a bat out of hell and sacked Stafford, forcing them into a last-gasp fourth and long that failed to convert. Ball game.

The Eagles will now host the Commanders next Sunday at 3:00 pm to see who will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. In their two games this year, each team came away with a win, with both being victories for the home teams.

In the Eagles victory, they won 26-18 in a game that was not as close as the scoreboard indicated. In that game, Saquon Barkley had two touchdowns and the Eagles defense, specifically Mitchell, held Terry McLaurin to one reception for 10 yards. In the Commanders’ 36-33 victory, Jayden Daniels threw for five touchdowns, and Hurts was knocked out with a concussion in the first quarter.

Despite their regular season familiarity, these two franchises have only faced off once in the playoffs. The Washington Redskins beat the Randall Cunningham-led Eagles 20-6 in the NFC Wildcard Game on January 5, 1991.

The Eagles are currently 5.5-point favorites in the game, but when it comes to divisional rivals you need to throw everything out the window. All we can do now is wait.

---

Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order

Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO