Never a doubt, Eagles come back from down 19 to beat Rams in a stunner
Drew Hallowell / Philadelphia Eagles
The battle between the Eagles and the Rams lived up to all of the hype.
In a divisional round rematch from a season ago, it was an emotional rollercoaster en route to the 33-26 victory.
The main questions surrounding the Eagles heading into the game were their offense and specifically the production of guys like Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. Each had their best game of the season when they needed it the most.
After only 17 yards in the first half, Hurts went wild in the 2nd half, bringing his totals up to 226 yards and 3 passing touchdowns, not to mention a rushing touchdown as well. All of Brown’s yardage came in the 2nd half, where he racked up 109 yards and a touchdown on 6 catches.
The difference between the Eagles’ offense in the first and second half was night and day and was ultimately the biggest factor in the comeback.
A tale of two halves
The vibes around the first half for Kevin Patullo could not have been worse. We haven’t seen an offensive coordinator more maligned since Brian Johnson, and it was easy to see why.
Outside of an opening drive touchdown assisted by an interception from Zack Baun, the offense was terrible. Conservative play-calling and refusing to throw the ball down the field froze the offense. The Eagles’ last 5 drives all ended with nothing, with 4 3 and outs and the end of the half.
The Rams’ defensive line was wreaking havoc on Hurts, thanks in large part to Lane Johnson having left the game with a neck injury.
Heading into the half, the Eagles had only 33 total yards of offense and -1 passing yards.
At first, Matt Pryor came in for the Johnson and struggled. The Eagles had a total of -10 yards with him in the game, compared to having all 26 of their 2nd half points with Fred Johnson in at right tackle. It all changed when Fred Johnson entered the game.
The opening scene to the 2nd half was just as bad as the 1st. Hurts got leveled on a sack and fumbled the football, and the Rams would recover and score on the very next play to go up by 19 points. It was at this point that Patullo’s hand was forced. Down so big in the 3rd quarter, he’d have to air out the ball to come back. And air the ball out, he did on the very next drive.
The offense responded with a quick 5-play touchdown drive capped off with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, cutting the lead to 26-14. The Eagles on that drive alone had 79 passing yards, more than double the amount they had in the entire first half.
After a Rams punt, the Eagles got the ball back with 8:43 left in the 3rd down by 12. They marched down the field on a methodical 13-play drive, which included 49 passing yards and burned 6:27 off the clock. Hurts finished off the drive by getting Brown his first touchdown of the season, cutting the lead down to just 5 at 26-21.
However, it wasn’t all easy for the offense. After the Rams turned it over on downs, they’d get a chance early in the 4th quarter to take the lead. The Rams defense reasserted itself and, after a nearly intercepted 4th down pass, forced a turnover on downs of their own.
Just about 3 and a half minutes later, the offense would get another chance from its own 9-yard line. Needing a touchdown, Hurts and the offense put together the best drive of the season. A dominating 17-play drive marched the Eagles 91 yards down the field for the go-ahead DeVonta Smith touchdown while bleeding the clock down to just 1:48 remaining. While the 2-point conversion did fail, it ultimately didn’t matter.
It’s been extremely difficult to judge Patullo through the first 3 games of the season. His 1st half play calling today was unacceptable, but whatever halftime adjustments he made were no doubt a centerpiece in the comeback.
Jordan Davis steals the show on defense and special teams
The defense opened the game just about as well as you can. Baun set up the offense inside the Rams 40 with an interception off of Matthew Stafford.
The rest of the first half was the definition of bend but don’t break.
First, the Rams would drive inside the Eagles’ 35, but the defense clamps down on a 3rd and 6, forcing a 41-yard field goal from Joshua Karty. The Rams did respond with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams, who may or may not have committed offensive pass interference.
After that, it was back to business. Rams have a 1st and goal at the 6-yard line? Penalties kill their chances, and they are forced to kick a field goal. Rams get inside the red zone and have 2nd and 4? The defense stuffs the run game and forces a 3rd down incompletion, and the Rams settle for a field goal. The Rams have a chance to score a touchdown before the half? Incomplete pass to Puka Nacua, and they, again, settle for a field goal.
It felt like the defense had finally broken to the Rams offense after they scored a touchdown on their first play of the 2nd half to go up 26-7. Instead, after that, the defense was perfect.
They forced a punt on only 4 plays on the next series, feeding off the momentum given to the team by the offense. After the offense put up another touchdown they needed a stop to stay in the game. The Rams decided to get aggressive by going for it on a 4th and 1. Davis blew the play up, forcing the turnover on downs.
The very next series, the defense’s backs would again be to the wall as the drive started at the 50-yard line. The Rams pushed the ball all the way to the 18-yard line, but, like many times before, were forced to settle for a field goal.
Instead of getting their 3 points, Jalen Carter changed the game by blocking the kick and keeping the score at 26-21. It wasn’t the last we’d seen of blocked kicks.
After the offense took the lead, the game would come down to one last drive to end the game. At first, it looked like Stafford and company were going to pull off the game-winning drive. Some chunk plays both through the air and on the ground got the ball inside the 30-yard line to set up the game winning field goal.
It’s here where the Eagles pulled off the 2nd consecutive miracle.
Davis not only blocked the kick to win the game, but took it all the way back for a touchdown for good measure. Davis, who, keep in mind, is 6’6 330 lbs, hit a top speed of 18.59 mph on the return.
Davis had an outstanding game even without the blocked kick. He helped change the game by stuffing the Rams on 4th down and picked up his first sack of the season in the 3rd quarter. The breakout season is finally upon us.
Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.
