The Los Angeles Rams (2-0) and Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) are set for a 1:00 pm kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field. The two teams last faced each other in the NFC divisional round where the Rams came up 13 yards short of knocking off the #2 seed. Since the meeting eight months ago, there have been a few changes to their respective rosters. Let’s look at how these two teams stack up before kickoff…
QB Breakdown: If Matthew Stafford isn’t an elite quarterback in the NFL, he’s as close as can be. After
two weeks, he is still the No. 1 ranked quarterback according to PFF with a 91.5 overall grade. Stafford is still probably not getting enough praise for his ability considering he is one of the last remaining pure pocket passers. His overall grade takes a hit because of his inability to tuck the ball and run. He is second in the NFL with seven big time throws against two turnover worthy plays. On the opposite side, Jalen Hurts has been one of the most conservative quarterbacks in the NFL; rarely attempting to go down field. The Eagles offense is built completely around the run game; limiting Hurts from putting the ball in harm’s way. Hurts is purely a system quarterback and game manager. Eagles fans will argue about Hurts and his team’s W-L record. But if you were to make the offensive line just average, Jalen Hurts is as pedestrian as they come.
RB Breakdown: Through two weeks, neither Kyren Williams nor Saquon Barkley have stood out…
Williams: 35 rushes, 132 yards, 3.8 YPC, 1 TD
Barkley: 40 rushes, 148 yards, 3.7 YPC, 2 TD
It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles manage Barkley’s workload because he is on pace for 340 rushing attempts. He had 345 such attempts in 16 regular season games last year and another 91 carries in the playoffs. Regardless, Barkley is an elite talent with the football in his hands and the Rams must neutralize him to win this game.
Kyren is producing at the clip you would expect. He still lacks breakaway speed and explosion. I expect LA to use Blake Corum occasionally if Williams isn’t generating much like he did in the first three quarters last Sunday.
WRs Breakdown: To some degree, you are only as good as your quarterback. However, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are significantly hindered by Jalen Hurts. They are quality wideouts capable of stretching the field. LA’s defensive backs should only be concerned with five yard crossers and fly routes down the sideline because that is the majority of the passing tree for the Eagles.
Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are and will continue to be the best tandem in the NFL. However, I want to give Tutu Atwell praise here before I continue. The intermediate crossers in the middle of the field are open because opposing defenses are having to respect Tutu’s downfield speed. I know fans are not seeing box score production but don’t think for a minute that Tutu isn’t impacting the game significantly. Back to Nacua & Adams. Nacua is making a case to be the best WR in football. Week in and week out, he continues to produce. Davante Adams meanwhile is enjoying the talent of Stafford, a talent he has not had since Aaron Rodgers’s MVP years in Green Bay.
TEs Breakdown: Goedert will return this week against the Rams after missing Week 2 at Kansas City. Goedert’s production since 2022 has dropped and they don’t have anyone behind him on the depth chart.
As for Los Angeles, they are changing their approach with their TE usage in game. Higbee (75%) and Allen (41%) have seen the field the most with Parkinson nursing a shoulder injury. In years past, McVay predominantly used Higbee without many substitutions. Now that they have significant depth at the position, they are able to keep fresh legs. With Davis Allen having two touchdowns in two weeks as TE3, I like the Rams at this position more.
OL Breakdown: Philadelphia’s offensive line is definitely superior to Los Angeles. However, I will say that it is not the group it once was. Philadelphia was not able to retain Mekhi Becton at right guard. Tyler Steen (61.7) and Landon Dickerson (54.3) aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire along the interior. So if there is a vulnerable spot, it’s there.
In this contest, LA will be without Steve Avila at left guard. It’s a noticeable loss considering the heavy-set defensive line that PHI employs. Justin Dedich got the nod last week instead of Beaux Limmer in his absence. I imagine for the sake of continuity, McVay & LaFleur will stay with Dedich one more week. The OL will have to get things moving in the run game, something they have struggled to do in 7 of the 8 quarters they have played this year. I expect to see Los Angeles double Carter with Dotson frequently if PHI rushes four.
DL Breakdown: Philadelphia’s defensive line features Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Moro Ojomo. Carter is the only one that presents a threat as a run stuffer and pass rusher. Davis and Ojomo only have 4.5 sacks combined in their career.
Kobie Turner alone has 18 sacks (which is actually more than Carter/Davis/Ojomo combined). Turner has started the year banged up; nursing a back injury through the tail end of training camp. But this game has been circled by him since its release. Poona Ford was added in free agency for this type of game, to defend the run. He has been slightly above average to start his Rams tenure. Braden Fiske is questionable to play after tweaking his oblique last week in warmups. Fortunately the Rams do have a deep rotation with Tyler Davis (second year) and Larrell Murchison (sixth year).
EDGE Breakdown: Jared Verse and Byron Young might have an argument has the best tandem in the NFL. Verse and Young are both graded inside the top 10. Young has started fast with 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Verse hasn’t notched a sack yet but has been drawing frequent double and even triple teams to start the year. Let’s also not forget Josiah Stewart, who has carved a role for himself in the edge rotation.
Philadelphia has a pair of young edge rushers as well: Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. Both are without sacks this year but Nolan Smith started to make a leap at the end of last year. LA should look to run heavy to the right side; using a size mismatch of Havenstein on Nolan Smith.
LB Breakdown: The Eagles take the edge at the inside linebacker position with the play of Zach Baun and rookie Jihaad Campbell. The two compliment each other well with Baun’s ability to rush the passer in blitzing situations while Campbell has graded well while dropping into coverage.
The Rams duo of Landman and Speights has been their best combination in years. Landman is providing more punch (pun intended) in the run game than what Rozeboom provided last year. His coverage grade has also been elite (87.3).
DB Breakdown: The Eagles secondary success since 2024 has been tied to Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, a pair of 2024 draft picks. Mitchell’s sophomore year hasn’t been as strong so far as his rookie campaign but his closing speed on hitches is as good as they come. I expect McVay to use motion frequently to create mismatches. McVay will often motion the TE outside on a team’s No. 1 cornerback playing in zone in order to get Puka Nacua or Davante Adams in the slot; working against the off ball linebacker.
The Rams lost Akhello Witherspoon midway through the Titans game because of a broken clavicle. Darious Williams then came in and performed admirably. Cobie Durant has been the best of the bunch; posting the third-highest cornerback grade in the NFL (84.7). I’ll give a very slight edge to PHI but that could change based on the performance of their third corner – Adoree’ Jackson.
ST Breakdown: Josh Karty improved his career field goal percentage to 86.1%. Jake Elliott holds a 85.0% career mark. His 2024 campaign was actually the second worst of his career but the majority of his misses were from 50+ (1 of 7). So far in 2025, he is 3 of 3 from 50+.
As for the punters, Ethan Evans has had a slow start; allowing 14.3 yards per punt return. Braden Mann leads the NFL with a 78.8 punting grade.
The Eagles have been sound on special teams across the board so they have the edge with performing slightly above average.
COACHING Breakdown: This game will boil down between Sean McVay and Vic Fangio. Fangio has bested McVay all three times they have faced off. However, the Rams have scored more with each subsequent game. This time, McVay will trade in Cooper Kupp for Davante Adams; giving more diversity to the offensive play designs.
But let’s not forget Chris Shula’s defense. Shula’s unit has already posted 11 sacks in the first two games and was fantastic outside of three plays in last year’s divisional game. This group has only gotten stronger. I think he holds a significant edge over Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo.
Did the Rams close the gap (and then some) since January? Who’s position groups are better? Who gets the win? Final score prediction? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
