With just over 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Rams were staring a 1-3 record in the face. They trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by 10 points at Lincoln Financial Field and had shown little sign of life on offense. They had just 239 yards on their first 10 drives of the game, struggling to move the ball for most of the day.
A 1-3 record wouldn't have been the end of the Rams' season, but with the Bills up next on the schedule, they would've come dangerously close to falling out of contention in the NFC West.
Then a switch was flipped.
The Rams defense got a stop on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 7:31 left in the game while trailing by 10 points, giving the offense a chance to make it a one-score game. Of course,
they'd have to drive the length of the field, which was a daunting task, but they got the job done.
Great grabs by Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee helped march the Rams down the field. After a 9-yard run by Kyren Williams, the Eagles were called for unnecessary roughness for a hit out of bounds, putting the Rams at the13-yard line. Two plays later, they were in the end zone, making it 20-17.
Still, the defense needed another stop and the offense would need to put points on the board again. Lo and behold, the defense stopped the Eagles on third down for the 11th time and got the ball back for the offense with about 3 minutes left in the fourth.
After going 98 yards on their last drive, the Rams then marched the ball down the field, going 79 yards in 10 plays in only 1:45 of game time. Williams' hard-earned 7-yard touchdown run gave the Rams their first lead of the game, putting them up 24-20.
Kyren Williams POWERS IT IN FOR THE LEAD!!@LARvsPHI on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
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Given the dominance of L.A.'s defense, that was enough. Byron Young sacked Jalen Hurts twice on the final drive to thwart any comeback attempt, clinching the win for the Rams.
If the Rams didn't wake up and find themselves on offense in the final 7 minutes, they'd be sitting at 1-3. But Sean McVay gave a speech to his offense on the sidelines with 3 minutes left in the third quarter to light a fire under them.
The fire didn't ignite right away, but the important thing is that it lit. And it may have saved the Rams' season.
If not for those two late drives against the Eagles, the Rams would be picking up the pieces of another disappointing performance. This time in a different fashion compared to last week's loss. Make no mistake, there is still plenty to clean up, particularly on offense and defense.
But as McVay said after the game – and has said many times before – "there are no style points." A win is a win, and the Rams got one when they needed it most.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams just saved their season with 2 clutch drives
