Saquon Barkley was miserable in the snow as the Philadelphia Eagles survived a late scare to beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in a picturesque but dramatic playoff game to advance to the NFC Championship on Sunday.
Barkley burst for a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter before extending his team’s lead to 28-15 with a 78-yard touchdown run with five minutes to play on the night for a phenomenal 205 yards eclipses 2,000 rushing yards during .
Second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter starred for the Eagles with two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble as the Rams were forced to pay for costly turnovers.
Jalen Hurts completed 15 of 20 for 128 yards and also rushed for a touchdown, while Matthew Stafford threw for 324 yards and two scores as the Rams saw their drive come to an end.
The Eagles will now face Jaden Daniels and the Washington Commanders for a spot in Super Bowl LIX next weekend in New Orleans after losing a 36-33 thriller against their NFC East division rivals a month later.
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Saquon Barkley returns a 78-yard field goal, his second of the game, to secure the Philadelphia Eagles’ berth in the NFC Championship Game.
Statistics leaders
Los Angeles Rams
- Transition. Matthew Stafford, 26/44, 324 yards, 2 TDs
- In a hurry. Kyren Williams, 19, 106 yards
- Getting. Puka Naqua, 6 catches, 97 yards
Philadelphia Eagles
- Transition. Jalen Hurts, 15/20, 128 yards
- In a hurry. Saquon Barkley, 26 carries, 205 yards, 2 TDs
- Getting. Dallas Goedert, 5 catches, 56 yards
As Rocky Balboa’s music played in Philly, snow fell and chaos ensued in a second half of slips, slides, falls, drama and a little bit of Saquon.
The Rams threatened a late turnaround at Lincoln Financial Field when Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson for a four-yard 2.48 run just moments after Barkley thought he had iced the game with his 78-yard score.
When the Eagles’ next drive stalled, Stafford, armed with 51 game-winning drives to his name, was able to convert on third-and-10 to DeMarcus Robinson before stunning the Eagles with a 37-yard strike to Puka Naqua, who was playing the sideline for an outstanding leaping catch to move his side down to the 21-yard line and the rest 1.33.
After Los Angeles recovered a 2nd-and-12 after a false start penalty against Kevin Dotson, Carter sealed the game moments later by sacking Stafford on third-and-2 with one last-chance Rams quarterback the defender couldn’t find Naqua as the Eagles breathed a sigh of relief.
Jalen Hurts and Barkley’s touchdown runs gave the Eagles a 13-10 halftime lead before Joshua Carty’s 34-yard field goal tied the game on the opening drive of the second half, which was heavily impacted by snow.
Jake Elliott responded with a 44-yard field goal to restore the Eagles’ lead, but not without a scare after Hurts suffered a knee injury on a hit by Lightning safety Jalen McCollough.The quarterback was carted off to the blue tent before returning with a sprain.
The pain seemed to continue as his lack of mobility allowed Neville Gallimore to bring him down for a safety that would have pulled the Rams within 16-15.
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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley returns for a 62-yard touchdown to give his team the lead over the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams running back Williams would then experience the wrath of an inspired Carter who successfully fielded the ball before teammate Isaiah Rodgers ran it back to the 10-yard line. , they instead turned to Barkley again in light of Hurts’ injury.
That led to another stop by the Rams defense, followed by a false start penalty against Lane Johnson that forced the Eagles to settle for Elliott’s 23-yard field goal attempt to make it 19-15.
Carter wasn’t the only former Georgia Bulldog running riot, with Nolan Smith making his presence felt on the Rams, who followed by forcing another fumble with 6.18 left.
Knowing the snow was coming, both teams burst the traps chasing an early base. And it was the Eagles who struck first on the sixth play, when Hurts broke free for a 44-yard rushing touchdown. It served as the Eagles the longest run of a quarterback’s NFL career and an immediate reminder of Philadelphia’s reading option about the threat through Hurts and Barkley.
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts returns for a 44-yard field goal against the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The Rams responded instantly when Tyler Higbee slipped Stafford’s needle-and-thread dagger between two defenders at the goal line for a four-yard touchdown at the 13-play mark.
It looked like it might stall on 7th and 7 when Stafford’s low pass to Higbee was ruled incomplete, only for Sean McVay to make a successful challenge. Williams was on hand to convert on fourth-and-one from the four-yard line for a first-and-goal for
Barkley’s moment wasn’t far away, with the NFL’s leading rusher following up on a Mech Becton block that ripped 62 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 lead.
Carty cut the lead to three with a 30-yard field goal before Verse drove down the field on Philadelphia’s next two possessions.
What’s next?
Sunday is the Conference Championship with the Eagles hosting the Commanders in the NFC.
Super Bowl LIX will take place on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. live on Sky Sports NFL.
