Rams host the Eagles on Sunday Night Football

The 2024 Los Angeles Rams have a golden opportunity to show their relevance and mettle on Sunday night when they host the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium. After rebounding from a loss with a win for the second time this season the 5-5 Rams are only one game behind the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals with seven games remaining in the regular season.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes while the defense snuffed out a potential game-winning drive against the New England Patriots last Sunday as the Rams held on for the 28-22 victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. With the win head coach Sean McVay tied the late-great John Robinson for the most coaching wins (75) in franchise history during the regular season.

"I thought Matthew was really in command the whole day," said McVay. "I thought he saw the field really well. Recognized the zero, ended up hitting Cooper (Kupp) on the 69-yard touchdown... he did a great job today." The four touchdowns moved Stafford into 10th on the NFL's all-time touchdown passing list with 367. It also moved him to seventh on the all-time list (16) with at least four touchdown passes in a game.

Full attention now turns to stopping the surging 8-2 Eagles on Sunday Night Football, Nov. 24, starting at 5:20 PM PST. The Eagles have won six consecutive games, including a well-earned 26-18 win over NFC East rival Washington Commanders last Sunday. They are currently seeded second in the NFC playoff picture and are one of the solid favorites behind the Detroit Lions (9-1) to win the Conference title.

The Eagles are a more balanced and dangerous team this season after having signed free agent running back Saquon Barkley this past off-season. Barkley, along with Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens, are dominating the league's rushers. Barkley has run for 1,137 yards total, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, scored eight touchdowns, and has 10 runs of 20+ yards to ignite the Philadelphia offensive attack.

Through ten games the Eagles offense has punished teams with 364 total rushes for 1,813 yards to compliment quarterback Jalen Hurts' passing attempts for 2,202 yards. Adding to the Rams defensive concerns, Hurts is a serious dual threat with 417 total rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, just one score shy of his 12 total passing touchdowns.

McVay on the Eagles: "They are red hot. They've played really well, they're finding their identity. They have great playmakers, coaches, and schemes. So they're checking all the boxes of what really good teams do. That's what's a great challenge."

In contrast, the Rams have thrown the ball 350 times for 2,557 yards and 13 touchdown passes. Their rushing attack led by Kyren Williams has 249 carries for 954 yards total and eight touchdowns, all scored by Williams. The Rams have scored 213 points this season on 22 touchdowns and 16 field goals from rookie kicker Joshua Karty. The Eagles have scored 259 points on 31 touchdowns and 14 field goals by 8-year veteran Jake Elliott.

The Los Angeles defense will also be challenged on shutting down the Eagles receiving corps of wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert, and Barkley. Brown has caught 33 passes for 618 yards, and three touchdowns; Smith leads with 41 catches for 516 yards, and four touchdowns; Goedert has 31 catches, 387 yards and one touchdown, while Barkley has added 23 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns to his arsenal.

The win over the Patriots placed the Rams in second place in the NFC West but still tied with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, all with 5-5 records. With 2:22 remaining in the game and only a six-point lead over the Patriots, the Rams punted, and again had to rely on their defense to secure the win. Four of the team's five wins this season have gone down to the final minutes of the game. Four of their five losses have also followed the same pattern.

Defensive back Kam Kinchens made the last minute play with an interception at the Rams 48-yard line on a 3rd-and-13 pass from Patriot rookie quarterback Drake Maye intended for Demario Douglas with only 1:47 on the clock. Stafford took a knee for the last three plays and the victory. Coincidentally, the Rams have won 75 consecutive games when leading by 15+ points in the second half, the second-longest active streak behind the Patriots 96-game streak.

The Rams increased their 4-point halftime lead to 15 points late in the third quarter. Two touchdown passes in the game to wide receiver Cooper Kupp (6 catches / 106 yards), including a 69-yard score gave them a 21-10 early 3rd-quarter lead. Wide receiver Puka Nacua (7 catches / 123 yards) dived for a highlight 12-yard touchdown pass for the Rams first lead in the second quarter. Tight end Colby Parkinson made the most of his solo catch with a 19-yard touchdown pass for the 28-13 lead.

"I've been really pleased with our group's ability to get themselves back into the fight winning four of five," said McVay about the team's recovery from a 1-4 start this season. "There have been different and unique ways that we've done it, but I think there is an element of learning how to be able to finish games and come away with the results."