The Philadelphia Eagles made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. And while they aren’t the same team they were last year, this Eagles squad is equally capable of making a deep playoff run again.
The Los Angeles Rams are the next team to try to put the first blemish on the Eagles’ undefeated record, hosting the defending NFC champs on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.
Buy Rams TicketsThis is a huge game for the 2-2 Rams, who are trying to get above .500 with a statement win against one of the league’s best teams. There are some serious concerns heading into this matchup, though. Here are the five biggest for Los Angeles.
1
Injuries along the offensive line
This has to be the Rams’ biggest worry heading into Sunday’s game. Alaric Jackson and Joe Noteboom have both missed the first two practices of the week and could be in danger of being sidelined against the Eagles. We’ll find out more about their availability after practice on Friday but it could be disastrous if the Rams are missing both players.
That would leave them with their third-string left tackle, and it isn’t even clear who that would be. At least if either Jackson or Noteboom can play, it would allow the Rams to put one of them at left tackle and Kevin Dotson at right guard again, which worked out well last week.
2
Stopping Eagles’ running game
No team in the NFL runs the ball more than the Eagles, who have attempted 140 rushes in the first four weeks. It’s mostly a combination of Jalen Hurts and D’Andre Swift, who have combined for 498 yards thus far, and a big reason for their success is the play of the offensive line.
Philadelphia’s line is opening up some massive holes for Swift, ranking first in the NFL with a run-blocking grade of 80.6 at Pro Football Focus. If the Rams can’t close down those gaps and make life difficult on the Eagles when they do hand it off, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
And that’s without even mentioning the read-option aspect on offense, which Michael Hoecht struggled against last season early in his transition to outside linebacker. No matter what the Eagles do in the running game, it’s difficult to stop.
3
Matching up with Philadelphia’s talented WRs
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith give the Eagles one of the best receiving tandems in football, presenting a lot of different challenges for the defense. Brown is fast and physical, making him a tough player for any cornerback to cover. Ahkello Witherspoon is likely to draw him in coverage a bunch.
Smith is a silky smooth route runner who can line up in the slot or out wide and win to all levels of the field. Expect to see Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant covering him the most.
However, because the Rams keep their cornerbacks on designated sides, the Eagles might be able to get favorable matchups by putting Brown on Kendrick and Smith on Witherspoon. Regardless of where the Eagles put their guys, the Rams’ corners will need to step up.
4
Getting consistent pressure on Jalen Hurts
As tough as it is to stop the Eagles’ rushing attack, it’s equally difficult to pressure Hurts in the pocket. Hurts has been sacked 11 times but according to Pro Football Focus, only two of those were pinned on the offensive line: one allowed by Jordan Mailata and one by Landon Dickerson.
The Eagles’ pass-blocking grade of 70.8 ranks as the seventh-best in the NFL, which just goes to show how difficult it’s going to be to collapse the pocket on Hurts. Aaron Donald will do his job and disrupt things on the interior, but the Rams desperately need someone to step up on the edge and apply some pressure from the outside.
5
Failing to convert in the red zone
The Rams rank ninth in red-zone scoring percentage, finding the end zone 61.5% of the time when they get inside the 20. That’s despite going 1-for-4 against the Bengals in Week 3. The Eagles’ red-zone defense is surprisingly bad, allowing teams to score touchdowns 73.3% of the time, but the Rams can’t take that for granted.
They have to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals when they get in range of the end zone. Against a high-powered offense like the Eagles’, field goals won’t be enough. If the Rams are going to match Philadelphia’s scoring, they’re going to need touchdowns. They can’t have a repeat of Week 3.
