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For the third-straight week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves facing off against a team with playoff aspirations, with the Los Angeles Rams taking their second direct flight of the year from LAX to PHL for an NFC showdown.
Soon, fans will get to see if Nick Sirianni is able to get his offense back on track, supercharging a Kevin Patullo-led unit that has been inconsistent in Weeks 1-2 to the heights that became standard under Kellen Moore, or if things will remain frustratingly consistent, with both the passing and rushing units underperforming versus expectations.
And as for the defense? Well, Sean McVay is arguably the best offensive mind the Eagles have faced so far this season, with a pair of elite wide receivers in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua who could give struggling CB2 Adoree’ Jackson fits in the open field.
Will historical president and momentum give Philly their second win of the season at the Linc? Or will the Rams finally take down a team that has been little-bro-ing them for years?
In 2024, Saquon Barkley was unstoppable.
Fresh off an extended stay in New Jersey, where he was the sometime engine of the New York Giants’ offense, Barkley became a force of nature running behind Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line, amassing over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in the regular season before breaking Terrell Davis’ all-time record for rushing yards over a full campaign, including the postseason.
In 2025, Saquon Barkley has looked, well, stoppable.
Now granted, after turning in one of the very best rushing seasons in NFL history, it makes sense that Barkley would be at the top of opposing scouting reports, with defensive coordinators the world over looking to do everything in their power to shut down the Penn State product. But through two games, Barkley has just 148 yards on the ground, 60 from an admittedly strange game against the Dallas Cowboys on opening night, and 88 against a Kansas City Chiefs team that refused to let him rip off a long run.
Fortunately, while Los Angeles will also be making a special point to slow down No. 26, with Chris Shula likely committing serious personnel up front to making the Eagles’ offense one-dimensional, the Rams are still the Rams, and Barkley has never run for less than 200 yards in midnight green uniform against them.
Despite adding a pair of quality players to their front seven in Nate Landman and Poona Ford during the offseason, the Rams still rank middle-of-the-pack in terms of run defense, allowing 223 total yards on 53 attempts for a 4.2 yards per attempt average. While Barkley may not go for 200 yards for the third-straight game against the Rams, he will almost certainly pass into triple digits for the first time this season, allowing Patullo to run a more versatile offense and capitalize on the gravity No. 26 presents.
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