Turf Show Times
Kyren Williams and Beaux Limmer in the doghouse as 2025 offseason beings
This divisional round matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles had the makings of a modern classic. Two perennial playoff contenders battling the snowy winter elements in a game that went down to the final moments.
Unfortunately for the Rams, the outcome will go down on the wrong side of their franchise history. The Eagles finished on top 28-22. LA had the ball in the red zone until a Matthew Stafford pass intended for Puka Nacua sailed out of bounds on fourth down.
The result brings finality to the Rams’ season. There will be time to find closure and turn the page to the offseason.
For now, let’s take a look at who helped Los Angeles keep the final score close and which players deserve blame for ending this year’s playoff campaign.
Verse was hands down the Rams best player in this game. He caught the ire of of Eagles fans earlier this week when he publicly said he hates them (OK, fair enough); however, he backed up the chatter with his performance.
The rookie phenom finished with four tackles and sacked Jalen Hurts twice.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Verse’s outing is that NextGenStats tracked him at 21.6 MPH in pursuit of Saquon Barkley on a long run. For comparison, Kansas City Chiefs speedster Xavier Worthy’s top speed this season was 24.46 MPG.
Down six and with roughly three minutes on the clock, Kobie Turner made a savvy play the cutoff Hurts on a bootleg and sacked the quarterback—setting up a key third and long. This sack played a pivotal role in Los Angeles getting the ball back for what could have been a game-winning drive. He had another tackle for loss in addition.
It was mostly a quiet day for Puka Nacua, but he stepped up on the offense’s final drive and overcame the elements to haul in a 37-yard pass from Stafford along the sideline. He was LA’s leading receiver with six catches on 14 targets for 97 yards.
It wasn’t all good. Nacua did have a drop on third down during a stretch where the Rams weren’t getting much production on offense.
How important is Tyler Higbee to the Rams?
Well, he didn’t play for most of this season. Fellow TE’s Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Hunter Long were lackluster in replacement.
Since Higbee’s returned from the knee injury he suffered in last year’s postseason, he’s amassed 178 yards and three touchdowns on 18 receptions in roughly four-and-a-half games. In this matchup alone he caught seven of 10 targets for 54 yards and a score.
More on Barkley’s long runs incoming.
However, if you carve out the three explosive touchdowns, the Eagles managed 101 yards on 31 carries. Outside of a few key plays, the Rams...
