Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Rams playoff game – PhillyVoice
1) The ‘Superhero’ Award: Saquon Barkley. Barkley ran 26 times for 205 yards (7.9 YPC) and 2 TDs. His first TD, which was 62 yards. And his second TD, on a field that looked a lot different than the one above, that went for 78 yards. In two games against the Rams this season, Barkley carried 52 times for 460 yards, and 4 TDs, that were distances of 78, 72, 70, and 62 yards. They’re going to give the MVP Award to a quarterback, but Barkley has been the best player in the NFL this season.
Eagles vs. Rams Divisional Round: The good, the bad, and the ugly – BGN
Saquon Barkley rolled over the Rams again, finishing with an Eagles’ single-game playoff record 205 yards rushing on 25 carries, with touchdown runs of 62 and 78 yards. Jalen Hurts was not great, though an efficient 15 of 20 for 128 yards, although he was sacked seven times for 63 yards. Hurts is 4-0 in home playoff games, and in each home playoff victory his passing yards were under 200. Defensively, the Eagles sacked Matt Stafford five times for 33 yards, the key sack coming in the waning moments of the game when Jalen Carter got his second sack during the most pivotal moment in the game.
Eagles Advance to NFC Championship! Saquon, Jalen Carter, and Other Takeaways with BLG – The Ringer’s Philly Special
The Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 to advance to the NFC championship game next week against the Washington Commanders. Sheil is joined by Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to discuss the win in the snowy conditions. What are the biggest takeaways from the victory against the Rams? Does it really matter how you win come playoff time ()? Is Saquon having the best season in totality for a running back ()? The Eagles defense performed well again, and Nolan Smith has been showing up all postseason (). Jalen Carter was a monster up front and missed only two snaps (). Plus, the guys talk about the “Cliff Curse” and whether it’s still a real thing.
Saquon Barkley dashes through the snow on massive Eagles’ TD against Rams – SB Nation
It has become something of a recipe for the Philadelphia Eagles this season. Play a tight game into the fourth quarter, and let Saquon Barkley take over from there. With the Eagles holding a 22-15 lead over the Los Angeles Rams late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round game, Philadelphia took over on their own 22-yard line, 78 yards from a touchdown that would seal the game, and send the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game. They — and Barkley — needed just one play.
‘You chase greatness’: Saquon Barkley adds to legend with record-setting 205 rushing yards through snow in Eagles playoff win vs. Rams – PHLY
“This is what you dream about,” Barkley said. “This is why I came to Philly — to be part of games like this.” They wouldn’t be here without Barkley. He rushed for a franchise postseason record 205 yards and two touchdown to pace the Eagles offense. Barkley confessed that he knew it was a franchise record. A student of running back history, Barkley researched the Eagles’ history books this week. He thought he played well against Green Bay in the opening round and knew the success he had in the first meeting against the Rams, so Barkley wondered what it would take to top another Eagles record. He saw in was 196 yards by Steve Van Buren’s record in 1949 — also against the Rams. The record lasted 76 years until Barkley’s performance Sunday. “You chase greatness,” Barkley said. It seems greatness is chasing Barkley. Everybody else is — especially the Rams.
NFL Divisional Round Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 28, Los Angeles Rams 22 – PFF
Eagles interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter delivered a dominant performance on Sunday, earning 80.0-plus grades as a pass rusher and run defender. Carter recorded a game-high six pressures, highlighted by two critical sacks and two hits on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, his biggest play came against the run when he forced a fumble from Kyren Williams late in the game. This pivotal play swung momentum in the Eagles’ favor amid challenging weather conditions.
NFL divisional round playoffs: Overreactions, big questions – ESPN+
Overreaction? The Eagles need a lot more from their passing game to beat Washington. Not an overreaction! Yes, I watched the game. I know the second half was played in a blizzard and no one could do much. I’m not holding the Eagles’ mere 65 passing yards — 128 total with 63 sack yards — against them, per se. But they weren’t getting much through the air early in the game when the weather was less intense, and the Rams threw the ball fine in the fourth quarter. Plus, the Eagles’ passing game has been middle of the pack all season. The issue has gotten plenty of attention — receiver A.J. Brown was seen reading on the sideline and the Brown/Jalen Hurts/Brandon Graham drama in December. Even so, the Eagles have won 16 of 19 games this season. How bad can they be in any aspect? We’re talking about champagne problems here. But the Eagles probably will need to win a shootout next week against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, who scored 36 points against them in a Week 16 victory. I’m not sure how confident we can be in the Eagles’ ability to do that.
Roob’s Obs: Big Barkley plays, ferocious defense sends Eagles to NFC Championship Game – NBCSP
3. It’s easy to say the Eagles don’t really need a high-powered passing game because of their running game and defense. But once again the passing game was just not good enough . It’s great that Jalen Hurts isn’t turning the ball over, but he just hasn’t looked comfortable since he came back from his concussion. He’s not throwing with confidence, he’s standing in the pocket way too long, he’s taking way too many sacks and he just doesn’t look right. Let’s go deeper: Hurts had 11 completions of at least 35 yards in his first 10 games this year and none in his last seven games. He dropped back 27 times and was sacked seven times, which is ridiculous. He got sacked more than a quarter of the time he dropped back. Including a ridiculous sack. Now, A.J. Brown dropped what would have been a 35-yarder down to the 2-yard-line just before halftime Sunday. And obviously by the middle of the second half the conditions had deteriorated to the point where nobody was going to be throwing down the field and Hurts also looked hobbled at that point. But the bottom line is this offense has too many talented people across the board for the passing offense to be this punchless against a bottom-10 defense. They’ve got to be better. Hurts has to be better.
Eagles Survive the Rams – Iggles Blitz
Jalen Hurts was up and down. He had a 44-yard TD run and made some key throws. He also took some big sacks, including one for a safety. That almost cost the Eagles the game. Hurts got hurt in the second half and toughed his way through the injury. Give him credit for helping his team win, but this was another frustrating performance. He did have bad luck on a couple of plays. Hurts threw a good pass to DeVonta for what should have been a big gain, but an illegal hit broke it up. AJ Brown dropped 2 passes, including one that was a deep ball that would have put the Eagles at the 2-yard line. Hurts also executed a TE screen for a good gain, only to have it wiped out by a penalty on Mekhi Becton. Hurts could have had another 100 yards passing if not for mistakes that weren’t his fault.
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is confident he will play vs. Commanders|What do doctors say about his injury? – NJ.com
According to different doctors and physical therapists on social media, Hurts should be able to play against the Commanders, but he might not be super effective. “Left knee injury. Hoping more bursa/contusion than meniscus. Should continue but may affect his running and play selection,” David J. Chao, an NFL injury expert, posted on X. “Left foot/leg got pinned underneath as the defender pulled him down. Concern for Left MCL sprain > high ankle concern. Think his foot escaped in time,” Jeff Mueller, a doctor of physical therapy, said on X at the time of the injury. “Video suggests concern for knee ligament (PCL) sprain. He’s back, and he’ll likely be ok from the pocket.Expect major mobility limitations,” Deepak Chona, a Harvard-trained sports surgeon, tweeted during the game.
Most concerning flaw for each Divisional Round winner, top offseason need for each eliminated team – NFL.com
Biggest weakness: The health of Jalen Hurts.. The Eagles quarterback sustained a leg injury when his body twisted awkwardly while being sacked by Rams safety Jaylen McCollough in the third quarter of Philadelphia’s 28-22 divisional win over Los Angeles. Hurts reached for his left knee, then left the game to be checked by medical staff before returning for Philadelphia’s next possession. The Rams sacked him again on the second play of that series, recording a safety and ensuring plenty of questions about Hurts in the coming days. It was apparent that his mobility was compromised after the injury. What we don’t know is what that means for the Eagles now that they’ll be hosting the Washington Commanders in next Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. There already were questions about the Eagles’ quarterback heading into the postseason, as he sustained a concussion in a Week 16 loss to Washington and didn’t play again until the Wild Card Round. There are likely to be more now that Hurts has posted back to back sub-150 yard passing games in the playoffs. The Rams’ defensive front gave him plenty of problems — sacking him seven times — and Washington might be able to do the same if he’s compromised. The Eagles can wear teams out with their ground game, as Saquon Barkley ran for 205 yards against the Rams and Hurts opened the game with a 44-yard touchdown run. However, the Eagles’ only loss in their last 15 games came when Hurts went down. If he’s not right, the Eagles’ championship dreams will be in trouble.
In victory over Rams, Eagles outran their passing-game problems for one more day – The Athletic
Jalen Carter stood at his locker, beaming and shirtless. He embodied a destructive group of defenders that made its most definitive statement yet — and they said it with their chest. “Baddest man in the country,” a staffer hollered from behind the reporters. “Love,” Carter said back. How many emotions were exhausted at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday? Love. Sure. It practically poured down from the stands after Carter sacked Matthew Stafford in the red zone with just over a minute remaining. Panic. Definitely. The game clock ticked and tocked and took years off fans’ lives as they watched Stafford drop back and fling a fourth-down throw that sailed beyond Eagles cornerback Darius Slay then wide of intended target Puka Nakua, landing harmlessly out of bounds. Relief. Slay looked at the ball, the sideline, the scoreboard. Eagles 28, Rams 22.
Spadaro: 6 takeaways from a heart-pounding, thrilling 28-22 victory over the Rams – PE.com
2. The defense gets the final stop. Philadelphia’s defense, the best in the NFL all season, battled against a Rams offense that played well throughout the game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 26 of 44 passes for 324 yards, Kyren Williams ran for 106 yards, and the Rams threatened for much of the game with 402 total net yards offensively and also answered that Barkley 78-yard touchdown run with a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that took only 1:48 off the clock. But the Eagles’ defense also did a lot of excellent things with two takeaways – Jalen Carter punched the football away from Stafford and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers recovered and returned it 40 yards to the Rams’ 10-yard line, which resulted in three points, and also Nolan Smith who had a strip-sack of Stafford and Zack Baun recovered, a takeaway that led to another three points. And then, fittingly, the defense was on the field at the end of the game when the Rams drove all the way to the Philadelphia 13-yard line with just over one minute remaining in the game. Carter then had a great pass rush up the middle and sacked Stafford for a loss of 9 on a third-and-2 play. On fourth-and-11, Carter again pressured Stafford, who threw incomplete for wide receiver Puka Nacua and the game was over. “It was surreal. I was really focused on trying to finish the game out,” Carter said after the game. “I know I had the sack on third down, but I was trying to get everybody together. I knew they had one more play in them, and we got a stop and won the game.”
Winners & Losers: Rams can’t overcome ice cold second half – Turf Show Times
LOSERS: Run defense on explosive plays. Barkley probably wishes he could play the Rams every week. In the earlier regular season matchup he accumulated over 300 total yards. In this game he finished with 232 inclusive of two long touchdowns for 62 and 78 yards each. Hurts also rushed for a 44-yard touchdown on the opening drive. These three touchdowns accounted for 184 yards on their own. Meanwhile, Los Angeles was stuck with a running back that lacks breakaway speed in Kyren Williams.
What are the odds? The Washington Commanders are road underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders defeated the Detroit Lions in the divisional round and now they know who their next opponent will be. Washington was the No. 6 seed in the NFC, and after taking down the No. 1 seed Lions, they get to face the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles. This will be a rubber match with each team getting one win during the regular season. The Eagles finished with two more wins than the Commanders during the regular season, and both teams dealt with QB injuries during their previous matchups. The stakes are much higher now, with the winning team going to the Super Bowl, and the losing team starting their offseason prep for 2025.
Commanders G Sam Cosmi has torn ACL – PFT
Trent Scott replaced Cosmi on Saturday night against the Lions. Scott will be the likely starter next Sunday, as the Commanders face the Eagles for a berth in Super Bowl LXIX.
One of these former Cowboys coordinators will be coaching in Super Bowl LIX in three weeks – Blogging The Boys
Now, these two are helping two other NFC East teams advance to the Super Bowl and one of them is guaranteed to do it. Will it be Dan Quinn as he keeps the Commanders’ Cinderella story going? Or, will it be the dreaded Eagles that make three Super Bowl appearances over the last eight seasons? Whichever it is, we know it won’t be Dallas and these coaches we once took for granted will be celebrating in some other team’s locker room.
Survey: An overwhelming majority of Giants fans want to replace Shane Bowen – Big Blue View
Co-owner John Mara made a statement just after the season that both Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll would remain in place for the 2025 season (at least). It has since been reported that the team intends for Mike Kafka and Shane Bowen to remain the offensive and defensive coordinator (respectively). That, however, doesn’t satisfy the fanbase and the majority of fans want to see some sort of change after one of the worst seasons in franchise history. This week we asked whether the team should replace Shane Bowen at defensive coordinator and the response was a resounding “YES”. A full 70% of respondents said that they want to see Bowen replaced.
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