The Eagles biggest offseason addition shined on the brightest stage of them all on Sunday night. Saquon Barkley continued to improve his case for MVP after rushing for a career-high 255 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles picked up their seventh straight win in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night at SoFi Stadium. Barkley’s 255 yards set a new single-game record in franchise history and is the ninth-most rushing yards by a player in NFL history. The win also gives the Eagles a three-game lead in the loss column in the NFC East.
The opening drive of the game did not look promising for the Eagles, getting gashed for big gains, missed tackles and both Darius Slay and Reed Blankenship leaving the field after the two collided on a tackle. However, the defense stepped up as Isaiah Rodgers forced Rams’ running back Kyren Williams to fumble on the Eagles’ 17-yard line and Nakobe Dean pounced on the loose football. Jalen Hurts made some nifty throws and Barkley ran for 26 yards on the drive, but ultimately it fizzled out, leading to a Jake Elliott 21-yard chip shot to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead with 5:13 to go in the first quarter.
The Rams picked up where they left off after their first drive, answering with an impressive 9-play, 70-yard touchdown drive aided by a Slay pass interference call to put the ball on the one-yard line to allow Williams to punch it in to make it a 7-3 game with 1:02 left in the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, the Eagles forced a three-and-out and once again stalled in the end zone, but thanks to three Eagles’ penalties, the drive came to a halt and Elliott added his second field goal, this time from 31-yards to make cut the deficit to 7-6 at the 6:17 mark.
The Eagles defense once again forced another three-and-out, highlighted by a Brandon Graham sack on third down. With the sack, the ageless wonder now ranks third all-time in Eagles’ history in sacks.
Philadelphia’s offense took over and drove down the field to score its first touchdown of the game capped off by a 6-yard touchdown catch from A.J. Brown to give the Eagles their first lead, 13-7 with 1:27 until halftime. The defense clamped down on the Rams’ offense, forcing yet another three-and-out, thanks to a Nakobe Dean sack, his third of the season. After just a 28-yard punt by Los Angeles, the Eagles tried to capitalize on the good field position, but were unable to do so, turning the ball over on downs. Josh Sweat closed out the first half with the team’s third sack of the game to take the 13-7 lead into the locker room.
Opening up the third quarter, Saquon Barkley broke off an electrifying 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive to give the Eagles a 20-7 lead. The run gave him his seventh 100-plus yard rushing game of the season and now one shy of tying the single-season record in franchise history.
On the ensuing drive, Slay suffered a concussion after making a tackle and the Rams attacked Rodgers who came in to replace him. A questionable pass interference call as Rodgers was defending Nacua put the Rams on 2-yard line and Matthew Stafford connected with Demarcus Robinson, defended by Rodgers, to make it a 20-14 game after the extra point. The Eagles responded on their next drive, marching down 70-yards on eight plays, highlighted by a 31-yard screen pass to Barkley and then a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Kenneth Gainwell to give the Eagles a 27-14 lead with 6:17 left in the third quarter.
Los Angeles tried to cut the deficit, but Joshua Karty missed a 47-yard field goal late in the third quarter. A third Elliott field goal extended the Eagles’ lead in the fourth quarter with a 26-yard field goal to make it 30-14 with 10:30 left in regulation.
With under three minutes left, Barkley ripped off his second huge scoring run of the game, a 72-yard jolt, to give him a career-high 255 yards on the ground and the Eagles a commanding 37-14 lead. The Rams scored a last-minute touchdown with Stafford connecting with Cooper Kupp to make it 37-20.
Barkley Running Wild
It was another sensational night for the Eagles’ running back. His 255-yard performance was his seventh 100-plus yard rushing game of the season and his fifth during the team’s seven-game winning streak. The three-time NFC Offensive Player of the Week honoree averaged 9.8 yards per carry in the win while his 302 yards from scrimmage also set a single-game franchise record.
Eagles Sack Pack
The defensive line generated a ton of pressure against the Rams, ultimately getting to Stafford five times. Milton Williams led the way with a pair of sacks while Brandon Graham, Nakobe Dean and Josh Sweat all each tallied one. The Eagles have now racked up 26 sacks during the win streak.
Philadelphia will now shift their focus to the Baltimore Ravens as they prepare for the biggest test yet. The Eagles will travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens next Sunday at 4:25pm ET.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
