Matthew Stafford knows exactly what’s coming when the Rams walk into Philadelphia.
The Eagles may have stumbled the last two weeks, but the matchup still brings the same problems that have bothered the Rams for years: disguise, pressure and a defense built to make the quarterback think twice. Stafford said this week that Vic Fangio’s group forces constant adjustments, and that’s been true in their head-to-head meetings. Fangio has won all three matchups against Sean McVay over the last two years, and the Rams have managed just 20.5 points per game across their last four games against Philadelphia, their lowest scoring average against any opponent since 2023.
Stafford’s history with Fangio goes back further than that. From 2015-18, when Stafford was with the Detroit Lions and Fangio was running the Chicago Bears’ defense, Stafford went 5-3 against him. But even with that edge in the past, he’s not treating this like an easy solve.
“I have a ton of respect for him. Like I said, he mixes fronts and coverages as well as anybody,” said Stafford this week.
“He does a great job of coaching those guys so that they're always winning to their leverage, playing the way they're supposed to play. He gives the quarterback a lot to think about, a lot of things to figure out and adjust to.
It's always a big challenge.”
That challenge has shown up clearly in Stafford’s numbers against Philadelphia since 2024. His 0.02 EPA per pass against the Eagles is well below the 0.14 EPA per pass he’s posted against the rest of the league.
Last season, he threw for 196 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against them. The bigger issue has been the heat coming off the edge and through the middle: Stafford has been sacked on 8.7 percent of his dropbacks against the Eagles, more than double his 4.2 percent sack rate against other teams.
Davante Adams is walking into the same test from a different angle, and he’s coming off a stretch that looks a lot more like the old version of him. He’s put together back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time since 2024, and he and Stafford have generally been in sync.
Still, the Eagles have already shown they can make life difficult for him. In last season’s meeting, Adams caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, but Quinyon Mitchell held him to just two receptions for 12 yards.
Adams said the Rams aren’t overlooking anything about Philadelphia’s secondary, even with some of the early-season criticism around that unit.
“I know there have been some talks about the secondary and safeties, but it's the NFL. These guys all can play and go out there and make plays on any given day,” said Adams.
“Humility is one play away if you know you're sleeping on somebody. We don't take anybody lightly at the end of the day.
We know Cooper [DeJean] is obviously a really good player as well so we have to go out there and account for everybody.”
That matters even more with Puka Nacua back in the mix. Adams has still been heavily involved, with his 26.7 percent target share ranking inside the top 15 among wide receivers, and Sunday gives the Rams another chance to see how the passing game is distributed against a defense that still has enough talent to punish mistakes.
The Eagles’ defense hasn’t played to its standard this season. They were just beaten by the Bears on Monday night, when Case Keenum threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, and they enter this week ranked 23rd in defensive EPA per play and 20th in overall defensive success rate. Even so, the Rams aren’t expecting a soft landing.
Stafford pointed to the physicality and disguise Philadelphia still brings, along with a pass rush that remains dangerous. The Eagles are generating a quarterback pressure rate of 39.2 percent, the ninth-highest mark in the NFL.
“Like I said earlier, they're always a tough out,” Stafford said. “They play extremely physical up front, a penetrating style of defensive line, especially this year.
They're doing a great job of hiding and mixing coverages. They're as good as anybody in the league at doing that kind of stuff.
We just got to go out there and play within ourselves, execute, play physical and find a way to win.”
If the Rams are going to leave Philadelphia with the result they want, the formula is plain enough: Stafford has to be sharp, and the offensive line has to keep him clean.
In Other News...
Rams Enter Eagles Test With A Sudden Special Teams Problem
The Rams head into their Week 4 matchup with the Eagles carrying the usual injury baggage, but the special teams picture changed in a hurry this week. Los Angeles put tight end Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve, waived punt returner Xavier Smith and promoted running back Dean Connors to the active roster, a set of moves that puts extra attention on how the Rams handle the kicking game going into a matchup that already has plenty of personnel questions on both sides.
Philadelphia is dealing with its own absences, including DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, but the Rams immediate concern is more basic: who handles returns and how cleanly the operation holds together. Those decisions tend to matter most when the games get tight, and with another short-week style test looming against a banged-up opponent, Los Angeles suddenly has one more area to sort out before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Watched A Massive Eagles Threat Suddenly Leave The Game
Saquon Barkleys afternoon against the Rams changed in an instant in Week 4, when the Eagles star suffered a right hamstring injury on a non-contact run and headed to the sideline. Barkley was listed as questionable to return after leaving the field favoring his leg, and Philadelphia had to quickly reshuffle its backfield with Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley stepping in.
For the Rams, the timing mattered as much as the injury itself. Barkley is the kind of player who can force an offense to stay on schedule and stress a defense every snap, so his exit immediately altered how the Eagles had to approach the rest of the game. Any setback involving a threat of that caliber is the sort of development a defense notices right away, even before the full impact becomes clear. [Read more 🡒]
Puka Nacuas Return Still Leaves Rams With One Big Concern
Puka Nacua was back on the field for the Rams in Week 4 against the Eagles after sitting out two games because of a pre-hernia injury that involved hip and groin soreness, a reminder of how careful Los Angeles has been trying to be with one of its most important receivers. Sean McVay has already clarified that Nacua does not have a full hernia, and the teams approach has been to manage the issue rather than push it.
Nacuas return mattered because he had already led the Rams in receptions and receiving yards in Week 1, and he still found a way to contribute against Philadelphia. The bigger concern now is less about whether he can play through it in the short term and more about how the Rams balance his value on the field with the risk of the injury lingering over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]