The Los Angeles Rams got the result they needed in Week 4, but the way they got there left plenty to chew on.
For most of the afternoon, they looked stuck in the mud. The offense never really found its rhythm, Matthew Stafford piled up mistakes, and the Eagles had the crowd with them for much of the game.
The Rams didn’t grab the lead until under two minutes remained. Still, when it was time to make one final push, Kyren Williams kept churning and the Rams found a way to leave with an ugly win.
That result snapped Los Angeles’ four-game losing streak against the Eagles since bringing Stafford aboard. It also came despite a rough day from Stafford, who threw multiple interceptions that turned into points for Philadelphia. Rain helped make the conditions messy, the Eagles defense did its part, and the officiating had its share of questionable moments, but none of that changed the fact that the Rams needed this one and did not look like a team in control for most of it.
The brightest spot belonged to the Rams defense. It was the only unit that consistently showed life.
Los Angeles held Philadelphia under 200 yards of offense and kept the Eagles off the board on third down, going 0-for-11. Even so, the Rams still made things harder than they had to be.
They stopped the Eagles on downs at the Philadelphia 38 while trailing by 10, then managed only two yards before handing the ball right back.
Stafford’s day was full of rough edges from the start. On the opening drive, he overthrew Konata Mumpfield for his first interception, and that mistake quickly led to three Eagles points.
By halftime, Stafford was 12-of-21 for 120 yards with two interceptions, and those turnovers had already helped produce 10 Philadelphia points. He did finish 32-of-51 for 316 yards and eventually led the 51st game-winning drive of his career, but the early damage was impossible to ignore.
The turnover problem has become a theme for the Rams. Through four games, they have given the ball away at least twice every week, piling up six interceptions and two lost fumbles. If there’s one area that best explains their slow start, this is it.
There was at least one defensive breakout worth noting. Byron Young entered the game with only one sack after putting up a dozen last season, and the Rams had just three sacks total through their first three games.
Against the Eagles, they got to Jalen Hurts four times, with Young responsible for 2.5 of them. His final sack helped force a fourth-and-25 deep in Philadelphia territory and effectively ended the game.
Los Angeles also didn’t get nearly enough from Davante Adams. Early in the first quarter, Stafford hit him with a chance to convert a third-and-12 from the Eagles’ 22, but the pass in the end zone slipped off Adams’ hands.
He had another drop to open the second half. Adams finished with four catches on nine targets for 32 yards, and the Rams needed far more from him than that.
Special teams created its own headache. Britain Covey, who signed with the Rams a year ago but didn’t make the team, came back to bother them.
New returner Alex Bachman failed to field a punt that rolled to the Rams’ seven-yard line. After a three-and-out, Covey followed with a 41-yard return to the LA 17.
He ended the day with three punt returns for 59 yards.
The secondary had a decent statistical showing, but it still gave up the plays that mattered most. The Rams held Hurts to 12-of-27 passing for 96 yards and limited the Eagles to 172 total yards, yet Philadelphia still found the end zone twice and went 2-for-4 in the red zone. Cornerback Trent McDuffie was flagged on back-to-back plays, including a pass interference call that set up a first-and-goal and a touchdown on the next snap.
For all the mess around it, the Rams still escaped with a win. And if they’re going to turn this season around, it may have to start with more games that look ugly on the surface but end the same way.
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 🡒]