Friday, October 2, 2026
73 ° Cloudy
73 ° Cloudy
A major NFC clash in South Philadelphia will have a lot of focus on it when the Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) host the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams are coming off tough losses in primetime with the Rams blowing a 16-point lead to the Denver Broncos while the Eagles were dominated by the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia has had success against the Rams, winning four straight meetings and 9 of the last 10.
While the game might have lost some shine with the Eagles playing without DeVonta Smith and Zack Baun, there are plenty of intriguing matchups that can decide the winner in this one.
Obvious right?
Well, there is going to be more of a focus on the Philadelphia defense come Sunday to see how they will bounce back after once again struggling to contain the Chicago Bears offense which is spearheaded by offensive guru, Ben Johnson.
Similar to Johnson, Rams’ head coach Sean McVay is viewed as perhaps the best offensive minded coach in the league known to deliver challenging offensive game plans at defensive coordinators. This season, the Rams are utilizing 13 personnel (three tight end sets) as part of their identity, but will be without Terrance Ferguson while Colby Parkinson has been banged up and is questionable for the game.
How will this Eagles defense, which has struggled through the first three weeks allowing 23 points per game to opponents ranking 16th in the NFL, slow down an offense with two starting wideouts in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua back from injury, while utilizing tight ends, without their best linebacker in Baun?
That remains to be seen.
Los Angeles has had its struggles against the Eagles, averaging 20.5 points per game over the four-game losing streak, the fewest amount of points per game by the Rams against any opponent they’ve faced at least three times since 2023, per NextGen Stats.
Can Vic Fangio have his ready to face McVay who has yet to beat a Fangio-led defense as the Rams head coach?
This will be a fun battle all game long. The future hall of famer in Adams enters Week 4 with the third-most receiving yards (358) only behind Chris Olave of the Saints (375) and Jaxson Smith-Njigba (405).
He had great success against Patrick Surtain, who is viewed as the top cornerback in the league. Adams had a big first half, hauling in four of his five targets for 71 yards in the first half, the most yards Surtain has allowed in coverage in any half in his career, per NextGen Stats.
While Surtain clamped down in the second half allowing just one catch on five targets for six yards, Adams has the ability to thrive no matter who is lined up against him.
He will go up against Mitchell, who matched up with Adams 21 times in last season’s Week 3 showdown. Adams was held to just two catches for 12 yards against the Eagles’ All-Pro corner.
If there was ever a game for Saquon Barkley to a signature Barkley performance it would be this one. The Eagles are down their top wideout in Smith so it could potentially be a more run-centric game plan for Sean Mannion and Nick Sirianni.
The running game showed flashes against the Bears where Barkley had 73 of his 82 yards in the first half running with great success off the left side. The Eagles are hoping the flashes turn into a constant with Barkley’s prior success against the Rams.
In two of his three games with the Eagles when facing Los Angeles, Barkley has run for over 200 yards, including a 255-yard performance in Week 12 in L.A.
The Rams have allowed 101.3 rushing yards per game, ranking 11th so far this season.
A monster game from Barkely is not only due, but would be clutch to help the Eagles win this one.
As mentioned, the Eagles will be without their best linebacker in Baun, creating an opportunity for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to get the start alongside Jihaad Campbell who has had his struggles to start the season.
Williams had a solid game against the Eagles last season rushing for 94 yards on 20 carries. This season, he’s averaging a career-best 5.6 yards per carry through three games and has posted a 50% rushing success rate this season, tying for the fourth-highest rate among 36 running backs with at least 25 carries this season, per NextGen Stats.
Baun, an All-Pro, is one of the best tacklers on the team. Missing him will be a big loss for the Eagles. Trotter Jr. who received high praise from Fangio during the summer, has a chance to show he perhaps deserves more of the snap share moving forward.
Campbell thinks his fellow linebacker mate is ready for the opportunity.
“Trot was born ready,” Campbell said Thursday. “He always practices like a pro, he always studies and takes notes as a pro. He’ll be fine.”
With Smith out, Wicks slides in as the de facto number one wide receiver for the Eagles which means he most likely will draw McDuffie, the top cornerback for the Rams.
Last week, he limited Denver’s top receiver in Jaylen Waddle to just one catch for nine yards across 13 coverage matchups.
What makes McDuffie so tough is that he is versatile and has the ability to move around the field lining up on the outside, in the slot or in the box.
After two solid games to start his Eagles tenure, Wicks had just two catches for 32 yards on five targets in the loss to Chicago. He will look to step in and fill the void left by Smith along with Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, Elijah Moore and Hollywood Brown if he is healthy.
MORE: Rams vs. Eagles: How to watch, preview & predictions
