Rams rookie edge rusher Jared Verse hasn’t been in the NFL for very long, but he’s been there long enough to know when he’s seeing something special on the field.
Verse saw just that on Sunday night. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley set a franchise record by running for 255 yards and he ran for touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards in the second half to push his team to a 37-20 road win.
Barkley finished with 302 yards from scrimmage and the effort left Verse without the ability to compare what Barkley did with anything else he’s seen.
“He’s a different type of player,” Verse said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve never seen a running back like that.”
Barkley is now on pace for more than 2,100 rushing yards, which is rarefied air for a running back and a reminder that the Eagles struck gold when they moved quickly to add Barkley as a free agent in March.
Rams coach Sean McVay said after Sunday night’s 37-20 loss to the Eagles that all his team can do is bounce back.
“There’s humbling nights like this in football,” Mcvay said. “It’s all about how you respond. I do know that this team has the capability to be able to respond, and we’ll get ourselves up off the mat and we’ll have a good week of preparation this week.”
The good news for the Rams is that at 5-6, they’re only a game out of the NFC West, where all four teams are tightly locked with the Seahawks and Cardinals at 6-5 and the 49ers tied with the Rams at 5-6. If the Rams do get up off the mat, the division title is right there for them to take.
But it’s been a frustrating season for McVay’s team, and Sunday night showed how big a gap there is between the Rams and the top teams in the NFC.
Saquon Barkley has looked like one of the best free-agent signings in recent memory during the 2024 season.
The Eagles running back continued to put himself squarely in the MVP conversation with his performance against the Rams on Sunday Night Football, helping lead Philadelphia to a decisive 37-20 victory.
Barkley scored twice on touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards and paced the offense from start to finish. The Eagles used a dominant run game to control the clock, running for over 300 yards on the night in 33:41 of possession time. While the Eagles took a 13-7 lead into halftime, Barkley extended that on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, using a burst of speed to go 70 yards for a touchdown.
On Philadelphia’s next drive, Barkley took a screen pass 31 yards to the Los Angeles 13, setting up Kenneth Gainwell’s touchdown on the next play.
Barkley put the cherry on top of a sterling night with his 72-yard score late in the fourth quarter to ice it. He ended the game with 302 yards from scrimmage — 255 rushing, plus 47 receiving yards on four catches.
Barkley set a new single-game career high, and with over a month left in the season, Barkley set a new career high in season rushing yards on Sunday night. He now has 1,392 yards for the season, topping his previous high of 1,312 in 2022.
Jake Elliott hit field goals of 21 and 31 yards in the first half to open Philadelphia’s scoring before A.J. Brown caught a 6-yard TD from Jalen Hurts to give the club a 13-7 halftime lead.
Gainwell’s 13-yard score put Philadelphia up 27-13 before Elliott hit a 26-yard field goal to extend that advantage to 30-14.
Hurts ended the game 15-of-22 passing for 179 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for 39 yards.
While the Rams were able to move the ball well early on, a Kyren Williams fumble prevented the club from scoring on its opening possession. Williams did put the ball in the box on a 1-yard run on the next drive.
But after that, Los Angeles’ offense struggled mightily. A questionable defensive pass interference penalty helped put the Rams in position for their second touchdown of the day — a 2-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson. But then Joshua Karty missed a 47-yard field goal wide right late in the third quarter to keep L.A. off the board.
Karty missed a 26-yard attempt last week.
Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp for a 27-yard touchdown just outside of the game’s final minute.
Stafford ended the contest 24-of-36 for 243 yards with two TDs. Nacua caught nine passes for 117 yards. Kupp caught eight for 60.
The Rams finished 0-of-8 on third down.
Notably, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay had to exit the game with a concussion. Veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham — who had a terrific game with a sack, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits — was ruled out in fourth quarter with an elbow injury.
With the win, the Eagles are now 9-2 and are in firm control of the NFC East. That will be on the road again next week to face the Ravens.
Los Angeles has now fallen to 5-6 on the season. The club will be in New Orleans next weekend to take on the Saints.
It didn’t take long for Saquon Barkley to make yet another special play in the second half.
After a touchback, Barkley took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and took it for a 70-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 20-7 lead over the Rams.
Barkley got through the hole, made a cut to his right, and was off to the races. Once Barkley reached the second level, there wasn’t a Rams defender close to reaching him.
It was Barkley’s longest run of the season and the second-longest run of his career.
Through a half and one play, Barkley has 143 yards on 14 carries.
The Eagles had stalled out in the red zone on two possessions in the first half. But the third time was the charm, as A.J. Brown caught a 6-yard pass with 1:27 left in the second quarter to give Philadelphia a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Running back Saquon Barkley has paced the offense for Philadelphia, rushing for 73 yards 13 carries and catching three passes for 16 yards.
But Jalen Hurts has also come through in the pass game, completing 11-of-15 for 101 yards with a touchdown. He’s rushed for 35 yards on nine attempts.
Brown leads with 69 yards on four receptions.
Jake Elliot connected on field goals of 21 and 31 yards in the first and second quarter, respectively.
Los Angeles began the game moving it effectively, but Kyren Williams fumbled in the red zone to end the game’s opening possession. Philadelphia scored a field goal off their extra drive to take a 3-0 lead.
Williams came through on the next drive, putting the ball in the box for a 1-yard touchdown.
But from there, Los Angeles didn’t get another first down in the first half — going three-and-out three times. The Rams will enter the third quarter 0-of-3 on third down.
Matthew Stafford ended the first half 7-of-11 for 67 yards. Williams had 55 yards on nine carries. Nacua caught four passes for 45 yards.
Philadelphia will receive the second-half kickoff.
