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Jared Verse primed for playoffs in City of Brotherly Love: ‘I hate Eagles fans’
Jared Verse spent three years of high school in Pennsylvania.
So the Rams rookie edge rusher knows all about the Philadelphia Eagles, his team’s opponent Sunday in an NFC divisional-round playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Was Verse an Eagles fan?
“I hate Eagles fans,” Verse told The Times on Thursday. “They’re so annoying. I hate Eagles fans.”
Verse repeated the phrase multiple times. And the front-runner for defensive rookie of the year did so with the same passion evident in his pass rushing.
Verse noted that when the Rams played the Eagles in November at SoFi Stadium, Eagles fans gave him an earful of obscenities that he could make out despite wearing headphones.
“I didn’t even do nothing to ’em,” he said. “It was my first time playing. Oh, I hate Eagles fans.”
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Rams more concerned with Saquon Barkley and Eagles’ versatile offense than bad weather
The Rams weathered a soggy downpour and won in Santa Clara. They played in a freezing windchill and won in New Jersey.
On Sunday in Philadelphia, the forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s and a chance of snow for the NFC divisional-round game between the Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Rams coach Sean McVay is not concerned.
“If it does snow or if it does rain, we have to be mindful of what we need to do to adjust and adapt,” McVay said this week, “but there’s no way it can be as cold as it was at the Jets game.”
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Rams vs. Eagles inactives for Sunday’s divisional playoff
Here are the players who will not be suiting up for the Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday:
Rams inactives: QB Stetson Bennett, WR Tyler Johnson, S John Johnson III, LB Brennan Jackson, OL Justin Dedich, OL Joe Noteboom, OL AJ Arcuri
Eagles inactives: QB Tanner McKee, CB Eli Ricks, DB Lewis Cine, OL Nick Gates, OL Darian Kinnard, OL Trevor Keegan, WR Ainias Smith
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Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts look to add to their legends in Rams-Eagles showdown
Matthew Stafford played in one Super Bowl with the Rams and won. Jalen Hurts played in one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short.
Both quarterbacks aim to return to the NFL’s biggest stage.
One will take a step toward that goal on Sunday when the Rams play the Eagles in an NFC divisional-round game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
“I’m enjoying the hell out of it,” Stafford, a 16th-year pro, said of the preparation. “I know the guys on our team are doing the same.
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Rams unsung heroes made difference again against Vikings with Eagles the next target
Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was unemployed when the NFL season began.
Cornerback Cobie Durant weathered injury and declining playing time after midseason.
Defensive lineman Neville Gallimore was inactive for three games, Desjuan Johnson six.
Tight end Davis Allen was targeted only 13 times.
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How Cooper Kupp is dealing with his changing role in Rams’ offense
Cooper Kupp was the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year and the MVP of Super Bowl LVI.
But going into Sunday’s NFC divisional-round game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the eighth-year pro has not statistically been a large part of the offense.
Kupp had only one target and one catch in the Rams’ 27-9 wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The reduced role in the passing game continued a trend that began in the latter part of the season.
“We really try to get him involved,” coach Sean McVay said. “He’s always a focal point. Sometimes the coverages don’t end up allowing that to occur. ... Like any great leader, I think he was just glad to be a part of winning for our team, but he’ll always be a guy that we want to try to be able to get involved.”
Kupp suffered an ankle injury in the second game of the season and sat out four games. In 12 games, he had 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns.
“You pray a lot,” Kupp said this week when asked how he copes with his reduced role. “You do a lot of prayer and meditation.”
Kupp noted that he had gone through statistical droughts before.
“Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to continue to do that,” he said. “I do believe that if you do things the right way for long enough, eventually things will come back full circle. I’m going to take that mentality, keep praying and these things will work out.”
Quarterback Matthew Stafford said it has been “strange” because there have been several plays when he intended to target Kupp, but the play went awry for other reasons such as being hit before he could deliver the ball.
The quarterback and receiver saw evidence while reviewing tape together.
“He’s like, ‘It’s kind of been the way it’s gone,’” Stafford said. “Sometimes those things happen and he’s an unbelievable teammate, a guy that sacrifices for our team in so many different ways.
“I know that we’re at our best when everybody on the field is touching the ball and he made his presence felt [against the Vikings] with a big-time catch on a third down that we needed. Anything we can do to get him the ball, that’s great. If you talk to him, he’s just such a great team guy. He’s all about us winning and doing whatever he can to help us win.”
Kupp, apprised of Stafford’s comments, agreed.
“That’s been kind of the story of the year,” he said. “It’s just kind of been every time… the few plays that you have a really good opportunity to make a big play it just breaks down somewhere. It doesn’t work out, but that’s football.
“That’s football and I’m on a really long streak with some unfortunate things that happen. It is what it is. I’m going to continue to compete and battle. I’m going to continue to come in here and work for these guys. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
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After resilient Rams make Vikings groan, they aim to show Eagles how they’ve grown
GLENDALE, Ariz. — First, the Rams played for their city.
Now, they’re playing for their pride.
The Rams staged an incredibly uplifting win Monday night, among the greatest in franchise history, when they beat the 14-win Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s first relocated playoff game.
The NFC wild-card game was moved to Arizona because of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and the host Arizona Cardinals took great pains to make their home look like SoFi Stadium.
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Rams’ young ascending defense shows Vikings it has come of age, but can it slow Eagles?
Questions, anyone?
Going into the season, the Rams defensive line and pass rush was regarded as a major question mark. The retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald left a humongous hole in a unit that had to be rebuilt with first- and second-year players.
On Monday night, the Rams defense had another coming-out party of sorts.
The Rams tied an NFL postseason record by sacking Sam Darnold nine times in a 27-9 NFC wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium.
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Rams to have ‘sense of urgency’ in slowing Saquon Barkley, Eagles
It was an embarrassing defeat, a night when Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dominated the Rams.
On Nov. 24, Barkley rushed for 255 yards and scored on runs of 70 and 72 yards in a 37-20 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
The defeat marked a turning point for the Rams.
Coach Sean McVay challenged his players to give their best effort over the final 39 days of the season. The Rams reeled off five consecutive victories before McVay rested starters in a season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
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Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles: How to watch, prediction and betting odds
After winning a “home” game in another state to advance to the NFC divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Rams are truly on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field will be hostile and cold, a stark change from the Rams-friendly conditions during their wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s with sleet and snow a possibility.
The Eagles defeated the Rams 37-20 on Nov. 24 at SoFi Stadium, but the Rams rebounded to win five of their last six games before eliminating the Vikings.