Rams’ defense can’t prevent Saquon Barkley from making history in Eagles’ win

The Dodgers’ World Series trophy was in the house. So was Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles.

Also on hand Sunday night at SoFi Stadium were members of the St. Louis Rams’ 1999 Super Bowl championship team, including four Hall of Fame players from an offense known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

Despite their presence, the Rams demonstrated once again that they cannot yet be considered championship material — not at least with what consistently has been a less-than-great offense and a defense that got steamrolled by Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley.

� Eagles 37, Rams 20 — FINAL

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards and finished with 302 total yards to propel Philadelphia to victory over the Rams.

Barkley’s career high for rushing yards set a single-game Eagles franchise record. He also caught four passes for 47 yards.

The Rams struggled to find momentum on offense, with Matthew Stafford under pressure most of the night. He was sacked five times.

Stafford did manage to connect on a beautiful, 27-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with just over a minute left in regulation, but it was too little, too late for the Rams.

The Rams (5-6) will play the New Orleans Saints next on Dec. 1. The Eagles (9-2), who have won seven consecutive games, will play the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 1.

� Eagles 37, Rams 14 — 2:44 left in the fourth quarter

Saquon Barkley broke free to score on a 72-yard touchdown run — his second touchdown run over 70 yards tonight — to put the game out of reach for the Rams.

Barkley has an astounding 255 yards rushing in 26 carries tonight — the most rushing yards in a single game in Eagles history. He has 302 total yards tonight (four catches for 47 yards).

A handful of plays earlier, the Rams managed to stop the “Brotherly Shove” on third down but were drawn offside when the Eagles pulled it off again on fourth down.

� Eagles 30, Rams 14 — 5:13 left in the fourth quarter

The Rams are running out of chances.

Following an offensive pass interference penalty on Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford fumbled the ball when he was sacked by Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams. The Rams recovered the ball, but had to punt on fourth and 33.

Stafford has been sacked five times (for 45 yards lost) and has been under tremendous pressure from the Philadelphia pass rush most of the game.

The drive was looking good until it reached midfield. Stafford connected with Tutu Atwell for seven yards on fourth and three. The Rams are two for two on fourth-down conversions, but are 0 for 6 on third down.

� Eagles 30, Rams 14 — 10:30 left in the fourth quarter

Jake Elliott kicked a 26-yard field goal — his third field goal of the game — to extend the Eagles’ lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles marched 55 yards on 11 plays before the field goal. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts tried to connect with Dallas Goedert in the end zone, but the pass was just out of reach.

On the previous possession, Rams kicker Joshua Karty missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has 173 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries.

� Eagles 27, Rams 14 — 6:17 left in the third quarter

Kenneth Gainwell’s 13-yard touchdown capped a 70-yard scoring drive.

Running back Saquon Barkley set up the touchdown by catching short pass and turning it into a 31-yard gain.

Barkley has rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries. He has four catches for 47 yards.

� Eagles 20, Rams 14 — 10:51 left in the third quarter

Matthew Stafford tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson as the Rams quickly recovered from Saquon Barkley’s 70-yard touchdown run to open the second half.

The Rams drove 70 yards in eight plays, with a pass interference penalty against Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers giving the Rams a first-and-goal at the three-yard line.

Stafford has completed 10 of 15 passes for 95 yards.

� Eagles 20, Rams 7 — 14:49 left in the third quarter

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for a 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half.

Barkley took a handoff, broke through the line of scrimmage and then ran down the right sideline to the end zone.

Barkley had rushed for 143 yards in 14 carries.

� Eagles 13, Rams 7 — 1:27 left in the second quarter

Jalen Hurts tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to receiver A.J. Brown to put the Eagles back in the lead.

The Eagles forced the Rams to go three and out and then drove 62 yards in 10 plays for the touchdown.

Hurts has completed 11 of 13 passes for 101 yards.

Brown has four catches for 69 yards.

� Rams 7, Eagles 6 — 6:17 left in the second quarter

Jake Elliott kicked a 31-yard field goal to trim the Rams’ lead to one point.

The field goal ended a 10-play drive that was highlighted by receiver A.J. Brown, who caught a pass from Jalen Hurts and broke three tackle en route to a 27-yard gain to the Rams’ 13-yard line.

The Eagles, however, committed several penalties that stalled the drive and forced them to settle for Elliott’s field goal.

Hurts has completed seven of nine passes for 73 yards.

� Rams 7, Eagles 3 — 1:02 left in the first quarter

Kyren Williams rushed for a one-yard touchdown to give the Rams the lead.

The Rams drove 70 yards in nine plays, with quarterback Matthew Stafford connecting with receivers Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson.

Stafford has completed five of seven passes for 57 yards.

Williams has rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown in six carries.

Nacua has three catches for 39 yards.

� Eagles 3, Rams 0 — 5:13 left in the first quarter

Jake Elliott kicked a 21-yard field goal as the Eagles capitalized on a Rams turnover.

The notoriously slow starting Rams came out fast, but running back Kyren Williams lost a fumble inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line with 12 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Eagles moved down the field on Jalen Hurts passes to receiver A.J. Brown and runs by Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles had first and goal at the eight yard line, but the Rams limited Barkley and Hurts to two-yard gains, and Hurts’ shovel pass to tight end Dallas Goedert gained only two yards, bringing on Elliott for the field goal.

The Rams, Super Bowl champions in the 2021-22 season, can’t look past the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

But fans at SoFi Stadium will get a look back at the franchise’s 1999-2000 Super Bowl championship team when the Rams played in St. Louis.

More than 20 members of that Rams team, which featured an offense dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf” are scheduled to attend a halftime ceremony honoring the team that defeated the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV.

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who is part of the Westwood One radio broadcast for the game, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, Hall of Fame receiver Isaac Bruce and Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace will be among the attendees.

The Rams’ young pass rushers are showing up big, and it’s no small coincidence.

Edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young and linemen Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner traveled different paths to the NFL but have one thing in common. All started their college careers as overlooked prospects, and they attended small schools before transferring to Power Five programs and catching the attention of Rams scouts and general manager Les Snead.

Rams receiver Puka Nacua demonstrated his focus in last Sunday’s victory over the New England Patriots, diving for a sensational touchdown catch.

Nacua, a second-year pro, is so locked in on performing on the field, he said this week that he was not aware until recently what division the Rams compete in.

“Somebody told me we’re in the NFC West so that’s good to know, I guess,” he said. “Yeah, one day at a time is my mentality.”

Coach Sean McVay playfully questioned the veracity of Nacua’s claim about his divisional knowledge but then embraced it.

“Be like Puka,” McVay said. “Just focus on what you can control and... hey, if that’s the case, I love him unconditionally. You know what though? There is a beauty in that in all seriousness.

“Let’s just say that’s the case. I know this, that guy is going to show up when we play the Niners, the Cardinals, and the Seahawks, and shoot, if he thinks that we’re in the same division as the Eagles, then let’s show up against them too.”

Against the Patriots, Nacua caught seven passes for 123 yards, including his spectacular 12-yard touchdown that required him to go horizontally airborne.

“I was thinking I definitely have the confidence in my ability to run fast, but I don’t think I’m that fast,” he said when asked what went through his mind when quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered the pass. “That’s why I looked at the ball and I was like, �All right, then here we go.’

“It was kind of that quick moment of I’m going to be close, but it’s going to take every ounce of my body to get there. It definitely did.”

Here are the players who will not be playing for the Rams on Sunday night:

Rams inactives: QB Stetson Bennett, CB Charles Woods, RB Cody Schrader, OLB Brennan Jackson, OL Dylan McMahon, OL Rob Havenstein, DL Desjuan Johnson

And here are the Eagles’ inactives:

After the Rams hired Sean McVay in 2017, general manager Les Snead was eager to see the 30-year-old’s coaching process at work.

During McVay’s first seven seasons, Snead often observed McVay in the coach’s office, busily scheming plays. Reading motivational books. Meeting with coaches, players and team executives.

So Snead was shocked last August when he witnessed something totally unexpected: McVay making faces and cooing baby talk on a video call.

“Of all the things I thought I would see Sean McVay do,” Snead said, “that was not on the list.”

The Tush Push. The Brotherly Shove.

By whatever name, the Philadelphia Eagles’ short-yardage play — and their ability to consistently execute it effectively — has become synonymous with coach Nick Sirianni’s team.

The Rams fully expect to encounter the play on Sunday night when they play the Eagles at SoFi Stadium.

Even with center Jason Kelce now retired, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts are rarely foiled when they run the play.

“Everybody tries to run it, but they do it at a little bit different clip,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, “Jalen has a great feel for being able to kind of ride that wave, if you will. There are a lot of challenges.”

The NFL modified a rule this season that now requires that players line up at least one yard behind the quarterback and wait until the ball is snapped before attempting to push the quarterback across the line of scrimmage.

“It’s an extremely hard play to stop and it’s a very efficient play for them,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “You try to do it in walkthroughs and simulate it the best you can and hopefully come up with a good plan to stop it.”

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has produced innumerable highlights this season, none more confounding than his jump backwards over a Jacksonville Jaguars would-be tackler on Nov. 3.

On Sunday night, the Rams get a close up look at Barkley when the Eagles visit SoFi Stadium.

The Rams coaching staff has prepared for Barkley before, but that was when the seventh-year pro toiled for the New York Giants.

Barkley was injured or not active for games against the Rams in 2020 and 2021. He rushed for 39 yards in 12 plays and caught three passes for 19 yards in a 26-25 defeat by the Rams last season.

But Barkley with the Eagles, who have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, is another story.

Barkley is averaging 113.7 yards rushing per game. He has run for eight touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes.

“He’s probably one of the best, if not the best, open-field runners in the league right now,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “If you’re undisciplined at all, he can go for 80 [yards] at any point.”

Before he signed with the Rams last March, safety Kamren Curl played four seasons for the Washington Commanders in the NFC East.

That resumé makes him something of a resident expert on the Philadelphia Eagles, and star running back Saquon Barkley, who played six seasons for the New York Giants.

“I’m a little familiar with them,” Curl said Wednesday.

The Rams’ victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday put them back at .500 and kept alive their playoff chances.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns for the second time in four games. The 16th-year pro and coach Sean McVay, the Rams’ play-caller, must be at the top of their games against an Eagles defense coordinated by Vic Fangio, who flummoxed the Rams in 2018 when he ran the Chicago Bears defense.

“He’s arguably the best of this generation,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said, adding, “He’s about as structured as they come in terms of tendencies and percentages. You just can’t pop him on anything. He knows that and we know that.”