Week 15 Friday Focus: Eagles @ Rams
By: Peyton Schultze
In 2017, the two teams provided a Week 15 thriller filled with high stakes.
Hi everybody, and a very pleasant December evening to you wherever you may be.
This week, the defending Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia Eagles (6-7), visit Los Angeles in a fight with the Rams (11-2) at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (5:20 PT, NBC). In last year’s 43-35 Eagle victory, starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, blew out his knee diving into the end zone with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and was relieved by backup, Nick Foles. Foles, fortunately for the Eagles, was able to control the 4th quarter and hold onto a crucial win for the eventual champs. Foles wasn’t outstanding in the game, but certainly made the necessary throws needed to close out the game, something he was able to do for the rest of the regular season. And well, for the following playoffs, we all know how his postseason run ended:
Yet those Eagles are not the same Eagles in 2018. Flying high last year coming into their matchup with the Rams, the Eagles now find themselves in must-win territory following a devastating loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Jerry World. The Eagles are depleted all over the field, including now at quarterback once again. In a scene that is sure to mirror the 2017 Week 14 game played between these teams, Nick Foles once again enters the starting lineup in hopes of making another unlikely, yet miraculous, Super Bowl run, while Carson Wentz recovers from a broken vertebrae in his back. The Eagles are also extremely weak regarding secondary health coming into this week, while may severely hurt them against a Rams offense that loves to take shots down the field. Combine that with the creativity of Sean McVay’s playcalling and a defense that is starting to get hot, and the Eagles may be in for some trouble this weekend.
Rams’ QB, Jared Goff, had a poor performance last week against the Chicago Bears.
However, not everything is sunny for the Rams right now either. Following a horrible loss in the Windy City at the hands of the Bears, the Rams were scrutinized all around. Jared Goff looked cold and timid throughout the night. Sean McVay did not have a great flow of the game. Todd Gurley did not get the ball enough and was bottled up. The WRs could not get open against a tough Chicago secondary. Throughout the night, the Rams looked unprepared and not ready to face an elite defense of their caliber. Yet, fortunately for the Rams, they should not have to travel to a cold environment in the playoffs like Chicago. With a win this weekend and a Bears loss against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the Rams secure a first-round bye. Something that they definitely need if they are to advance to the Super Bowl this year, the Rams know that this game is one that they should be able to capture.
Another key trait of a true Super Bowl contender if being able to bounce back after a tough loss and moving onto the next game as quickly as possible. Luckily for the Rams, they have a locker room full of strong leaders such as Goff, Gurley, and Aaron Donald, and they are in a great position to be able to bounce back from last week’s brutal loss to Chicago. Coach McVay talked about this in his weekly press conference at Rams HQ:
“We want to be consistent in our approach, but we’ve got the right types of guys in that locker room, guys that you believe in that are great people. They’re obviously extremely talented. Certainly, I think any time that you have a little bit of a setback, you get a great chance to respond and so far, we’re on track to do that.”
The Rams’ defense has been better as of late following the return of Aqib Talib.
Whatever the case may be offensively, the Rams have certainly been better on defense as of late. With 10 turnovers forced over their past 3 games, the defense has certainly become one with a knack for big plays and getting the ball back to the offense. Part of this has been the return of the big-play superstar, Aqib Talib. With Talib and corner, Marcus Peters, both on the outside against fellow WRs, the Rams are starting to have some big matchup advantages on defense against many teams in the league. Combine that with the otherworldly talents of Donald inside and key defensive linemen such as Dante Fowler Jr. and Ndamukong Suh and the Rams’ defense looks quite formidable heading towards January football. The Rams’ defense still has some pretty big holes, such as a run defense that ranks 23rd in the league. Yet Sunday could be a great game for the defense to find themselves a few weeks before the playoffs begin. The Eagles, while possessing some weapons on the outside, will be limited at running back and quarterback this week. With that being said, look for the Rams to try to spoil the Eagles hopes of a wild card berth in the NFC and play well on the defensive side of the ball against Nick Foles and Co.
With Wentz likely out, the Rams must stop the All-Pro tight end, Zach Ertz.
Keys to the Game: Shut Down Ertz and Use Gurley Early
In this game, no player poses more of a matchup nightmare than Eagles’ tight end, Zach Ertz. Ertz, certainly one of the top two tight ends in the NFL right now, is on pace to break Jason Witten’s record for catches by a tight end in a season. He is by far the Eagles most dangerous weapon and he must be stopped if the Rams want to win this football game. If the Rams use Talib or Peters (bigger corners that matchup better with the body of Ertz) to shadow Ertz, it could serve them well in the game. The Eagles have Golden Tate in the slot and Alshon Jeffrey on the outside, but Ertz is the offensive weapon that the Rams should look towards shutting down so Nick Foles has to look elsewhere. On offense, the Rams should use Todd Gurley early and often. Last week, the Rams did not give the ball to the Pro Bowler nearly enough and you can guarantee Coach McVay will look towards Gurley’s direction for playcalling purposes early. By doing this, the Rams should force the Eagles to load more players in the box if they want any shot at containing the elusive running back. With that, it opens up a very weak secondary on its’ last limb. Once the Eagles commit to stopping the run, expect McVay to call some plays to take shots down the field for huge plays with the likes of Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods. One player to watch in this game is Jared Goff. Goff, who has struggled in back to back weeks against Detroit and Chicago, needs a bounce back game against a poor Eagles secondary. If he struggles again, the Rams will have trouble moving the ball and there will be major concerns heading towards the playoffs. If he excels, as he often does, the Rams will likely secure a first-round bye on Sunday and practically knock the Eagles out of the playoffs.
Todd Gurley should see a heavy workload on Sunday and help lead the Rams to a nice victory.
Prediction: Rams (31) - Eagles (14)
If the Rams want to win the Super Bowl this year, it is games like this where they must win. Luckily for them, they seem like the perfect team capable of bouncing back from a tough loss and beating up on an inferior opponent. In this game, the Rams will start fast out of the gate and put the Eagles in an early hole. Philadelphia will put up a few points before halftime, but will not be able to match the speed on both sides of the ball for the Rams. Gurley once again steals the show offensively with 3 TDs and Aaron Donald picks up 2.5 sacks to give the Rams their 12th win of the season.