Saquon Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards rushing, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard scoring run and the Philadelphia Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Los Angeles Rams 28-22 on Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game for the second time in three seasons.
Barkley ran for a 62-yard score in the first half and stretched the lead in the fourth when he blew through a hole and ran untouched 78 yards for the touchdown. Barkley smacked his helmet with his hand on his final snowy steps and flapped his arms once he hit the end zone.
“The elements were great, but the atmosphere was even better,” Barkley said. “Our fans were amazing. That was a close one, but that’s playoff football. And at the end of the day, we got the job done.”
The Rams gave the Eagles a scare – caused in part by two missed extra points from Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott.
Matthew Stafford, who threw for 324 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, kept the Rams in the game with a four-yard TD pass to Colby Parkinson that made it 28-22 with just under three minutes to play. The Rams then got the ball back with two minutes left and Stafford completed consecutive passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles’ territory. But Stafford was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to effectively end the game.
Eagles defenders frolicked in the winter mess and made snow angels in the end zone to celebrate the turnovers. Some brave frigid fans went shirtless – and yes, even Santa Claus was in the house, without a report of any snowball throwing. Stadium workers used snow blowers to clear yard lines and hash marks, while Eagles scooped and kicked away snow to clear a circle for Elliott’s field goal attempts.
Hurts threw for just 128 yards, his mobility hampered in the second half after he was fitted for a knee brace. He didn’t miss any snaps, but was easily mauled on a safety. He was sacked seven times.
-“It comes through Philly. That means everything for this city, this team, and we’ve got everything we want in front of us,” Hurts said.
The Eagles borrowed from the playbook used in their November win in Los Angeles when big plays – Barkley had touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards – helped them cruise to a comfortable win.
Verse was trolled by Barkley after the Rams rookie linebacker and Pennsylvania native said he “hates Eagles fans.” The first-round draft pick attended high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, which is about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Verse egged on fans during pregame warmups and appeared to relish the boos that rained down on him. Once the game started, the Eagles showed on the big screen Verse on the bench and fans booed again. Verse winked at the camera, stamping his name on the list of Philly sports villains.
The Eagles will host the NFC championship game next weekend against their old enemy Washington, after the Commanders upset No 1 seed Detroit on Saturday. It will be the third time the NFC East rivals meet this season with each team winning at home. The Eagles beat Washington 26-18 in a Thursday night game on 14 November. The Commanders rallied for a 36-33 victory on 22 December in a game in which Hurts sustained a concussion in the first quarter.
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