INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Saquon Barkley has had several memorable performances in his first season with the Eagles, but by far his best of the year came against the Rams in Week 12. He rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 47 yards receiving, becoming the first player ever with 250 yards and 45 yards receiving in a single game.
His stat line was inflated by two touchdown runs of 70-plus yards in the second half, but he was gashing the Rams all day on the ground.
Today, the Rams will get a chance at redemption against Barkley and the Eagles – this time with a trip to the NFC title game on the line. And while they didn’t overestimate Barkley’s ability in Week 12, they need to focus even more attention on him today.
The Rams are a defense that likes to use light boxes and more sub-packages with five and six defensive backs on the field at a time. That helps them cover receivers and tight ends better, but it can leave them susceptible to big runs.
In Week 12, Barkley faced a loaded box of eight-plus defenders on 34.62% of his carries. That’s above his season average of 20.58%. Even still, the Rams should load the box more frequently today and make someone other than Barkley beat them.
No disrespect to Jalen Hurts, but the Rams have a better chance of winning if Hurts throws it 35 times than they do if Barkley rushes for 150 yards on 25 carries. It’s risky, but if the Rams stack the line of scrimmage to stop Barkley and play man-to-man on the outside against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, they have a chance at pulling the upset.
It might lead to big plays by the Eagles’ receivers, but it could also mean the Eagles are in third-and-long situations rather than facing third-and-short with Barkley averaging 5 yards a carry.
In their first meeting of the season, the Eagles were 9-for-15 on third down, in part because they managed to stay on schedule and have third-and-manageable opportunities. Hurts only had to throw the ball 22 times, with just seven of those attempts coming after halftime.
Barkley, meanwhile, had 26 carries for 255 yards, averaging almost 10 yards per attempt. You’re not going to win a lot of games giving up 10 yards a carry as a defense.
The Rams should utilize Christian Rozeboom and Omar Speights more often, opting for heavier boxes and a stronger commitment to stopping the run. It might come at the expense of snaps for their defensive backs, but Philadelphia’s rushing attack is what wins this team games, not throwing the ball.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Selling out to stop Saquon Barkley might be Rams’ best path to victory
