The Los Angeles Rams’ magical 2024 season came to a bitter end Sunday as the NFC’s No. 4 seed narrowly lost to the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 in a snowy divisional round showdown on the road.
Both teams displayed their toughness battling the elements but it was the effort of a gutsy Rams defense, led by rookie linebacker Jared Verse, that largely kept L.A. in the mix. The unit, following a nine-sack performance in a wild-card win over the Minnesota Vikings, tallied seven sacks, including four in the first half, and did all it could to hold the Eagles before they pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The game’s most pivotal sequence came with 26 seconds left in the third quarter and the Rams down 16-13. Rams defenders Neville Gallimore and Keir Thomas combined for a safety on a Jalen Hurts sack to cut the deficit to one point, but fumbles on back-to-back Rams drives stalled any momentum. The motivated Rams D held Philly to two field goals after the turnovers before the teams traded touchdowns, only for the Rams to ultimately fall short on a last-gasp offensive push.
The two untimely turnovers effectively took L.A. out of what was a close game, aiding a result also underscored by the club getting “Saquon Barkley’d” — 232 scrimmage yards, two TDs — once again almost two months after his Week 12 explosion.
After beginning the year 1-4, the NFC West-winning Rams will now rest and retool in the offseason. The Eagles, meanwhile, move on to host the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game next week.
Rams offense unable to overcome snow, Eagles defense
Swirling wind and snow were absolutely a factor in Sunday’s game as conditions worsened into the third quarter and the start of the fourth.
On a possession in the third, quarterback Matthew Stafford had open receivers on first and third downs in Tyler Higbee and Puka Nacua, both drops that slipped out of their hands. Running back Kyren Williams fumbled for a sixth time this season at the start of the fourth, which the Eagles recovered and ultimately resulted in three points.
Stafford also had the ball slip out of his hands on pass attempts twice on a possession in the fourth and fumbled following the Williams turnover on third-and-10 with 11:04 left in the game after taking a sack. The Eagles recovered the loose ball again to set up another field goal to take a 22-15 lead.
In addition to the fumbles, the Rams also gave up five sacks and were forced to punt on three of their eight second-half drives, save for the game-ending turnover on downs. — Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams beat writer
Season of adversity ends in heartbreaking fashion
It’s hard to overall fault a Rams team that got to this point in the playoffs — a fight to the finish in the divisional round — after starting the season 1-4.
Their defense outperformed expectations after Aaron Donald’s retirement, and was led by first-year coordinator Chris Shula. After struggling with injuries through the first half of the year, this team will never forget a magical December run and the honor they showed their communities in the wild-card round, with homage to Los Angeles from their relocated game as wildfires raged.
A lot of young players grew up together this season — and questions will remain about the futures of aging veterans such as Stafford and Cooper Kupp into the spring. — Rodrigue
Matthew Stafford did not want to talk definitively about the his future after this season so quickly after the loss. I asked Stafford if he believes he still has some football left in him, and with a half-grin he said, “sure feels like it.”
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 19, 2025
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
