1 NFL expert believes the Rams have done enough to beat the Eagles in 2025

The Los Angeles Rams are the greatest threat to halting the Philadelphia Eagles' current push to become something of a juggernaut. That is, the Eagles simple but proven formula of a dominating rushing offense combined with a solid defense ensures that they are seldom playing from behind, can control the clock, and can take just enough risks during a game to make the evening highlight reels.

With all of that being said, the Los Angeles Rams traveled to play those Eagles in Philadelphia. Whether you fixate on 13 yards from the Eagles' endzone or the seven points from a win on the scoreboard, the Rams put up enough of a fight in that snowstorm to emerge with a new level of respect from Eagles fans and NFL analysts at large.

Some analysts are still so impressed that they have already anointed the Rams as the biggest threat to the Eagles this season:

Now the question that must be answered is: Have the Los Angeles Rams done enough this offseason to warrant that high praise? Can the Rams overcome Saquon Barkley and the Eagles in 2025? While we will learn that answer in the regular season, we can diagnose the Rams' vulnerabilities in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs and determine if the team successfully rectified the problems.

(5) - Rushing offense

While the Rams are not known as a run-first offense, sometimes Mother Nature dictates a change of strategy. And when the snow began to fall in Lincoln Financial Field, that was a sign to downshift into all-wheel drive and lean more heavily into a rushing attack. The problem was that the Rams did not have a north-south style of running back to thwart the weather's influence on the outcome of the game.

The Eagles certainly did.

While I have little hope that the Rams will actually give an opportunity to rookie running back Jarquez Hunter to make an impact in 2025, Hunter has all of the attributes that I wish the Rams offense had in their playoff game against the Eagles.

Hunter is a tough son-of-a-gun. He is a powerful yet swift rusher who runs north-south, has a 4.44-second 40-time, can put up plenty of yards after contact, and has the ferocity of a feral badger. He is a guy who loves to take a pounding because he knows that the other guys will take an even more damaging brunt of contact.

The Rams are loaded with running backs now with Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter, Ronnie Rivers, and Cody Schrader. Of the group, Hunter brings a new aspect of gearing down for inclement weather. In horse racing terms, Hunter is a 'mudder,' a racehorse who runs effectively in rain, snow, sleet, and mud.

Of course, he can only help this offense if he carries the football. I'm not sold that it will happen. But I hope that it does. Jarquez Hunter is the secret weapon for this offense in snowy weather.

(4) - Kickoff coverage

While a minor matter in the grand scheme of things, the Rams lost nine yards with every exchange of kickoffs in the game. The Rams returners combined on three kickoffs to put up 66 yards in returns. The Philadelphia Eagles returners combined on three kickoffs to put up 93 return yards, which is 27 more return yards in a vitally important game. That works out to nine more return yards than the Rams had.

On a snowy field against a sensational rushing offense, that is no good.

The Rams were not alone in trying to reconfigure and re-strategize to manage the sweeping changes to the NFL kickoff in 2024. And the NFL will be changing the rules in 2025 as well. The goal of the competition committee is to enhance player safety during the kickoff while ensuring that it remains a dramatic and competitive part of the game.

To negate the poor showing, the team needs to get better at getting down the field and tackling. Thankfully, the Rams aimed at young players who excel in those areas. We know that the Rams added a pair of tackling machines in LBs Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. and Sean Dolac. But the team added DTs Ty Hamilton, Bill Norton, Da'Jon Terry, DE Jamil Muhammad, and OLBs Josaiah Stewart and Josh Pearcy.

Not all will make the team. Not all will make the 53-man Rams roster. But they all bring the potential to fit a vital need for this defense and coverage units. The ability to cover kickoffs will only improve if the right players get plenty of practice time in training camp. And this roster is loaded with players who have the raw skillsets to join a formidable coverage unit.

(3) - Turnovers

Mistakes often dictate the outcome of a football game. Even if the favored team is much better on paper, losing the battle of turnovers often dictates the winners and losers. It is that principle that allowed the Rams to defeat rather formidable foes throughout the season. The Rams' defense was very opportunistic. The Rams' defense was the 15th-ranked group in terms of creating takeaways in 2024 by getting 20 turnovers. The offense was relatively ball security conscious, coughing up the football just 14 times, good enough to be the fourth-ranked offense.

But in the playoffs, the Rams lost two fumbles, and the Eagles didn't.

Well, the Rams defense did manage to record a safety, adding two points to the scoreboard. While that was not enough to move the needle, it continued the defense's streak of putting points on the scoreboard.

The Rams fumbled twice in the game, which could very logically be considered the turning point of the game. After recording a safety, the Rams trailed by one point as the offense stepped onto the football field as the third quarter drew to a close. RB Kyren Williams fumbled the football on the Rams' 46-yard line, which was returned 10 yards to the Rams' 36-yard line. The Eagles' offensive drive stalled, but not before they kicked a field goal.

On the next set of downs, QB Matthew Stafford suffered a strip-sack, giving the Eagles the football at the Rams' 38-yard line. Once again, the Eagles' offense stalled. Two offensive series for the Rams, which not only led to no points but also allowed the Eagles to put up six points on the scoreboard. It just so happens that those were the six points that proved to be the margin of victory for the Eagles.

Hmmm.

(2) - Time of possession

While not always an indication of winners and losers, the time of possession statistic is another key indicator of how the game is being won (or lost) in the trenches. And whenever facing the Philadelphia Eagles (or any dominating rushing offense for that matter), a strategy to win the time of possession battle is always in order.

Offenses like the Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter every game with the belief that they can win the battle in the trenches, control the clock, take and early lead, and simply win be wearing down the opponent.

The Eagles took the lead from the Rams three times. The Rams never held the lead in their playoff game. Over time, that forces the Rams into an error-free narrow path that does not allow for mistakes of any kind, whether it be turnovers, penalties, or missed opportunities. The Rams were guilty of all three gaffes, which allowed the Eagles to seal the game for a win.

Had the Rams controlled the clock, the burden of error-free football would be placed on the Eagles. Would that have changed the outcome? Perhaps not. But it would have changed the momentum and flow of the game.

(1) - Run defense

The Los Angeles Rams did not put up much of a run defense against Eagles RB Saquon Barkley on either occasion that they faced him. In the playoff game, Barkley ran over the Rams for 205 rushing yards. While the weather may have played a factor in the defense's struggles, the Rams were not effective in stopping either QB Jalen Hurts or RB Saquon Barkley.

Hurts ran for a 44-yard touchdown. Barkley ran for a 62-yard touchdown. He later ran for a 78-yard touchdown. In two touchdown runs, Saquon Barkley ran for 140 yards. The entire Rams rushing offense was only good for 111 yards on 21 rushes. Can the Rams do better? I think so.

The team signed run-stuffer par excellence NT Poona Ford to anchor the teams run defense. And the team has added ILBS Nate Landman, Chris Paul, and Sean Dolac to amplify training camp competition. And the team added a huge and very athletic rookie defensive tackle in Ty Hamilton.

I don't know that we can point to any one player as the savior of the run defense in 2025. But I do think that the overall effort of the group in the second season of DC Chris Shula's defensive scheme will be much better and coordinated.

No one aspect of the Rams has made such significant strides as to warrant a belief that they can beat the Eagles. But the aggregate effect of all changes makes a compelling case that this team is more prepared to negate what the Eagles do best. We'll see how the two teams face off this season.

As always, thanks for reading.

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