Rams are 5.5-point underdogs to Philadelphia in the Divisional Round
No SoFi Stadium? No problemo as the Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Divisional Round to play the Philadelphia Eagles, with the Rams a 5.5-point underdog at FanDuel Sportsbook. Despite everything LA has dealt with lately, coupled with the 1-4 start to the season, Sean McVay’s squad is miraculously one game away from an NFC Championship appearance.
Los Angeles handled a difficult week that featured a stadium relocation with grace as they pummeled the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. The Rams had Sam Darnold seeing ghosts all night as they sacked the Pro Bowl quarterback a playoff record-tying 9 times. Eight players had at least half a sack and the team finished with 10 TFLs. LA held just a 10-3 advantage for most of the second quarter before rookie stud Jared Verse returned a Darnold fumble 57 yards to the house with 4:35 remaining in the half.
JARED VERSE SCOOP AND SCORE!
: #MINvsLAR on ESPN/ABC
: Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bXLHmOUaQW— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2025
Matthew Stafford threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen ahead of the break to extend LA’s lead to 21. Stafford had an efficient outing, going 19-of-27 for 209 yards and a pair of scores. Kyren Williams added 76 yards on the ground.
Philadelphia caught a break right from the jump after the Green Bay Packers fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a 22-10 win. Capitalizing on the early turnover, Jalen Hurts returned from injury and threw an 11-yard dart to Jahan Dotson on the Eagles’ first offensive series. The Eagles took full advantage of a Packers team that couldn’t beat good teams when it mattered as the defense had 3 interceptions off Jordan Love. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell snagged his first career pick while Darius Slay intercepted a Love pass thrown right to him to keep Green Bay off the board for the entire first half.
DARIUS SLAY GOES STRIDE FOR STRIDE AND PICKS OFF JORDAN LOVE
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/Ndn4he47ja— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 12, 2025
When these teams faced off in Week 12, All-Pro Saquon Barkley rushed for an Eagles’ franchise record 255 yards. The likelihood of Barkley getting anywhere close to that total is low. Los Angeles had better know what’s coming this time around. Philly’s passing attack is nothing to be scared of. LA’s defense has significantly improved since the last matchup and they’ll maintain their strong play in a hostile environment. This will be a defensive battle all the way. Unlike the Slackers, the Rams will show plenty of fight in a physical and low-scoring battle that Philadelphia will win on a late field goal.
Let’s hear those predictions for the Divisional Round, Turf Show Ramily, so drop them in the comments below!