Eagles vs. Rams predictions: Our writers make their picks for Sunday’s divisional-round game

The Eagles (14-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (10-7) at 3 p.m. Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Here are our writers’ predictions.

The Rams that the Eagles will face on Sunday are better than the team they saw in Week 12. They’ve won six of their last seven and their one loss was a rollover in the season finale in which starters were rested. Coach Sean McVay has his squad back in the mix after an impressive victory over the 14-win Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round, and some are predicting an upset over the 6-point favorite Eagles. Can the Rams pull it off? Sure. But they’re going to have to play near-perfect football and hope for some uncharacteristic mistakes because the Eagles have the advantage in most matchups.

The Rams are likely to concentrate their efforts on stopping Saquon Barkley on the ground. They really have no choice. They were effective in limiting the Vikings’ rushing attack, but that’s because they had the edge up front. The Eagles offensive line won’t be pushed around. But if they have to deal with an extra defender to block in the box it could make Barkley’s job difficult. The Rams’ defensive line is young and explosive, but it can be run on. The Eagles need to establish the run so Jalen Hurts and the passing game don’t face too many third-and-longs like they did against the Green Bay Packers.

To repeat what I wrote above: the Rams have a path to victory. That path requires them to travel across the country and play in possible inclement weather. Matthew Stafford and McVay know what it takes to win in the postseason and on the road. The Rams have that going for them. But they just don’t have the depth and one of their main strengths — their D-line — will likely be neutralized by the Eagles’ O-line. If L.A. can jump out to a lead and hold it into the second half, the Eagles could be in trouble. They may finally need Hurts and the passing game to win it. But if the Birds are ahead after the break, I see them cruising into the NFC championship game.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Rams 17

Forget what happened in Inglewood on Nov. 24. It does not matter this weekend.

How will the Rams try to exploit the Eagles’ top-ranked defense with linebacker Nakobe Dean out? Will they test the middle of the field with tight end Tyler Higbee? Will they rely on their running game with running back Kyren Williams and try to control the clock and keep the Eagles’ offense off the field?

Will it matter?

You have to imagine the Eagles passing attack was just a little rusty last week in Hurts’ return to the lineup from a concussion, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t be able to make completions when they need to against a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in defending the pass. They already showed to be a team that can be susceptible to a strong ground attack.

I’ve waffled on this one a few times. There are some weird elements at play. The weather, Kellen Moore’s attention being diverted to interviews, the Eagles being due for a stinker and McVay’s offensive mind being a good candidate to beat a team having a stinker kind of day.

But I’m going with the better team in what should be a closer game than people think.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Rams 24

One of the keys to the Eagles’ success in that Week 12 contest was the dominance of the run game behind Barkley and the offensive line. The star running back ran for a single-game career-high (and franchise-best) 255 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. He did the bulk of his damage in the second half, when he rattled off a pair of explosive touchdown runs (each were at least 70 yards) to punctuate the win.

Given the Rams’ knack for pressuring the quarterback, Hurts should hand the ball off to Barkley early and often. The Rams’ run defense has statistically improved since facing the Eagles, but of course, no team in the NFL boasts a running game as potent as the one led by the league’s rushing champion. When Hurts does drop back to throw the ball, he must be able to diagnose where the pressure is coming from before the snap and have his protection ironed out, something that the Vikings struggled with in the wild-card round.

» READ MORE: The Eagles last hosted the Rams in the playoffs in 1989. It was the beginning of the end for Buddy Ryan in Philly.

Pressure is also going to be a focal point on the other side of the ball. Stafford fared poorly when pressured in 2024, completing just 44.6% of his passes in those scenarios according to Next Gen Stats. That rate is his lowest since 2018 and his only below 50% in that span. In Week 12, Jalen Carter was double-teamed on 62.9% of his pass rushes, which was his fifth-highest double-team rate in a game during his career, per Next Gen Stats. In turn, Milton Williams took advantage of his one-on-one opportunities with two of the Eagles’ five sacks against Stafford. Continued dominance in the trenches will be crucial in an Eagles win.

The Rams are hot right now, winning six of their last seven games, including their wild-card drubbing of the Vikings. But the Eagles still have the advantage at home, especially if the snow becomes a factor and both offenses have to lean on the run game.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Rams 21

Going into the playoffs, I argued the Rams were the second most favorable draw the Eagles could get in the postseason. Even after their dominant victory over Minnesota, there’s still an argument that this Rams team is a relatively lenient matchup for the Eagles in the divisional round.

Styles make fights, especially in the postseason. Stafford’s ability to dice apart a blitz-happy defense like the Vikings was a determining factor in the wild-card round, as was the Rams’ defensive line wrecking the game en route to nine sacks against Darnold and a porous Minnesota offensive front. Neither of those factors quite translate this Sunday against the Eagles, who will likely have a different approach against the veteran quarterback and an offensive line often up to the task even against high-level opponents.

It’s worth remembering the Rams managed 290 yards in these teams’ first meeting, but went 0-for-8 on third downs and had a costly red-zone fumble early in the game. So long as the Eagles defense can once again win in the game’s key moments (turnovers, third-downs, etc.), they should be able to turn in a repeat performance even against a Rams offense that got off to a hot start against the Vikings.

Overall, this game might be more comfortable for the Eagles than even last week’s. The Rams have the ceiling to pull off the upset, but the Eagles have enough matchup advantages, particularly in the run game, to suggest they can run away with this one.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Rams 21

The Eagles (14-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (10-7) at 3 p.m. Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Here are our writers’ predictions.

The Rams that the Eagles will face on Sunday are better than the team they saw in Week 12. They’ve won six of their last seven and their one loss was a rollover in the season finale in which starters were rested. Coach Sean McVay has his squad back in the mix after an impressive victory over the 14-win Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round, and some are predicting an upset over the 6-point favorite Eagles. Can the Rams pull it off? Sure. But they’re going to have to play near-perfect football and hope for some uncharacteristic mistakes because the Eagles have the advantage in most matchups.

The Rams are likely to concentrate their efforts on stopping Saquon Barkley on the ground. They really have no choice. They were effective in limiting the Vikings’ rushing attack, but that’s because they had the edge up front. The Eagles offensive line won’t be pushed around. But if they have to deal with an extra defender to block in the box it could make Barkley’s job difficult. The Rams’ defensive line is young and explosive, but it can be run on. The Eagles need to establish the run so Jalen Hurts and the passing game don’t face too many third-and-longs like they did against the Packers.

» READ MORE: A physical Dallas Goedert showed his value to the Eagles, but the team’s long-term plan at tight end is cloudy

Hurts didn’t play his best against Green Bay, but the Eagles didn’t need him to … clearly. But you can bet that Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will follow some of the Packers’ blueprint for defending the pass. Shula’s scheme has some of the bones of Vic Fangio’s system. He’s not going to blitz much. He’s going to play a lot of zone coverages. And he’s going to use a ton of pre-snap disguise with his safeties. Shula did blitz Sam Darnold last week and some of the Rams’ nine sacks came as a result. Hurts has been decent against extra rushers this season, but pressure has been another story. If the Rams’ simulated blitzes work — Shula will often have five or six on the line on passing downs — the Eagles’ pass offense could be in trouble.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has to dial up pass plays to get the ball out of Hurts’ hand fast. The Eagles’ screen game has been sloppy, but slants to A.J. Brown, option routes to DeVonta Smith, and flares to Dallas Goedert should work. The Rams don’t tackle well. But they do rush the passer well. The D-line is young and is led by rookie edge Jared Verse. Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata held him to just one pressure in the first meeting. Right tackle Lane Johnson handled Byron Young on the other side. But both are dangerous. The Rams’ best matchup is inside with defensive tackle Kobie Turner. Right guard Mekhi Becton will likely be pressured, but the Eagles will slide protection to his side when they can. The Rams may counter with stunts and twists.

Shula will lean zone, but he’s going to mix up his zones a lot. Brown toasted cornerback Darious Williams in November, catching 4 of 5 targets against him for 86 yards, but the Eagles have to be ready for cloud coverage on his side. Los Angeles’ other outside corner, Ahkello Witherspoon, may be out with a thigh strain, but Cobie Durant is a solid backup.

On the other side of the ball, the Rams were able to move the ball on the Eagles early on in the first matchup, especially with Kyren Williams on the ground. But Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers forced a fumble early on, Fangio figured a few things out, and the Rams never recovered. The Eagles can be run on. Williams isn’t a game-breaker, but he’s a workhorse. He has vision and patience and will make guys miss. Fangio’s group can’t afford to miss as many tackles (22!) as it did last week.

McVay’s going to come out with a detailed attack. He’s going to be balanced. And he’s going to get the ball out of Matthew Stafford’s hands in a hurry. He can’t afford to get his quarterback into situations where pressure is more likely. Stafford’s always been statuesque, but he has a harder time getting away of late. He still has a canon and can hit spots with unconventional arm angles. Fangio is unlikely to blitz him a lot, so the Eagles’ four-man rush will need to do a lot of the work on its own.

McVay’s offense is going to counter with a lot of motion, bunch formations, and misdirection. Communication will be key in passing off assignments in zone. Puka Nacua is Stafford’s favorite target. He grabs everything and is good after the catch. He can find a soft spot in almost any zone, but he won’t beat you with speed. Nacua is like a younger version of Cooper Kupp, who still has great hands and feel, but he hasn’t seen the ball as much. The Rams just got back tight end Tyler Higbee, who suffered a chest injury in the Vikings game, but he’s expected to play.

To repeat what I wrote above: the Rams have a path to victory. That path requires them to travel across the country and play in possible inclement weather. Stafford and McVay know what it takes to win in the postseason and on the road. The Rams have that going for them. But they just don’t have the depth and one of their main strengths — their D-line — will likely be neutralized by the Eagles’ O-line. If L.A. can jump out to a lead and hold it into the second half, the Eagles could be in trouble. They may finally need Hurts and the passing game to win it. But if the Birds are ahead after the break, I see them cruising into the NFC championship game.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Rams 17

Forget what happened in Inglewood on Nov. 24. It does not matter this weekend.

Saquon Barkley isn’t going to run for seven billion yards (I rounded) and the Eagles aren’t likely to win a laugher.

The Rams have been playing a lot better football since then, and the Eagles are without a starting linebacker and are fresh off a performance that triggered déjà vu with their passing game.

How will the Rams try to exploit the Eagles’ top-ranked defense with linebacker Nakobe Dean out? Will they test the middle of the field with tight end Higbee? Will they rely on their running game with running back Williams and try to control the clock and keep the Eagles’ offense off the field?

» READ MORE: The Eagles last hosted the Rams in the playoffs in 1989. It was the beginning of the end for Buddy Ryan in Philly.

Will it matter?

The Eagles are the better football team, there’s no doubt about that. Their best traits on defense should be strong counters to what the Rams throw at them. They defend the pass well despite not getting after the quarterback at an elite level and they’re tough to beat on the ground. That shouldn’t change drastically without Dean, but even a slight drop-off could be problematic in a playoff game.

You have to imagine the Eagles passing attack was just a little rusty last week in Hurts’ return to the lineup from a concussion, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t be able to make completions when they need to against a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in defending the pass. They already showed to be a team that can be susceptible to a strong ground attack.

I’ve waffled on this one a few times. There are some weird elements at play. The weather, Moore’s attention being diverted to interviews, the Eagles being due for a stinker and McVay’s offensive mind being a good candidate to beat a team having a stinker kind of day.

But I’m going with the better team in what should be a closer game than people think.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Rams 24

The Eagles will want to run it back to Week 12’s victory, and not just in terms of the final score.

One of the keys to the Eagles’ success in that contest was the dominance of the run game behind Barkley and the offensive line. The star running back ran for a single-game career-high (and franchise-best) 255 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. He did the bulk of his damage in the second half, when he rattled off a pair of explosive touchdown runs (each were at least 70 yards) to punctuate the win.

Given the Rams’ knack for pressuring the quarterback, Hurts should hand the ball off to Barkley early and often. The Rams’ run defense has statistically improved since facing the Eagles, but of course, no team in the NFL boasts a running game as potent as the one led by the league’s rushing champion. When Hurts does drop back to throw the ball, he must be able to diagnose where the pressure is coming from before the snap and have his protection ironed out, something that the Vikings struggled with in the wild-card round.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Rams: Four matchups to watch in Sunday’s divisional-round game

Pressure is also going to be a focal point on the other side of the ball. Stafford fared poorly when pressured in 2024, completing just 44.6% of his passes in those scenarios according to Next Gen Stats. That rate is his lowest since 2018 and his only below 50% in that span. In Week 12, Jalen Carter was double-teamed on 62.9% of his pass rushes, which was his fifth-highest double-team rate in a game during his career, per Next Gen Stats. In turn, Milton Williams took advantage of his one-on-one opportunities with two of the Eagles’ five sacks against Stafford. Continued dominance in the trenches will be crucial in an Eagles win.

The defense will also be tasked with handling the Rams receivers’ frequent use of pre-snap motion and motion at the snap. The Eagles have performed well against motion all season long, allowing the fewest yards per play in the NFL against plays with motion (4.7), per Next Gen Stats. But the Eagles are down Dean, whose instincts and coverage abilities they could miss come Sunday. Against this Rams offense in particular, strong performances will be needed from Oren Burks and Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who are poised to rotate alongside Zack Baun.

The Rams are hot right now, winning six of their last seven games, including their wild-card drubbing of the Vikings. But the Eagles still have the advantage at home, especially if the snow becomes a factor and both offenses have to lean on the run game.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Rams 21

Going into the playoffs, I argued the Rams were the second most favorable draw the Eagles could get in the postseason. Even after their dominant victory over Minnesota, there’s still an argument that this Rams team is a relatively lenient matchup for the Eagles in the divisional round.

Styles make fights, especially in the postseason. Stafford’s ability to dice apart a blitz-happy defense like the Vikings was a determining factor in the wild-card round, as was the Rams’ defensive line wrecking the game en route to nine sacks against Darnold and a porous Minnesota offensive front. Neither of those factors quite translate this Sunday against the Eagles, who will likely have a different approach against the veteran quarterback and an offensive line often up to the task even against high-level opponents.

That’s not to say there won’t be challenges for the Eagles. McVay has earned a reputation as one of the league’s best play-callers capable of prodding at a defense’s weaknesses relentlessly. With Dean out for the remainder of the playoffs, Fangio will need to insulate either Burks or Trotter Jr. when possible and limit the damage elsewhere if McVay finds ways to isolate them. Even Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, as well as they’ve played this season, could get tested once again against a talented Rams receiving corps with McVay at the controls.

It’s worth remembering the Rams managed 290 yards in these teams’ first meeting, but went 0-for-8 on third downs and had a costly red-zone fumble early in the game. So long as the Eagles defense can once again win in the game’s key moments (turnovers, third-downs, etc.), they should be able to turn in a repeat performance even against a Rams offense that got off to a hot start against the Vikings.

On the other side of the ball, the Rams are likely to sell out to stop the run after Barkley managed a franchise- and career-high 255 rushing yards against them in Week 12. Whether that requires the Eagles’ passing game to turn things around, or if Barkley is able to stay productive despite the potential for loaded boxes, the response will make the difference.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts recognizes Eagles passing game’s room for improvement but reiterates his sole focus is winning

Considering how much trouble the Packers’ pressure looks gave the Eagles in last Sunday’s win, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the Rams do something similar by loading up the line of scrimmage and trying to stress the offensive line’s protection rules as a result. Hurts acknowledged the unexpected wrinkles the Packers presented to the offense last week, and the Eagles will need to be better prepared this weekend for the potential for the Rams to break tendencies.

Overall, this game might be more comfortable for the Eagles than even last week’s. The Rams have the ceiling to pull off the upset, but the Eagles have enough matchup advantages, particularly in the run game, to suggest they can run away with this one.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Rams 21

The Eagles play host to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.