Los Angeles Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles
Final Score: Eagles 33, Rams 26
Writer: Raymi Chavez
A rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional thriller told a completely different story, but with the same ending. The game started very well for the Eagles, as they picked off Matthew Stafford on the first drive of the game, leading to a classic tush push touchdown. The rest of the first half would be all Rams. They moved the ball up and down the field at will, with a piercing run game, while stuffing the Eagles over and over, as the Eagles would be three-and-out the rest of the half. The Rams struggled to find the end zone, but still went into the half up 19-7. The second half started similarly; Jared Verse sacked Jalen Hurts, leading to a fumble recovery for the Rams and an immediate 1st-and-goal situation that they capitalized on. The Eagles decided to open it up and let Hurts throw downfield, and the comeback was on. Touchdowns to Dallas Goedert, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith, coupled with a blocked field goal, left the Rams down 1 with just under two minutes and one timeout. Stafford and Puka Nacua marched the team into very makeable field goal range. Joshua Karty stepped up and had his field goal attempt blocked for the second time in a row, and this time it was returned for a touchdown: a classic game and a brutal blown cover for Rams +3.0 bettors. Let’s see how it played out fantasy-wise.
Three Up
- AJ Brown – Finally. Brown lives up to his premium WR billing with a monster second half.
- Jalen Hurts – Hurts was asked to win this game through the air, and he delivered.
- Puka Nacua – WR1 did WR1 things; he seemed always to be open when Stafford needed it most.
One Down
- Saquon Barkley – Unlike last year against this Rams defense, Saquon struggled to get any traction going.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 19/33, 196 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Stafford’s day started rocky, throwing an interception on his second attempt, as Zack Baun stepped in front of a pass intended for Davante Adams up the middle. He managed to avoid any interceptions the rest of the way and seemingly had a passable game, especially in 6-point passing touchdown leagues. However, he was inaccurate in many crucial spots. On three separate third downs in scoring areas, Stafford overthrew an open receiver, forcing the Rams into field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. If he gets that sorted, he potentially finishes with a massive multi-touchdown game.
Running Back
Kyren Williams: 2o Carries, 94 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards, TD
Kyren Williams was dynamic all game long. Of course, a lot of his success can be attributed to Sean McVay‘s fantastic scheme and the team’s run blocking, but he found the holes and extra yards to fully realize the potential of each snap. Kyren continues to be the dominant lead back in this offense, even with Blake Corum slowly emerging behind him. This was most evident during massive drives, such as at the end of the first half and at the end of the game, when he received 100% of the snaps. Kyren also had a walk-in touchdown wiped off the board from an unnecessary holding call. He’s still a fantastic RB1 fantasy option.
Blake Corum: 8 Carries, 53 Yards
You’re seeing that right, 6.6 yards per carry and only a long of 12 yards. Corum was consistently taking chunks out of the defense. He displayed really nice vision on a couple of occasions, turning nothing into significant gains with clever cuts and even reversing the field on one occasion. He is firmly entrenched behind Kyren, but in games where LA gets out in front, I can see Corum having a big game and plenty of run.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Puka Nacua: 15 Targets, 11 Receptions, 112 Yards | 1 Carry, 6 Yards
I will admit I was among the group of fantasy managers that shied away from Puka Nacua when Stafford’s back seemed problematic pre-season, and I regret that immensely. I think we are looking at this season’s WR1, and he played like it today. He made a handful of really difficult, very contested catches over the middle and nearly brought in a heave that was underthrown in an attempt to pin it to the defender’s back. His floor is not much lower than these types of games, and when he throws a touchdown in on top of it, he can win you any week. Stafford didn’t even think about throwing anywhere else during the comeback drive in the fourth. Quinyon Mitchell was shadowing Davante Adams all game long, and Puka took full advantage.
Davante Adams: 8 Targets, 3 Receptions, 56 Yards, TD
Quinyon Mitchell shadowed Adams throughout this contest as the Eagles continue to deploy the strategy of having Mitchell wipe out the second receiver and then focus on the primary receiver. Adams seemingly had a good game regardless, but the stat line doesn’t tell the whole picture. He gained 44 of his yards on the touchdown pass in the first half, but it was clearly offensive pass interference that he got away with. He could’ve, or rather should’ve had two or three more receptions than he did as Stafford consistently missed him, but Quinyon did a good job shadowing him around. Adams also had one brutal drop in the endzone that could have put this performance over the top, regardless of the rest of the picture. My biggest takeaway from this game is that the WR2 on any team playing the Eagles is in for a long night.
Jordan Whittington: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 7 Yards | 2 Carries, 7 Yards
Stafford had him wide open for a second in the endzone and didn’t see him. He won’t be a fantasy factor as long as Puka and Davante are healthy.
Davis Allen: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 21/32, 226 Yards, 3 TDs | 9 Carries, 40 Yards, TD, Fumble (Lost)
Jalen Hurts shut a lot of critics up in this game. This was a great example of the idea that Hurts’ lack of passing statistics is merely a product of the game plan and scheme in Philadelphia and not a testament to his level of QB play. The offense started as per usual, a heavy dose of short-yardage passes and Saquon Barkley rush attempts, although they did mix in some designed runs for Hurts for the first time this season. After a fumble lost due to a big sack from Jared Verse (Hurts’ only genuine mistake of the game), the Eagles found themselves down 19 and realized it was time to demonstrate their deep passing game. They put the outcome of the game at that point on Jalen’s shoulders, and he carried them to a stunning comeback victory. He started to find A.J. Brown deep and often, with the arrival of this passing attack coming during their second drive of the second half, where a 36-yard pass to Brown was followed by a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. From that point on, Hurts was locked in. Hurts is a viable premium quarterback option, whether the game calls for passing or running, and he proved that today.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 18 Carries, 46 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 9 Yards
Saquon Barkley had a brutal game, especially by his incredibly high standards. The Eagles were handcuffed a little early on with Lane Johnson being hurt and taken out of the game after their first drive of the game. They followed that up with four three-and-outs and a fumble lost before finally getting a first down on their second drive of the third quarter, their first one since their opening drive. By the time the Eagles got it going again, Barkley was no longer the game plan, as the game script called for more passing and less running. He had a couple of crucial short to medium distance runs, but was not able to make an impact in fantasy this week. Hopefully Lane Johnson returns shortly; otherwise, Saquon’s floor may drop moving forward.
The only other running back to see any snaps was AJ Dillon, and each time it was just for pass protection. Tank Bigsby was struggling to field the kick returns. I don’t know for sure if that played into his playing time on offense, but I bet it didn’t help!
Wide Receiver/Tight End
A.J. Brown: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 109 Yards, TD
Phew! A.J. Brown owners can breathe a sigh of relief. The frustrating part remains that it seems the Eagles will wait until the very last second before relying on the pass game, but seeing Brown do all of this in only one half is promising. He was dominant, making contested catches in man coverage, breaking tackles, and really making himself felt all second half. If the Eagles can find a way to balance their offensive attack moving forward, Brown can have games like this in his sleep.
DeVonta Smith: 9 Targets, 8 Receptions, 60 Yards, TD
DeVonta Smith has to be one of the most unassuming receiver targets in the league. I watched this game, every second of it, and took note of every play, yet I still found myself surprised by his output today. It felt like once the game opened up, Hurts would target Brown over and over and then find Smith for a medium chunk play. Smith got absolutely smoked, drawing a personal foul up the middle, and honestly, just seeing him bounce back from that was relieving. I feel like Smith is the receiver I want to have in this offense. He seems to be steady as can be.
Dallas Goedert: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 33 Yards, TD
Outside of a fantastic 33-yard touchdown pass and catch to kickstart the comeback, Goedert was virtually invisible out there. Coming off an injury, expectations weren’t sky high. His other target was an incredibly contested, tight-squeeze throw by Hurts that was nearly intercepted.
Jahan Dotson: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Jahan Dotson is the third receiver and fourth or fifth option in a passing game that only seems to appear when the team needs it most. He won’t be relevant as long as the team stays healthy.
John Metchie: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards