5 Keys to victory: Can Rams protection comprise Saquon Barkley

The Los Angeles Rams will tackle the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday within the NFC Divisional spherical of the playoffs. That is one other re-match for the Rams within the postseason as they misplaced to the Eagles 37-20 again in Week 12. The Rams have misplaced only one recreation since then which was their Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Heading into this recreation, the Eagles may be probably the most full crew within the NFC. Nonetheless, on any given Sunday, something can occur. In that first recreation, possible Offensive Participant of the 12 months Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards. To have an opportunity, the Rams might want to comprise him. Listed below are this week’s 5 keys to victory.

1. Get to Jalen Hurts with 4 for Power Limitations

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula goes to have to select his poison on this recreation towards the Eagles. Does he load the field with eight and attempt to restrict Saquon Barkley or play with seven within the field and pressure Jalen Hurts to win the sport within the parts? It’s about discovering a stability between enjoying single excessive and two-high security coverages.

If the Rams play single excessive, it leaves them extra vulnerable to lengthy runs if the primary two ranges get beat. It additionally forces Jalen Hurts to assault the boundary which is the place he’s good concentrating on AJ Brown. Contrarily, enjoying two-high leaves a lighter field. Whereas Barkley might choose up 5 – 6 yards per carry, it additionally muddies the image for Hurts and forces him to assault the center of the sphere. Towards two-high security coverages, Hurts is fifteenth in EPA and his 92.9 passer score ranks twenty second. Three of his 5 interceptions this season have come towards two-high shells.

Towards two-high shells, Hurts tends to carry the ball. His 3.06 seconds common time to throw towards two-high shells is the longest within the league. That leaves Hurts to both scramble or take a sack. The Eagles quarterback has misplaced 22 EPA on sacks towards two-high shells in 2024.

For the Rams to do any of this, they want to have the ability to rush and win with 4. Hurts is the very best quarterback towards the blitz this season. Within the first assembly, Jared Verse had only one strain on 19 move rush snaps. Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are two of the higher tackles within the NFL, particularly towards the bull rush which is Verse’s specialty. Shula must be artistic together with his move rush plans and each Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske have to win inside. It’s important that the Rams win with 4 to keep away from blitzing Hurts. If the Rams can sit in two-high with seven defensive backs, it’s going to pressure Hurts’ and the Eagles’ limitation within the passing recreation.

2. Assault Eagles Linebackers and Combine it Up in Run Recreation

An enormous improvement on this recreation is that the Eagles shall be with out linebacker Nakobe Dean. Zack Baun paired with Dean have been one of many higher linebacker duos within the NFL this season. Changing Dean with a participant like Oren Burks and even Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a good benefit for the Rams and the Sean McVay offense.

McVay might want to discover methods to maintain the Eagles of their base protection. The plain manner to do that is in heavier offensive packages comparable to 12 personnel. Nonetheless, due to how good the Eagles defensive entrance is, Vic Fangio is ready to match base with nickel. Nonetheless, if the Rams can get Fangio into his base protection, they could have a bonus.

The Fangio protection does job of hiding linebackers. Nonetheless, the Rams can attempt to put somebody like Burks below a microscope. Since tight finish Tyler Higbee returned, he’s had 5 receptions in back-to-back video games and been a giant a part of the passing recreation. In final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers changed an injured Dre Geenlaw with Burks throughout the recreation. Burks gave up 9 receptions on 9 targets. That included three receptions to Travis Kelce and three extra to Isiah Pacheco.

Whether or not it’s attacking Burks or Trotter within the passing recreation in play motion and on bootlegs, operating at them, or leveraging them with movement, the Rams want to seek out methods to isolate the linebacker depth. A key a part of that is to combine it up within the run recreation. Whereas the Rams have change into a extra gap-based operating crew, they do run a number of zone. Early within the season, the Rams ran hole on 66 % of their runs. That’s been nearer to 50 % because the bye. Since Week 13, it’s been a 52-48 cut up in favor of gap-based runs.

That’s vital for the Rams as a result of since Week 13, Kyren Williams has a 50 % success fee on zone runs which ranks tenth within the NFL. In the meantime, the Eagles have allowed a 55.3 % success fee on zone runs this season which ranks thirtieth. So as to add to that, they’ve allowed a 60 % success fee on zone runs since Week 13. Fangio isn’t afraid to combine it up on protection and convey again the 6-1 entrance that he had success with in 2018. The Eagles did a number of that towards the Saints. Nonetheless, if the Rams can run each hole and zone, they can create some mismatches off of that.

3. Be okay Successful Ugly and Grinding Out Lengthy Drives

The Rams have proven the flexibility to win ugly this season. Actually, outdoors of the win towards the Vikings final week, it’s primarily how the Rams have gained video games in 2024. Three of their final 4 wins have include the offense scoring lower than 20 factors whereas they’ve additionally grinded out wins towards the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints.

Explosive Play Charges

One of many principal concepts of the Fangio protection is to restrict explosive performs. Nonetheless, that doesn’t actually have an effect on the Rams. That is an offense that hasn’t been explosive this season. They’ve grown used to having to work their manner down the sphere. The Rams rank fifth in performs per drive at 6.52.

Final week, the Inexperienced Bay Packers had scoring drives of 12 and 9 performs. In addition they had a missed area objective following a 13 play drive. The Fangio protection makes groups work for factors, getting down the sphere 5 and 6 yards at a time. That places a number of stress on offenses as the sport progresses. The Rams have to be okay grinding out lengthy drives and never get impatient.

4. Play Disciplined Towards Saquon Barkley

If the Rams beat the Eagles, will probably be as a result of they restricted Barkley. That doesn’t essentially imply limiting him to a sure variety of carries or below a certain quantity of yards. It’s extra about limiting the explosives and never giving up the back-breaking performs. A part of the explanation why the Rams struggled towards Barkley within the first assembly was due to the over pursuit on the sides, particularly by Verse.

Verse has had unhealthy video games and discovered from them. The Rams rookie edge rusher missed eight tackles mixed towards the Cardinals and 49ers in Weeks 2-3. When the Rams performed them once more, Verse missed just one deal with. Since Week 12, Verse leads edge rushers in run stops and is third in run cease proportion.

Except for Verse, defenders on the second stage and within the secondary might want to fill their gaps and take good angles. Barkley is probably going going to seek out some stage of success. Nonetheless, the Rams have to give attention to limiting the injury. If they will hold his longest run below 25 yards, they’ll be in a great spot from a run protection standpoint.

5. Defend Stafford and Win on Third Down

An enormous optimistic for the Rams on this recreation is that they’ll have Rob Havenstein at proper deal with as a substitute of Warren McClendon. McClendon allowed three of the Eagles’ 10 pressures again in Week 12. When Havenstein is on the sphere, the Rams are a a lot totally different crew on the appropriate aspect of the offensive line.

In that first assembly, the Eagles had a strain fee of 28.6 % regardless of blitzing at only a 16.7 % fee. Two of the Eagles’ sacks got here on third down the place the Rams have been 0-for-8. On a down-to-down foundation, the Rams offense wasn’t far behind the Eagles within the first video games. The Rams offense had a 47.5 % success fee to the Eagles 48.5 %.

Nonetheless, going 0-for-8 on third down will make that look lots worse than it was. The Rams offense merely wants to seek out extra success on third down on this recreation. Which means setting themselves up effectively on early downs after which defending Stafford on third down.