By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2025-01-20 01:08:21 | Updated at 2025-01-31 02:42:23
1 week ago
The Philadelphia Eagles moved to within one game of the Super Bowl after holding on for a 28-22 win in the snow against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Eagles looked to have booked a place in the NFC Championship game when Saquon Barkley raced clear for his second touchdown, making it 28-15 with under five minutes left.
But the Rams hit straight back with a Colby Parkinson touchdown and then forced a swift three-and-out from the Eagles, meaning LA got the ball back with just over two minutes left.
Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who led the Rams to Super Bowl glory in 2022, has pulled off 51 game-winning drives and seemed set for another when Puka Nacua made a superb catch on his shoulder to take the Rams to Philly's 21-yard line.
But the Eagles defence stepped up to keep LA out of their end zone and reach their second NFC Championship game in three years.
They will host the Washington Commanders next Sunday for a place in Super Bowl 59.
Barkley was this season's rushing leader with 2,005 yards - the eighth highest of all-time - and Philadelphia also have the league's second-best rushing offence.
The weather forecast was also far from ideal for a passing game, so it was bound to be a run-heavy match-up.
Yet it was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, not Barkley, who broke a tackle on the opening drive to score a 44-yard touchdown - the longest run of his career.
The Rams replied with Stafford making a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee, before Barkley made his first burst for a 62-yard score.
The Rams kicked a field goal to cut the half-time deficit to 13-10 and the snow got significantly heavier after the interval, with both teams settling for a field goal in the third quarter.
Hurts injured his knee on that Eagles' drive, and on their next possession he was trapped in his own end zone by Neville Gallimore for a safety, cutting the score to 16-15.
Handling became increasingly difficult and the Rams fumbled on successive drives, with the Eagles punishing each error with a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter.
Barkley's subsequent 78-yard score helped him finish with 205 yards - the fifth-best rushing total in post-season history.
That touchdown ultimately proved decisive, but the Eagles needed their defence to step up in a nail-biting finale.
