Saquon Barkley sizzled in the snow as the Philadelphia Eagles survived a late scare to beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in picturesque but dramatic playoff conditions to advance to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Barkley erupted for a 62-yard house call in the opening quarter before extending his team's lead to 28-15 with a 78-yard burst with five minutes to play en route to 205 yards on the night, continuing a phenomenal first year in Philly as he eclipsed 2,000 yards during the regular season.
Second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter had two tackles, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble for the Eagles as the Rams had to pay for costly turnovers.
Jalen Hurts finished 15 of 20 for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Matthew Stafford threw for 324 yards and two scores as the Rams saw their campaign come to an end.
The Eagles will now face Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders for a spot in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans next weekend, a month after losing a 36-33 thriller to their NFC East division rival.
Statistics leaders
Los Angeles Rams
- Passage: Matthew Stafford, 26/44, 324 yards, 2 TDs
- rush: Kyren Williams, 19 carries, 106 yards
- Receiving: Puka Nacua, 6 catches, 97 yards
Philadelphia Eagles
- Passage: Jalen Hurts, 15/20, 128 yards
- rush: Saquon Barkley, 26 carries, 205 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Dallas Goedert, 5 catches, 56 yards
As Rocky Balboa's music played in Philly, it snowed and chaos ensued in the second half of the slide, slide, fall, drama and bits of Saquon.
The Rams threatened a late turnaround at Lincoln Financial Field when Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson for a four-yard touchdown with 2.48 to play just moments after Barkley thought he had iced the game with his 78-yard score.
As the Eagles' next drive stalled, Stafford — armed with 51 game-winning plays to his name — managed to convert on third-and-10 to Demarcus Robinson before stunning the Eagles with a 37-yard strike to Puka Nacua, who was on hand to make a remarkable diving catch on the sideline and brought his side down to the 21-yard line with 1.33 left.
After a false start penalty against Kevin Dotson put Los Angeles back on second-and-12, Carter all but sealed the game moments later by sacking Stafford for a loss of nine on third-and-2. With one last chance, the Rams quarterback was unable to find Nacua as the Eagles took a breather.
Touchdown runs by Jalen Hurts and Barkley gave the Eagles a 13-10 lead at the break, before Joshua Karty's 34-yard field goal tied things on the opening drive of a snow-infested second half.
Jake Elliott returned a 44-yard punt return to restore the Eagles' lead, but not without a scare after Hurts suffered a knee injury on a hard hit by Jaylen McCollough. The quarterback was taken to the blue tent for treatment before returning with a knee brace.
The pain seemed to linger as his lack of mobility allowed Neville Gallimore to pull him down for a safety that would pull the Rams within 16-15.
Rams running back Williams would then feel the wrath of an inspired Carter, who successfully cleared the ball before seeing teammate Isaiah Rodgers return it to the 10-yard line. Barkley was later stuffed at the one-yard line, but where the Eagles usually opted for a tush push, they instead turned to Barkley again in light of Hurts' injury.
That resulted in another stop by the Rams defense, followed by a false start against Lane Johnson that forced the Eagles to settle for Elliott's 23-yard field goal to make it 19-15.
Carter wasn't the only former Georgia Bulldog to run riot, Nolan Smith made his presence felt on the ensuing Rams forcing another fumble, this one recovered by Zach Baun to match Elliott's 37-yard field goal for a 22-15 lead with 6.18 remaining. .
With the knowledge of snow coming, both teams exploded out of the traps in search of an early foothold. And it was the Eagles who struck first on the sixth play from scrimmage, as Hurts broke free for a 44-yard rushing touchdown, Elliott missed the ensuing extra point. It served as the longest streak of an Eagles quarterback's NFL career and an instant reminder of Philadelphia's read-option threat through Hurts and Barkley.
The Rams answered immediately when Tyler Higbee slipped Stafford's pin dagger between two defenders at the goal line for a four-yard touchdown at the end of a 13-play drive.
The possession looked like it might stall on third-and-seven when Stafford's low pass to Higbee was ruled incomplete, only for Sean McVay to make a successful challenge. Williams later was ready to convert on fourth-and-one to set up first-and-goal from the four-yard line.
Barkley's moment wasn't far behind, the NFL's leading rusher following Mekhi Becton's bruising block and breaking free for a 62-yard touchdown and a 13-7 lead.
Karty cut the lead to three with a 30-yard field goal before Verse forced sacks on Philadelphia's next two possessions of the half.
What's next?
It's Conference Championship Sunday, and the Eagles host the Commanders in the NFC.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports NFL.