Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Preview – LAR at PHI

Posted September 19th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The Rams and Eagles have developed into a bit of a rivalry. There were a couple of really good games back in the Doug Pederson years. Now you have the Sean McVay-Vic Fangio angle. You have the McVay-Nick Sirianni angle. Both organizations have been to multiple Super Bowls and won at least one in recent years. Howie Roseman and Les Snead are two of the most aggressive, creative GMs in the league. The Eagles have beaten the Rams the last three meetings, which stretch over the past two seasons.

Some media and fans are looking at this as a statement game for LA. They need to show they can beat the Eagles and truly be considered a SB contender. The Rams got hot down the stretch, but still only finished 10-7. They finished 17th in DVOA rankings, which is middle of the pack. The Rams had a solid offseason and look more talented than last year. They have a lot of potential. A win on Sunday would show this team is ready to take the next step.

Neither the Eagles nor the Rams has looked great so far. LA had to work hard for a 14-9 win over the Texans in the opener. Last week they trailed the Titans 16-13 late in the third quarter before going on a 20-0 run as Tennessee melted down. The final was 33-19. I was surprised to find out LA trailed at halftime in both games. You already know about the Eagles being 2-0 and having to battle for both wins.

Sunday’s meeting is a chance for both teams to show how good they are. It will be interesting to see if both remain sloppy or if one team puts it together and plays at a high level.

We all know the Rams offense by now. Tons of motion. Lots of screens. Matt Stafford isn’t afraid to throw short passes over and over to move the chains or to sit in the pocket and work intermediate routes as he looks for chunk plays. Stafford still has a great arm and can make spectacular throws. It feels like his receivers are always open because of his ability to put the ball wherever he wants it.

Puka Nacua is the workhorse and now has Davante Adams with him. Neither player is a burner, but both are incredibly good route runners who know how to get open. They have good hands. Both will work the middle and take some shots. The Eagles secondary has their work cut out for them.

I was not impressed with the Rams OL in pass protection against the Titans. RT Rob Havenstein got driven back to the QB multiple times. Titans DT Jeffery Simmons was disruptive against multiple blockers. LG Steve Avila is banged up and doubtful to play on Sunday.

That chart has the Rams ranked 31st in pass pro. Part of that is Stafford being willing to hold the ball, but most is a leaky OL. The Eagles DL needs to come up big. Sacks are great, but the key is speeding up Stafford so he can’t sit back and pick the secondary apart. Make him get the ball out quickly. The Eagles do a great job of tackling so they should limit RAC yards. LA is at their best when they are piling up yards after the catch.

A lot of defenders struggle with the Rams motion, fakes and crossing routes. The Eagles faced them twice last year so that will help the returning players. Adoree Jackson, Drew Mukuba, Sydney Brown and Jihad Campbell need to listen to their coaches and teammates on how to deal with that offense. Don’t focus on the eye candy. Trust your technique and do your job.

I am curious to see if LA tries to mix in some tempo after seeing Jalen Carter wear down a bit and knowing Jordan Davis can wear down as well. That could be something to watch.

The Eagles ran on the Rams defense last year (314 yards and 285 yards). I thought the Rams DL looked vulnerable to the run last week. The Titans ran for 109 yards and their OL got good push for much of the game. The Rams front is really good at rushing the passer. They drop off quite a bit when it comes to playing the run. You don’t want to fall behind them and let their rushers tee off. Edge rusher Byron Young already has 3 sacks.

LA’s corners do a good job of driving on the ball. Receivers need to be ready for contact. Emmanuel Forbes was awful when he played for WAS, but looks much more confident and aggressive with his new team. AJ and DeVonta have a talent advantage, but the Eagles need the right plan and execution to make something of that.

With the Rams struggles on run defense this is probably a game where you want to feed Saquon Barkley first and then work on the passing game. Barkley has yet to break loose with a big run or a big game this year. That could change on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts has been safe and efficient to start the season. He’s got one big play in each game. I think the Eagles will need more than that to beat the Rams. If the blockers give Hurts time, he’s got to get the ball to his receivers down the field.

There is one thing that stood out about LA on STs. Their kicker is really good on kickoffs. He hits these knuckleballs that are tough to field. The Titans had issues with multiple KOs. The Eagles need to be ready for them.

The Eagles are the more talented team. I do think the Rams have closed the gap on them and this isn’t a game where the Eagles can play sloppy and win. If the DL plays to their potential, the Eagles will win.

_

A Big Test

Posted September 19th, 2025 | 4 Comments »

Sunday will be a big test for the Eagles. They beat the Cowboys and Chiefs in the first two weeks, but both teams were missing key players. That made things easier on the Eagles. The Rams come to Philly as one of the best teams in the league.

September football is always confusing. Detroit started hot last year and proved to be great all season long. The Eagles started 2-2, but ended up winning the SB. Baltimore started 0-2 and ended up 12-5. The Saints looked dominant in their 2-0 start before completely melting down.

The Rams and Eagles were both good teams last year. They are both expected to be good this year. This game won’t define anyone’s season, but it will give us some hints about how good these teams truly are. Critics will point out that the Eagles haven’t played great so far this year. Heck, without a couple of red zone turnovers by their opponents, the Eagles could be 0-2.

LA pushed the Eagles in the playoffs last year, but that was after going just 10-7 in the regular season. Are the Rams really as good as we think? Are they being hyped because they stayed close to the Eagles in the snow game last January?

The Eagles turned into a juggernaut after their slow start last year. We all expect the Eagles to get back to a similar level this season. It certainly hasn’t happened yet. The Eagles don’t practice as much as some other teams in the summer. They don’t play starters in the preseason. It takes them a few games to work out the kinks and get into a good rhythm. Will that be this Sunday? Week 4? Week 5?

There are no guarantees it will happen. The 2023 Eagles started 10-1, but only really looked good in a couple of games. They won 7 of 11 games by a TD or less. 3 of their 6 losses were by 17 or more points. They got blown out in the playoffs as well. That team would look really good for part of a game and then struggle or out right fall apart. It was maddening to watch.

I don’t think this version of the Eagles will fall into such a situation. Jalen Hurts is smarter and more experienced. Saquon Barkley is a game-changing player. The defense has Vic Fangio and all kinds of talent. This team might not become dominant like last year, but I don’t see them falling apart. I think this team has a high ceiling, but the offense has to get going for them to reach it.

The Rams have the best defense the Eagles have faced this year. Will that challenge bring out the best in Hurts and the offense? Sometimes that happens. The offense certainly doesn’t lack talent. The execution hasn’t been good. The play-calling needs to improve. Everyone has a hand in getting this thing fixed. This Sunday would be an ideal time to do it.

The Eagles got some good news on Thursday.

Goedert is important for a couple of reasons. First, he’s a complete TE who can block and catch. He gives a good boost to the run game. He also is a big help because teams are playing more zone and Cover 2 looks this year. That leaves the middle open. Think about Goedert leading the team in receptions in the opener. Hurts was getting the ball to the open guy, which was DG.

Last week he was out. Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson combined for 2 catches. They didn’t block nearly as well as DG. The offense had some issues without the star TE to help Hurts out.

The Eagles have had a bit of a weird start, in terms of circumstances. The opener was the unveiling of the banner and then an hour delay due to a thunderstorm. Last week there was a lot of humidity and overpowering crowd noise. Sunday won’t have any special ceremonies. It will be a 1pm kickoff. It will be at home. This is the kind of setting the offense needs to help it get going.

I’m excited to see how the Eagles play. I want to know if this team can truly compete for another SB or if this is a bunch that just won’t click and will drive us all crazy. Each team is like a chemistry experiment. Not all of them work, even if they should based on logic and a good plan. You just never know.

*****

We are seeing a ton of injuries around the league. Several teams are missing QBs. Tampa is down three starting OL. The Commanders have put a few guys on IR. The Niners always have injuries. I hate seeing guys get hurt like this. A promising season can be destroyed. We remember how awful 2020 was. The biggest reason was injuries, not coaching or anything else. The OL had guys getting hurt every week it seemed like.

The Eagles are still working out some kinks, but thankfully they have avoided major injuries so far.

Knock on wood.

_