Philadelphia Eagles versus Los Angeles Rams: 5 Story lines to watch

The Philadelphia Eagles travel to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to face the Rams, and this one is loaded with story lines.

If we’re all being honest, we’d probably have to state that, when both the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams won their divisions in 2017, we knew, at some point, that the two teams would square off in 2018’s regular season.

After Philly won the Super Bowl in February, some had the confidence that ‘The Birds’ would treat the Rams like prey, but as 2018’s regular season went on, nervousness set in and this was a game that looked, more and more, like it would end up as a loss.

This is the NFL though, and there are no white flags. Here are five of a dozen or so story lines to pay attention to when this one kicks off.

1. From ‘Next man up’ to ‘Is there anybody left?’ ….

These days, it seems like someone’s headed to Philly’s IR every fifteen minutes. While the Eagles have played musical chairs with everything from their starting lineup to their practice squad, they still have three more games to play.

If there’s a bright side, it’s come in knowing that some unknowns are showing they may need to be given some serious consideration for next year’s roster and in the fact that the inexperienced members of this team are getting some valuable snaps.

2. Can this offensive line stop Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh?

This offensive line hasn’t been able to protect the signal caller consistently all season, and now, they get Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Can you say ‘yikes’?

3. How will the unknowns fare in a prime time game?

Naming the Eagles’ injured players is almost like stating what we thought the depth chart would look like at the beginning of the season. Fortunately, for some of these guys, they get to prove they can play in the NFL.

Unfortunately, they, now, have to do it against one of the most talented rosters and coaches in the entire NFL.

4. Sean McVay’s offense versus Jim Schwartz’s defense…

Sean McVay is one of the bright young offensive minds in the NFL, and he’s been brilliant in 2018. Jim Schwartz has had some moments, but, for the most part, he’s been frustrating to watch all season.

Now, these two meet for a chess match on Sunday Night Football.

5. How will Nick Foles fare?

Here’s a painful truth. For the Eagles to win, Nick Foles probably needs to transform into the guy we saw during last season’s NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, even with a couple of starts this season, no one’s seen that Nick Foles since, well, last season’s NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

Can he light up the scoreboard in L.A.? That may be Philly’s only shot at victory.