For the second straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles will play a team in the postseason that they already beat in the regular season.
In the Wild Card Round, the Eagles were able to pack up the Packers, 21-10, thanks to a dominant defensive performance and two touchdown tosses from Jalen Hurts. Now, they'll look to do the same to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.
The Eagles pulled out a convincing 37-20 victory over the Rams in late November, which honestly isn't too long ago. Adjustments will be made on both sides, but there was still a lot to learn from that first meeting between the teams. Here's a look at three promising stats from Week 12 that the Birds will try to replicate in the playoffs.
Saquon Barkley ran all over L.A. for 255 yards
Saqoun Barkley had his best game of the season against the Rams, and that's saying something considering how impressive his entire campaign was. He ran the ball 26 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns against an L.A. defense that simply didn't have an answer for him. Barkley averaged 9.8 yards per carry in the game -- basically a first down every time he touched the ball. He also had two separate 70-plus yard TD runs in the game.
The Rams' defense is vulnerable against the run, as they allowed 130 rushing yards per game during the regular season, and the Eagles should again be able to exploit their weakness in this area. He might not eclipse the 250-yard mark, but Barkley should be in line for another huge game against the Rams.
Philly sacked Matt Stafford five times
Matt Stafford is an excellent quarterback, and he can be especially dangerous when he has ample time to operate. Thus, it should be a goal of Philadelphia's defense to put pressure on him, just like they did in Week 12. The Eagles sacked Stafford five times in that game, They also hit him a total of 11 times. In general, they did a good job of making him feel the heat, as they never let him get too comfortable.
Stafford still threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the game, but he likely would have had an even more productive performance if he wasn't consistently under pressure. That's the blueprint for Philadelphia: Keep the pressure on. Of course, there's a delicate balance that they need to strike, as they don't want to overcommit to pressure and leave themselves vulnerable on the back end. This is where it will be on Vic Fangio to cook up the perfect plan.
Eagles out-gained Rams by nearly 200 yards
The Rams have a potent offensive attack, but the Eagles were the [much] more productive team in the first meeting, as Philadelphia out-gained L.A. 481 to 290. The Eagles also controlled the ball for nearly eight more minutes than the Rams. Sometimes the best way to limit a good offense is by keeping them on the sideline, and the Eagles were able to do that the first time around. Immensely out-gaining the Rams and controlling the clock is a recipe for success for Philadelphia. Hopefully they can replicate it.