Three things to watch for during the 2025 divisional round on Sunday

• WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
• WHEN: 3 p.m. ET | NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo, TeleXitos, NFL+

The Eagles welcome the Rams to the City of Brotherly Love for a thrilling divisional round showdown between a team most expected to be there (The Eagles) and an opponent that stunned the football world with a dominating victory over a 14-win club to reach this goal. point (the Rams).

Matthew Stafford broke out of his offensive slump in the Rams’ win over the Vikings on Monday, sparking an emphatic and wildly impressive opening drive that set the tone for the entire night. Los Angeles’ defense also rose to the occasion, harassing the Vikings and limiting them to just nine points. When Jared Verse returned a fumble for a touchdown, the energy was palpable far beyond the confines of State Farm Stadium, and when Stafford found Davis Allen for a touchdown just before halftime, it felt like the game was officially decided.

They probably won’t find it so easy this week. The Eagles have won 13 of their last 14 games and aim to add another tally to the win column on Sunday. They’re on a bit of a memorable streak themselves, winning 15 games (including playoffs) for just the fourth time in franchise history. Every time they’ve done it in the past, they’ve reached the Super Bowl.

The Rams stand in the way of making that happen again.

Here are three things to watch for in Sunday’s divisional round matchup at Lincoln Financial Field:

1) Defensive struggle awaits? The Eagles enjoyed their defensive coming-out party all the way back in Week 7 when they suffocated the Giants in a 28-3 victory in New York. It was way back in mid-October, 11 days before Halloween, but the Eagles’ defensive surge wasn’t just a costume party. Their unit is the real deal, finishing the 2024 regular season with the NFL’s best group in total defense and passing defense and the second-best scoring defense. The defense became the strength of this Eagles team and again proved to be an essential part of Philadelphia’s winning formula in a 22-10 victory over the Packers in Wild Card Weekend. On the other hand, another defense is rounding off in form. Los Angeles shut out the explosive Minnesota Vikings in their Wild Card Round triumph, limiting the Vikings to nine points in a shutout game Sam Darnold nine times. In the last four games in which their starters played, the Rams allowed an average of 8.25 points per game. game, a perfect counterpoint to an offense that encountered some difficulties in December. With the Eagles’ offense struggling a bit in recent weeks, are we setting up a low-scoring, defensive matchup made for traditionalists?

2) Eagles must spread their wings. We know that Saquon Barkley is among the most valuable players in this match and we are well aware of how capable he is of closing a match emphatically. However, the rest of Philadelphia’s offense is cause for concern. The Eagles rank 29th in passing, converted just 2 of 11 third downs last weekend and quarterback Regret hurts showed some signs of rust after missing two weeks with a concussion. At one point earlier this season, Lane Johnson described the unit as feeling “constipated,” and they looked like it for most of their wild-card win over the Packers. Then again, much of the consternation back then was related to AJ Brown’s and/or temporary absences. DeVonta Smith. They are both back and readily available this weekend, just as they were last weekend, and will look to improve the Eagles’ win-loss record to 11-0 when the pair are on the court with Hurts. To do that, they’ll need to shift the passing game against a surging Rams defense that could cause problems with its pass rush and quality coverage in the back end. Barkley is understandably the top focus of any defense facing these Eagles, and it will be crucial for Hurts to find a rhythm through the air — and stop holding onto the ball for extended periods — to properly balance Philly’s offense and take some of the bite out of a suddenly scary Rams defense.

3) The Rams continue to play for LA Los Angeles has been battling tragic wildfires for more than a week now, which forced the NFL to move the Rams’ Wild Card Game from SoFi Stadium to the home of the Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium. Thirty buses transported Rams fans from Inglewood, California, to Glendale, Arizona, for the game, and the Cardinals did a great job of making it feel as close to home as possible. The Rams played inspired football from the opening kickoff, riding the emotions to a runaway victory over the Vikings and a trip to Philadelphia. Sometimes it’s just bigger than football, and it certainly was Monday. Expect the Rams to carry that same motivation and intent with them to Philadelphia, where they’ll once again be playing for more than just a professional football club — they’ll be putting it on the line for the entire Los Angeles region.