‘Humiliating’ Saquon Barkley beatdown served as Rams’ needed spark

PHILADELPHIA — Sometimes it really is darkest before dawn. It was for the Rams.

It was Saquon Barkley who turned off the lights and it was the Rams who could turn them back on, which is why they are still alive and kicking and on Sunday afternoon will get another shot at Barkley and the Eagles in an NFC divisional playoff game at 8 p.m. Lincoln Financial Field.

What happened back in Week 12 this season was so impactful — Barkley ran for a career-high and an Eagles’ franchise-record 255 yards at Sofi Stadium — that nearly two months later, the Rams look back on that game, a 37-20 loss, and the way Barkley tore through them as a defining moment, as far as rising from a low point to turn their season around.

“I think when you have humbling experiences with the right kind of people, that’s where the real growth ops exist,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “I think we had a lot of guys that really as a team can look inward and you can say, ‘Is this really what we want to be about? Where are the things that we can adjust and adapt from a coaching perspective? Where is the sense of urgency that will be required for coaches and players to perform the way we want and what kind of work will be put in during the week? How will we act, interact and react accordingly with how we move forward?’ ”