The Philadelphia Eagles have won the last six matchups against the Los Angeles Rams. The cross country teams meet for the third time in four years with Doug Pederson and Sean McVay as their respective coaches. Carson Wentz is playing them for the first time since he tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2017 season. That may give him extra motivation to go out and ball in the Eagles’ home opener.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are coming off a thrilling 20-17 Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Their defense was able to shut down the Cowboys’ supposed high caliber offense. Aaron Donald was a game wrecker and looks to continue to do the same against the Eagles. The Philadelphia offensive line was banged up last week (right tackle Lane Johnson is expected to play) and Donald could definitely feast on it. Donald will be key to stopping the passing and rushing attack for the Eagles. The more pressure he gets on Wentz the less time he has to diagnose coverages and make a play.
On the offensive side, running back Malcolm Brown rushed for both Rams’ touchdowns last week. With the Eagles’ stout pass rush, they will have to rely more on the passing attack. In the last two meetings, McVay’s Rams ran the ball just 18 and 17 times against the Eagles. Robert Woods was the leader in the receiving game against Dallas with six catches for 105 yards; only three other players had three or more catches.
Jared Goff was 20-31 for 275 yards and an interception. In a subpar 2019 season, Goff threw 16 interceptions and finished 22nd in passing. The 2016 first-round pick does not do well under pressure, as he finished 22nd in completion percentage when under pressure last year (42.3). Goff completed just 1-6 passes and threw his one interception while under pressure against the Cowboys. Slot receiver Cooper Kupp will be someone to watch as he will be matched up with his former teammate, slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman.
Philadelphia Eagles
As mentioned, the Eagles offensive line was banged up last week, which led to the eight sacks on Wentz. Rookie Jack Driscoll started in Johnson’s spot, while Nate Herbig – had three career snaps prior – replaced Brandon Brooks (out for the year). The 39-year old veteran left tackle Jason Peters and left guard Isaac Seumalo both struggled. However, the good news is Johnson is expected to be back for this week, along with second-year running back Miles Sanders. That will certainly help the run game and protecting Wentz, but the pass protection and run blocking effort needs to be better overall.
The Eagles’ run game was held to just 57 yards on 17 carries last week. Eight of those carries were no more than two yards. The Rams’ defense held Zeke and Tony Pollard to 106 yards on 24 carries combined. Wentz was under pressure on 40 percent of his dropbacks last week, which was the second-highest in the league for Week 1. Before everything went down the toilet, Wentz completed 14-18 passes and threw for two touchdowns to put the Eagles up 17-0 early. Tight end Dallas Goedert was a favorite target as he caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. If he and the offensive line can hold up for the entirety of the game, the offense could put up big numbers. Other than Goedert, Wentz will look to target Jalen Reagor, Zach Ertz, and DeSean Jackson, among others as part of the receiving corps.
Getting pressure on Goff will be key for the Eagles. The more pressure he is under, the worse he is. The Eagles were stout in stopping the run last week. On 36 carries for Washington, they allowed just an average of 2.2 yards per carry. Cornerback Darius Slay was solid in his Eagles’ debut. He matched up against Terry McLaurin who had 250 receiving yards and two touchdowns in both games against the Eagles last season. Slay held him to five catches for 61 yards and no touchdowns. The veteran corner will probably match up with Woods for most of the day, with Robey-Coleman getting Kupp. It could certainly be a very good defensive day for the Eagles who look to bounce back from surrendering 27 unanswered points last week.
Game Info
Date: September 20, 2020
Start Time: 1:00 P.M. est
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
TV Info: Fox
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Points Spread: LAR +1 (-110) | PHI -1 (-110)
Moneyline: LAR -115 | PHI -115
Over/Under: O 45.5 (-110) | U 45.5 (-110)
The Rams looked impressive against the Cowboys, but in the Eagles’ home opener and with some healthy bodies coming back, they will come out clicking. Take the Eagles on the point spread. Wentz and the Eagles’ defense will have a strong performance.
Prediction
This game could either be very high-scoring, low-scoring, or a blowout. It will stay close early until the Eagles start to pull away in the second half.
Final Score: Rams 17, Eagles 34
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