It's ironic that two blocked field goals in the fourth quarter cost the Rams a victory on Sunday when their kickoff operation provided such a significant boost throughout the game. L.A.'s special teams saw the highest of highs and lowest of lows in the its 33-26 loss to Philadelphia.

An efficient Rams rushing attack led the way offensively, while they stifled a usually high-powered Eagles run game on defense. They also shut down the Eagles' passing game in the first half at a level the Rams haven't seen in the 21st century.

Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' Week 3 loss (all ranks pre-Monday Night Football).

The Eagles' average field position after Rams kickoffs was just inside the 19-yard line, the lowest of any team in a game this season

The Rams' squib-like kickoff approach gave the Eagles' return team fits. On Joshua Karty's kickoffs, it was the average field position 15-yard line, but the Rams didn't give the Eagles a chance to return it before the half, as Ethan Evans booted it for a normal touchback to the 35, which raised the average a bit. They bobbled most of the return attempts and the Rams' coverage team stopped returns inside the 20-yard line on four of the seven kickoffs, the most in any game this season.

The new kickoff rules stipulate that if the ball lands inside the landing zone (inside the 20) before it goes into the end zone, the touchback goes out to the 20 instead of the 35-yard line. That bounce gives the Rams' coverage players more time to close in on the ball-carrier and forces the returner to play it off the bounce, causing muffs and delays.

This approach has worked so well, in fact, that each of the Rams' first three opponents averaged field position inside their own 26-yard line off kickoffs. Every performance has ranked top 10 in the league this season.

The Rams' rushing success rate of 61.3% was the highest of Week 3, via Next Gen Stats

61.3% of the Rams' carries created positive Expected Points Added (EPA), the third-highest for any team in a game this season. Only one of the Rams' 31 rush attempts went for negative yardage, and it lost just a single yard. The Rams' 160 total rushing yards were the third-most of the week.

Running back Kyren Williams carried the ball 20 times for 94 yards (4.7 yards per carry), while Blake Corum totaled 53 yards on eight attempts (6.6 yards per carry). They each broke off some spectacular runs. This led to success in the play-action game, as both of the Rams' touchdowns game off run fakes and quarterback Matthew Stafford had a 130.3 passer rating on those attempts.

The Rams' six explosive runs (10-plus yards) were tied for the most in Week 3

Both Williams and Corum had productive days on the ground, and each of them created three explosive runs. Williams' four missed tackles forced helped lead the Rams down the field on multiple drives, as the run game constantly kept the Rams ahead of the sticks. The Rams' 30 total rushing yards over expected ranked fifth in Week 3, via Next Gen Stats.

"Everything was working," Williams said. "We knew how they were going to line up. If they got into that 6-1 (front), we knew what we were going to do, and, man, we did that. Blake and I, I think we fed off each other well today."

Saquon Barkley's 46 rushing yards were his fewest in a game as a member of the Eagles

While the Rams' ground game flourished, the Eagles' faltered. The focus all week was on limiting Barkley's explosive runs after he bombarded the Rams with them in both their meetings last season. There's no question that the Rams achieved that, as Barkley's longest run went for just 12 yards, his only explosive run of the day. He totaled 46 yards on 18 carries.

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year averaged 2.6 yards per carry, his second-fewest as a member of the Eagles and fewest in the regular season. The only team that has bottled up Barkley in Philadelphia as effectively as the Rams did on Sunday was the Chiefs in the Super Bowl (when he averaged 2.3 yards per carry), although both teams ultimately lost.

The Rams allowed -1 net passing yards in the first half, their fewest since 1998

The last time the Rams' pass defense was this dominant in the first half, D'Marco Farr was the team's star defensive tackle. Now, he's their radio sideline reporter and an analyst. During the first half on Sunday, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went four of eight for 17 yards. The Rams sacked him twice for a loss of 18. It was complete and utter dominance, fueled by constant pressure and timely blitzes.

Six of the Rams' 18 quarterback pressures came in the first quarter, and they ended the day with a 48.6% pressure rate, ranking fifth on the week. They also racked up four sacks (including two in the first quarter) and ranked fourth in sack rate at 10.8%. Starting offensive tackle Lane Johnson left early in the game with a neck injury and did not return, and the Rams took advantage of that loss by targeting backup Matt Pryor.

The defense as a whole may have taken a step back in the second half, but the pass rush impacted Hurts all day long.