WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – After a 33-19 victory in Tennessee, the defending Super Bowl Champions await the Rams in Philadelphia for a Week 3 showdown. The Eagles beat the Rams twice last year, including in the NFC divisional round, both teams are 2-0 heading into this week's game and added some integral new pieces in the offseason.

On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams spoke with local media about the win over the Titans and preparation for a playoff rematch with the Eagles. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.

"You don't want to allow (running back Saquon Barkley) vertical seams. He's so damn dynamic and he's so explosive and if he gets a vertical seam and he gets clean to the second and third levels, he's as special of a slash runner as there is." - McVay

In last year's divisional round matchup, Barkley ran for 205 yards, which included 62- and 78-yard touchdowns. This time around, McVay said they will focus on filling the vertical seams that led to those big gains. He then added that Barkley's dynamic rushing style makes him just as effective in close quarters, however, so they will need to keep both him and quarterback Jalen Hurts bottled up as much as possible.

McVay said that Hurts, who also broke off a big touchdown run in that playoff game, is "a winner" and "a competitor." He can beat defenses with his "arm, legs or mind" and doesn't turn the ball over much.

As a team, Philadelphia plays the game "on their own terms" and McVay has "a ton of respect" for them. When asked if this game can serve as a "measuring stick" for the strength of each team, McVay said it's a "fun narrative" because of how good Philadelphia is, but he thinks of every game as a measuring stick. "Every week, when you get out there, and you go play in this competitive league, every opportunity you have is a measuring stick," McVay said. This week will just be one that's "a great challenge" because of the opponent.

"(Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is) as good as there is doing it, has been for a long time... They got a ton of talent on that defense at the moment and they're doing a hell of a job letting those guys go play. When you look at his defenses, they're multiple, they'll match personnel, they won't match personnel, they'll pressure certain games, not pressure other games, he just does a really nice job mixing it up, keeping you on your toes and making me think as a quarterback." - Stafford

Stafford has had several battles with Fangio over the years, both as a head coach and a coordinator, and the 17th-year quarterback has "a ton of respect" for the way he coaches and puts his players in positions to succeed. He also appreciates just how talented that defense is at all three levels.

The rookies and young players from last year, such as cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, did "a heck of a job," Stafford said. He also shouted out new additions like cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who he's played against numerous times, as "a really talented player" along with rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, saying he "looks to be the part." Top to bottom, Stafford praised the unit as being "really, really talented."

Thinking back to last year's playoff loss, Stafford said, "the closer you get, if you don't get there, it stings." So while this is a new season and both teams are different, he hasn't forgotten that heartbreak.

To start off the press conference, Stafford assured reporters that his back, which kept him out of training camp and most preseason practices, feels good and he's "ready to go" for Week 3. He came out "unscathed" against the Titans after taking just one sack in the road win where the Rams' star wide receiver duo of Davante Adams and Puka Nacua shined. When asked about the two, Stafford said, "It's nice being me," with a smirk on his face.

"Just like in the real world, whoever your boys' enemies are, those are kind of your enemies, so you adapt to that and you jump in and kind of just pick up where everything left off." - Adams

Adams acknowledged that the Philadelphia crowd is "a beast," and the team always comes ready to play. This year, with the Eagles coming off a Super Bowl and starting the year 2-0, Adams said they have "a really strong team, one of the best in the league." That means "there's going to be some extra intensity you have to bring to that and attention to detail to make sure you can win a game like this."

But this time around, Adams will be in the fold, along with inside linebacker Nate Landman and defensive tackle Poona Ford. Last game, Adams hauled in six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, and four players had at least 37 receiving yards in the victory. Adams said that depth "keeps these defenses honest" and makes double-teaming anyone dangerous for the defense.

Adams is confident in Stafford and his connection with the veteran quarterback, especially after last week's performance. So, when Stafford stepped up in the pocket and side-armed a ball that Adams scooped up just above the ground last week, he wasn't surprised. "(I'm) never surprised when he's throwing it, but some of the arm angles, maybe sometimes it'll throw me off, but I'm always ready," Adams said.

"(To stop Barkley) we just gotta play sound, good gap-sound defense, (get) good knockback at the line of scrimmage, gang tackle, pursuit, all the same stuff that you play in traditional run defense, you just gotta do it every single snap, because at any point he can break the game open." - Shula

Similar to McVay, Shula emphasized the importance of not letting Barkley build up a head of steam into the second and third levels of the defense. That hurt them in both matchups against the Eagles last year, even when they stacked the box against him. "You try to load the box to stop the run... the next thing you know, he gets a seam and there's nobody on the backend to bring him down." That big-play ability, even when the front of the defense is crowded, makes executing the fundamentals of run defense significant on every snap.

Meanwhile, the Rams brought in cornerback Tre Brown to replace the injured Ahkello Witherspoon, who broke his clavicle last week against the Titans. Shula said Brown is tough, smart and fits into the Rams' defensive scheme and locker room. The newest Ram was at the facility late last night trying to learn the playbook, Shula said, already demonstrating commitment to his new squad.

Last week, cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Darious Williams filled in for Witherspoon, and Shula described Williams' return to the lineup for the first time since last season as a "seamless" transition for the veteran. McVay said earlier this week that Durant, Williams and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. will likely see the field on Sunday.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Jared Verse hasn't filled the stat sheet through two games, but Shula said he's "still been an impact player." The attention that he's gotten from opposing offenses has opened up opportunities for other players along the defensive line. That unit will have a tough task against the Eagles, especially on their patented "tush push" play. Shula said they just have to do what they can to prepare for it conceptually during walk-throughs.

"Waiting for (Fangio) to hang it up (laugh)... It's no disrespect to anyone else, but of the guys we've gone up against from the coordinator perspective over the years, he's the most consistent. His defenses are always the best or one of the best." - LaFleur

LaFleur said Fangio "evolves with the times" so that he can be "one step ahead" of most offenses, and he's done so in the NFL for a long time. In Philadelphia, he leads a talented defense that boasts a "really, really good secondary" that features some new faces like Jackson and Mukuba, both of whom LaFleur mentioned as difference-makers.

The Rams' offense featured more volume for both Adams and running back Blake Corum last week. LaFleur said the second-year back "flashed some stuff" that he's capable of doing consistently, including two 15-yard runs and his first career touchdown. Against an Eagles team that has allowed the eighth-most yards per carry so far this season (5.0), getting the run game going will be important for the Rams on Sunday.

"If you take away the four big runs that they had against us, it changes the game completely. Like, it's not the same narrative of, 'Oh, we're not making the NFC Championship' or anything like that. Like, we're going to the NFC Championship and farther than that. You take away those big runs that (Barkley) had, (the) second big run that Hurts had, it's a whole different game." - Verse

There's definitely a theme here: Limiting the explosive runs is at the top of mind for players and coaches. Verse pointed out that, in the playoff loss, most of the Eagles' touchdown drives were capped off by an explosive run, and while that's not to say they couldn't have scored by marching down the field, it certainly begs the question: What could have been? Verse thinks they'd have been "doing snow angels after the game" at Lincoln Financial Field if they had eliminated a few of those big runs.

To do that, he said "everyone just has to do their job" and be their "one of 11." Still, Verse showed respect to the Philadelphia crowd and fan base because "they stood on business" and "came with their energy."

Personally, Verse said it's "been frustrating" not making the splash plays that he's used to, but agreed with Shula that the attention he commands has helped other players produce at a high level and helped the team win, which is his ultimate goal. His focus this week has been on ensuring that, when he does get one-on-one matchups, he's taking advantage of them.

"I love to play the game physically. I feel like that's something I come up here and say pretty often. But I think that's something that this (Eagles) team plays with as well, so it'll be exciting to prove yourself on Sunday. It's something that comes up every Sunday, but especially against a physical opponent who likes to show off their toughness, I think to will be an opportunity for us to show what we got." - Nacua

The game's physical intensity will likely match that of the rowdy Philadelphia crowd on Sunday. Nacua is never shy about hitting someone, or voicing his love of physical football, and he will get plenty of opportunities to play that way on Sunday. When Nacua can make a defender shy away from talking to him and asking for more, or harder, hits, that's when he knows he's done his job.

As a competitor, Nacua enjoys playing in a "hostile environment," and Philadelphia definitely qualifies as one. It brings the team together both in the locker room and on the field, he said. That will make on-field calls more difficult to relay, which Nacua acknowledged, saying that they will need to have "an uptick" in communication on Sunday.