It's a rematch made for January that will be played in September and will likely impact which NFC team is still standing come February.
The Los Angeles Rams return to Philadelphia in Week 3, where they stalled out just 13 yards shy of hosting the NFC Championship last winter.
In the Sean McVay Era, no opponent has tormented LA like the Eagles have. Philadelphia has claimed nine of the last 10 meetings. And most of the moves the Rams made this offseason were predicated on overcoming the reigning Super Bowl champs.
Sunday is a measuring stick opportunity. It's early, to be sure, and far from the most important game on the schedule. Nonetheless, it's a chance to make a statement and elevate the sight lines for this season.
Built For This
Defensive tackle Poona Ford is a Ram because of Saquon Barkley. In two games against LA last season, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year averaged almost nine yards per carry and scored from his side of midfield four times.
Linebacker Nate Landman has been a difference maker through two weeks – he packs a punch that LA lacked up the spine of the defense in last year's matchups.
The Rams paid a premium to bring Coleman Shelton home after a gap year in Chicago. Why? Largely because of what Jalen Carter did in the divisional round.
As for Davante Adams, we've seen right away the difference he makes in Matthew Stafford's life. Against the best passing defense in the league, he's got the moves to change the math.
"It's nice being me," QB1 said this week regarding his weapons in the passing game.
On our Between the Horns preview, D'Marco Farr and Maurice Jones-Drew offered their projections on how those roster fortifications can help flip the outcome in Philly.
Bully Ball
Many were stunned to see LA run it back in 2025 with the same secondary that flew home from Philadelphia last winter.
Cornerback was thought to be a top draft need. Except from the Rams' standpoint, they'd already swiped a first-round talent off waivers from Washington at Thanksgiving. A dart throw had grown into a projected starter, in 24-year-old Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who set an FBS record with six interception returns for touchdowns in three college seasons at Mississippi State.
Now, with Ahkello Witherspoon landing on injured reserve, Forbes is on front street as he returns to NFC East territory. Nicknamed "Bully" by his new teammates, the 16th overall selection from the 2023 Draft was our guest on this week's Rams Revealed to discuss tackling Barkley, dueling with the Slim Reaper, and how McVay and Aubrey Pleasant revitalized his young professional career.
Notes of Note
The Rams have racked up 55 sacks since 2023 by players drafted since 2023, more than twice their nearest competitor, per NFL Research. The next closest franchises on that list are Tampa Bay (27.5) and Philadelphia (23).
Outside of two games versus the Barkley-led Eagles, this Chris Shula defense has really thrived since last year's bye. In fact, in regular season games, LA has allowed just 13.7 points per contest since Week 15 of 2024, fewest in the NFL across that stretch of time.
Defensively, the only touchdown the Rams have allowed this season was the hero-ball scramble-drill that Cam Ward put on them last Sunday. Every other defense in the league has surrendered at least two touchdowns through two weeks.
The Eagles have won 18 of their last 19 games (since a Week 5 bye last season). Their only loss in that span came in Washington late last season when Hurts left early with a concussion. The Rams' starters have won nine of their last 11 games – suffering their only defeats head-to-head against the Eagles.
Philadelphia outrushed LA 599-203 in 2024, a staggering yardage differential of 396.
Hurts has not thrown an interception since Week 10, 2024 at Dallas, a stretch of 185 straight attempts without a pick. To be fair, he's simply not throwing much, with fewer than 160 passing yards and no passing touchdowns in both wins thus far in 2025.
Per ESPN, the Eagles are the first team since the 2010 Steelers to start 2-0 without throwing a touchdown (Pittsburgh lost the Super Bowl that season).
You could argue the only reason the Rams had a look at a comeback last January is because of two missed extra points by Jake Elliott. He's had no such trouble on those chip shots since. Plus, Elliott's nailed all three attempts from beyond 50 yards, after going just 1-for-7 from that distance a year ago.
The Eagles sacked Stafford five times in each matchup in 2024. Strangely, they've mustered just two sacks in 2025, the second-lowest count in the league. You'll recall that LA sacked Hurts seven times in the divisional round, with Jared Verse authoring a pair of those. The Rams as a team are tied for the second-most sacks in 2025, even though the Defensive Rookie of the Year and his running mate Braden Fiske have been shut out to date.
Is Byron Young the front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year? The longer he can outpace the Bosa family the better.
Since Nick Sirianni arrived, the Eagles are 36-2 when they win the turnover margin (as they did in both games head-to-head with LA last year).
The Rams have won six straight regular season road games dating back to last season. The last time the Rams had as long a winning streak on the road was seven straight spanning the 2017 and 2018 seasons, early in McVay's tenure.
Watching the West
Coming into Week 3, the only win against the NFC West has come from the NFC West. Seattle's home loss to San Francisco remains the only blemish the division has suffered. The West is the only division in the NFL with multiple undefeated teams.
Someone's taking a dent on Sunday in Santa Clara, as the Cardinals visit the Niners. San Francisco lost both matchups against Arizona in 2024.
Meantime, the NFC West punching bag that apparently is New Orleans will be at Lumen Field in the Pacific Northwest. The Saints have won each of the last 4 meetings (including a pair of wins in Seattle), but that figures to change against a Seahawks defense that is destroying pockets so far in 2025. Per NextGen Stats, their defense leads the NFL in pressure rates despite blitzing on only 13 percent of snaps – only the Bengals have blitzed less. Despite a home loss in Week 1, Seattle has the look of a contender.
