The Philadelphia Eagles are in the NFC Championship Game. Saquon Barkley is the match winner in the divisional playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams.
The team of head coach Nick Sirianni beat the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round with 28:22 (13:10).
In the NFC final of the NFL, Philadelphia will play against the Washington Commanders next Sunday for a place in the Super Bowl.
The celebrated hero was running back Saquon Barkley with two touchdowns and 205 yards. Quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 75 percent of his passes for 128 yards and scored 71 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Eagles: Hurts and Barkley set a record
In the snow of Philadelphia, the Eagles’ running game clicked early thanks to a strong offensive line: Hurts ran for the first touchdown of the game, a 44-yard touchdown, and Barkley added a 62-yard touchdown just before the end of the first quarter.
An NFL record: never before in the Super Bowl era have two players from the same team scored a touchdown of more than 40 yards in a playoff game.
After the first 30 minutes, the Eagles had already gained almost 200 rushing yards.
But the Rams offense kept pace: first, tight end Tyler Higbee caught a pass from Stafford in the end zone, and rookie kicker Joshua Karty added a field goal in the second quarter.
At halftime, the home team led 13-10, in part because a fumble by Hurts landed in the hands of the Eagles seconds before the half-time whistle.
Barkley’s monster run decides the game
In the third quarter, the teams exchanged field goals: Karty initially tied the game at 13-13, but Jake Elliott restored the Eagles’ lead to 16-13. Then Rams nose tackle Neville Gallimore made a tackle in the end zone against Hurts – safety, only 16-15.
But Los Angeles was unable to capitalize on the resulting possession – quite the opposite: running back Kyren Williams fumbled on the first play of the final quarter, and Philadelphia took over deep in the opposing half – but after a false start at the 1-yard line had to settle for a field goal, 19:15.
With the snow coming down harder and harder, Stafford also had problems, giving the ball away in his own half. The Eagles capitalized again with a field goal – 22:15.
Then it was Barkley’s turn again: With a touchdown run of 78 yards, the running back provided the decisive score with just under five minutes left in the game. The Rams came close again through Coby Parkinson, but in the end the touchdown of the tight end was nothing more than a cosmetic touch-up.
Los Angeles’ last drive came to a halt just before the red zone, Philadelphia brought the lead over time.
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