Eagles-Rams playoffs odds preview: Can Jalen Hurts, Birds beat Matt Stafford, LA again?

The Eagles are getting the Rams for the NFL Playoffs' Divisional Round, putting another regular-season rematch on deck for the Birds, but this time (and again) back at Lincoln Financial Field. 

The Eagles and Rams met in L.A. back in Week 12. Saquon Barkley ran for a franchise-record 255 yards, along with two touchdowns, and the Eagles, at the time, won their seventh straight in front of a heavy Midnight/Kelly Green contingent at SoFi Stadium, and on the way to the NFC East crown. 

In the time since, the Eagles closed out with wins in 12 of their last 13 games, while Matthew Stafford and the Rams won five of their last six to win the NFC West title. 

The Eagles beat the Packers on Sunday in the Wild Card Round. The Rams shocked the Vikings in their opening playoff matchup on Monday night. 

But heading toward next Sunday, sportsbooks are favoring the Birds at around six points. 

Here's a look...

Obviously, Barkley is going to be one of the major keys going in, since last time he faced the Rams, he took off for a record-setting performance. 

In last Sunday's Eagles win over the Packers, Barkley broke for a few chunk-yardage runs, taking 25 carries for 119 yards, but he never hit on that potential game-breaker until the very end when, with the lead and clock running, he opted to just slide at midfield and drain the remaining time instead to move on. 

"It wasn't tempting," Barkley said of passing that big play up. "Situational football. No más. It's first down, you win the game. So get the first down and get down. Don't matter."

MORE: Was Jalen Hurts or the playcalling the passing game's problem?

Jalen Hurts will be a factor on offense, too, along with his top receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. 

Hurts, in his return under center from a concussion, appeared to struggle with getting back in rhythm through the passing attack, throwing for just 131 yards on a 13-for-21 completion rate. Smith only had four receptions for 55 yards as a result, and Brown only had one catch for 10 yards – though he did make "Inner Excellence" an Amazon bestseller. Lead tight end Dallas Goedert also didn't see the ball much, but did barrel down to the end zone on a screen in what proved a pivotal touchdown against Green Bay.  

In fairness to Hurts, though, the film does show that he was waiting on a good bit of some long-developing routes, so how head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore might tweak the gameplan will be something to keep an eye on this week. 

Defensively, the Eagles dominated the turnover battle against the Packers with picks from Zack Baun, Darius Slay, and Quinyon Mitchell's NFL first, but that's countered by the Rams having sacked the Vikings' Sam Darnold nine times on Monday night, which is a concern when it comes to Hurts as a QB notorious for holding on to the ball for too long. 

Our own Jimmy Kempski put together scouting reports on both the Rams and the Vikings ahead of their Monday night Wild Card Game, and while he did give the Rams the advantage at QB with Stafford as the proven veteran and Super Bowl champion, the Vikings were supposed to be the better team at most of the other positions.

Instead, the 14-2 Wild Cardout of the NFC North got sent immediately home, and on paper, the Eagles have a more ideal matchup and against a team they've already beaten handily. 

So can they do it again in a push to the NFC Championship Game?

MORE: The numbers don't matter now, Saquon Barkley just wants to win

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