Eagles vs. Rams predictions: Our writers pick a winner for the Week 4 game vs. L.A.
The Eagles have had good luck in recent seasons against the Rams, but will it run out Sunday?
There is no rest for the weary.
The Eagles’ ghastly meltdown in Chicago on Monday night raised more questions than it answered, but Nick Sirianni’s team won’t have much time to lick its wounds or implement fixes. The Los Angeles Rams come to town Sunday (1 p.m., Fox29) looking to reestablish some cachet of their own after the preseason Super Bowl favorites dropped to 1-2 with a Sunday night loss to the Broncos.
The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team took a long look at the matchup and assessed whether the Birds can get well as they return to the Linc for the first time since Week 1.
Jeff Neiburg
The Eagles only scored seven points Monday night in Chicago, but I came away from the game a little bit more concerned with the defense than the offense.
The problems with Vic Fangio’s unit are persisting. The Eagles don’t tackle well enough. They haven’t forced a turnover. They are rotating safeties because they don’t have strong enough options. Their best defensive lineman is playing with a fracture in his wrist. Their linebackers have been inconsistent. Their pass rush isn’t getting home enough.
It remains to be seen if linebacker Zack Baun gets through the concussion protocol in time to play on Sunday, but his absence would complicate things even further for a defense that needs a bounceback performance.
» READ MORE: Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion: Andy Dalton interception, lack of play action ‘starts with me’
That won’t be easy against one of the best offenses in the NFL. Puka Nacua is on track to play, and the Rams are much better with him on the field, and much more capable of attacking the Eagles where they are weakest right now.
The Eagles should be able to build off some of the run success they had in the first half vs. Chicago, but it’s hard for me right now to imagine the offense keeping pace with Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, Nacua, and the Rams, especially if DeVonta Smith (hamstring) can’t go.
Sirianni’s undefeated record against Sean McVay has to end at some point, right?
Prediction: Rams 30, Eagles 20
Ryan Novozinsky
It’s difficult to be optimistic about the Eagles this week.
Baun (concussion) probably won’t play. Smith’s (hamstring) status is up in the air now. The team struggled mightily against the Bears, even with those two at full health. The first two weeks weren’t pretty either, even in victories.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will likely fill in for Baun, and while the 23-year-old had a nice preseason and training camp, facing the Rams is a different beast.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni talks Eagles backup QB battle, Makai Lemon’s progress
The same goes for the wide receiver room. Dontayvion Wicks has been a decent No. 2 receiver option, but can he outplay a Rams secondary led by Trent McDuffie? How will Makai Lemon, who has a meager stat line so far, fare?
Putting aside the Eagles’ woes for a second, the Rams enter this game as motivated as ever following their drama-filled Sunday Night Football loss to Denver, plus the sting of an opening night loss to San Francisco still fresh in their minds.
The Rams also received positive injury updates this week, with Nacua returning to practice as a limited participant. Nacua — arguably the best wide receiver in the league — and Stafford facing an Eagles defense that got torched by Case Keenum last week seems like a recipe for disaster.
All of this is to say: The Eagles need Jalen Hurts to play the game of his life, plus Sean Mannion/Fangio to bounce back after an ugly play calling performance in Chicago if they want a chance against L.A.
Even then, this Rams team might simply be too talented to defeat.
Prediction: Rams 35, Eagles 17
Olivia Reiner
I’m lower on the Eagles now than I was at the start of the week.
If Baun (concussion) is out and Smith (hamstring) can’t go, both the Eagles defense and offense face potential setbacks. As Jeff wrote on Thursday, Hurts has targeted Smith on 32.9% of his pass attempts, which is the second-highest rate in the NFL behind the Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba (37.9%).
Who would step up in Smith’s place? Wicks has been promising, but he has averaged less than four targets per game over the course of his four-year career. Smith has been targeted nine times per game this season. Can Wicks handle the increased workload? Or can the Eagles lean more on Lemon, who has just seven receptions on nine targets for 38 yards in his young career?
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts challenges Eagles to look inward following Monday’s loss to the Bears: ‘Who are we?’
If elevated from the practice squad to the active roster again, Zach Ertz could have a bigger role in the passing game on Sunday after having one reception on two targets for nine yards against the Bears.
Baun’s potential absence could make Nacua’s return all the more challenging for the Eagles defense to handle. Trotter has been solid in preseason action and the Week 18 outings he has started in over the last two years, but this could be the first meaningful start of his NFL career if Baun isn’t cleared to play.
Perhaps the Eagles will rebound after a dismal loss to the Bears on Monday night. But the cards are stacked against them in this game.
Prediction: Rams 30, Eagles 16
It was a blowout, and it left a lot of questions. The Eagles’ 27-7 loss to the Bears Monday night at Soldier Field featured an offense that fizzled, a defense that folded, and a coaching staff that looked outmatched. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg provide a postmortem of the defense’s disappointing start to the season, critique of offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s approach, and assessment of how some of general manager Howie Roseman’s moves have panned out so far. Listen here.
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