The Key to a Rams’ Playoff Upset Over the Eagles
The Los Angeles Rams will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, seeking redemption after a loss to the Eagles on Nov. 24. But with Philadelphia being one of the most talented teams in the league, can the Rams actually pull off an upset?
While it’s a tough challenge, Zoltan Buday believes the Rams can succeed by leaning heavily on one key element of their offense: the play-action pass.
“Due to injuries to wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, along with struggles on the offensive line, quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t have his best season in 2024,” Buday wrote. “His overall PFF grade of 76.0 ranks 20th among quarterbacks, but Stafford has still been one of the league’s best on play-action passes. He completed 71.3% of his play-action attempts for 1,444 yards, the fourth most among 44 qualifying quarterbacks.”
Play-action has long been a powerful tool for top quarterbacks, and that’s no different for the 36-year-old Stafford. In fact, he may need to rely on it even more against Philadelphia.
“Stafford threw nine touchdown passes on play-action attempts and didn’t toss a single interception, leading to a passer rating of 119.2, fifth in the league,” Buday added. “He also posted a 91.5 PFF passing grade on these plays, ranking third in the NFL and ahead of all eight remaining playoff quarterbacks.”
Clearly, Stafford excels with play-action, so expect the Rams to utilize it extensively on Sunday.
The two-time Pro Bowler was solid in the Rams’ Wild Card Round win over the Minnesota Vikings, completing 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-9 victory. Stafford also had a strong performance against the Eagles in their regular-season meeting, completing 24 of 36 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. This time, however, he may need to raise his game even higher.
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