Rams Go Through Fire and Ice in NFL Playoffs

 

By Tim Haddock

 

The Los Angeles Rams, despite facing numerous challenges including injuries, a devastating wildfire in their home city, and a frigid road game against the Philadelphia Eagles, nearly staged a remarkable comeback in the NFL playoffs. Despite falling short, their resilience and determination in the face of adversity showcased their true character.

 

 

LOS ANGELES - It’s hard to feel bad about the way the Los Angeles Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL playoffs.

 

The Rams were on the road, playing the Eagles in a snowstorm a week after playing a home playoff game in Arizona because their home city was on fire, and lost 28-22 on Sunday.

 

The Rams had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. They drove down to the red zone. They were 20 yards away from playing in the NFC championship game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had three chances to score a touchdown, erase a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter and win the game.

 

But the Rams fell short.

 

This is a team that went from 1-4 to winning the NFC West and nearly stunning the Eagles in a road playoff game.

 

This is a team that had to travel across the country while their hometown burned out of control.

 

This is a team that lost its two best receivers and waited for half its offensive line to be healthy during the season.

 

This team passed all the tests. This team emerged better for the journey. This team was on the doorstep of advancing in the playoffs in the face of adversity and against the elements.

 

The Rams didn’t fall short. The clock ran out before they were ready.

 

Rams coach Sean McVay said after the game he saw only one outcome.

 

“Twenty-nine to 28 was all that I saw. There was nothing you could tell me that wasn't going to go down like that,” McVay said.

 

McVay gave Stafford a lot of credit for putting the Rams in position to win.

 

“I won't talk about what I thought occurred on the fourth down, but he led us. He put us in a position to be able to win that football game, and that's who he is, and I'm not at all surprised,” McVay said. “We all had the expectation with him leading the way that we were going to win that game. And he did everything, and he did his part to put us in a position to be able to do that.”

 

The Rams were in a hole in the fourth quarter. Stafford pulled them out of that hole. But how they got there was painful for Rams fans to watch.

 

First, the turnovers.

 

Rams running back Kyren Williams had the first. He fumbled to give the Eagles a short field and a chance to pad their lead.

 

Stafford fumbled again and gave the Eagles another chance to score points.

 

The game went from a 13-13 tie in the third quarter to a 28-13 Eagles lead in moments.

 

Next came Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

 

It was a repeat of the game earlier in the season between the Rams and Eagles. Barkley scored on two long runs in the first game.

 

He scored on two long runs in the second game.

 

He rushed for 255 yards in the first game.

 

He rushed for 205 yards in the second game.

 

The Rams couldn’t stop him and the Eagles kept feeding him.

 

Still, the Rams were driving down the field in a driving snowstorm and riding Stafford’s arm toward the end zone.

 

“We'd love to have scored at the end. Obviously it felt like as an offense, we had them on the ropes, and that they probably felt it, too,” Stafford said. “We were moving the rock really well the last two drives, and then just a couple of unforced errors here and there and got behind the sticks.”

 

In the end, Stafford couldn’t carry the Rams across the goal line one last time. He made it interesting and exciting, but it wasn’t enough.

 

And yet it was.

 

Injuries, fires, long road trips, snow and freezing cold conditions all stood in the way of the Rams and still it looked like they might pull out a win against the Eagles.

 

“And you do that against a team like that, with a defense like that, it's going to be a difficult, difficult thing to overcome,” Stafford said. “But proud of the way we fought. And sure wish we could have done a little bit there at the end to get it done.”

 

The Rams were 13 yards away from playing in the NFC championship game after starting the season 1-4. There is no shame in that.