6 Rams Players Who Could Give The Eagles Trouble on Sunday

In all the hype of the Phillies being back in the NLDS, and playing the Braves, it has almost been forgotten that the Eagles play this weekend. But they do have a game on Sunday. And thankfully, MLB had the foresight to make that an off day for the Phillies-Braves series, so we can give the Eagles our undivided attention that day.

The Eagles will look to improve to 5-0 when they travel to LA for what is often a home game on the road. The last few times they traveled out to LA, Eagles fans took over the stadium. Something Eagles fans already did once this season in Tampa.

They will face a Rams team however that is better than many thought coming into the season. Are they Super Bowl Contenders? Probably not. But they are far better than the team we saw last season. To start they are healthier. Matthew Stafford is no longer dealing with the injuries he had last season. Aaron Donald is on the field. And Cooper Kupp is expected back this week. And even if those 3 guys aren't as insanely good as they were the year the Rams won the Super Bowl, they are still major threats.

The Rams are out to a 2-2 start. They upset the Seahawks to open the season. In week 2 they gave the 49ers a closer game than anyone else has all season long. Last week they beat the Colts despite initially blowing a 20-point lead. But they are also the one team to lose to the struggling Bengals.

It's a game the Eagles should win as 4-point road favorites. But the Rams are no pushovers. And while they have lost some of the talent that made them a Juggernaut two seasons ago, they still have some very good players.

Nacua has not just been the Rams' best WR, he has been one of the best WRs period so far this season. 39 catches for 509 yards over 4 games. He has been open all year long, and Stafford clearly likes throwing to him. The Eagles' secondary should be healthier this week, with Justin Evans expected to be back. They also signed Bradley Roby, though he may be ready to play by Sunday. But they still have no Avonte Maddox, and Sydney Brown will miss another week. Nacua will pose a major threat to a struggling and injured secondary.

For the past decade, Donald has been the most dangerous defensive player in the league. Injuries slowed him down last year. But he is still a major threat. Donald is 3rd among Defensive tackles with 19 QB pressures this season, and he has 2.5 sacks. Only Javon Hargrave and Jalen Carter are pressuring the QB more than Donald.

It is bad timing for the Eagles to be playing him, with Cam Jurgens going down with an injury. Donald will likely be lined up in front of Sua Opeta all game long, and the Eagles will need to have Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson offer Opeta a lot of help.

Cam Akers has once again been banished from the Rams RB rotation. This time by 2nd year player Kyren Williams. After getting just 35 carries last season, Williams is in the middle of a breakout season. He has 5 TDs in 4 games, to go with 245 yards. Opposing teams are holding him under 4 yards a carry, and he is not breaking very many long runs. So he is not as much of a threat to put up huge numbers. But in Goal Line situations he can be tough to stop.

Cooper Kupp is expected to make his return this week after missing the first 4 games. How effective he will be is not known, but anytime Kupp is on the field, you need to be wary of him. He missed most of last season, but in 2021 Kupp racked up 1,947 yards and 16 TDs. So the Rams getting him back is not the best news for the Eagles who are struggling as it is to defend the pass.

Then rumors of Stafford’s demise seem to have been exaggerated. Because after a very down 2022, Stafford is back among the NFL leaders in yards. Through 4 games, only Tua has more passing yards than Matthew Stafford. He is averaging 307.3 yards per game. And that is without Cooper Kupp. If Sam Howell can pick apart this secondary, Stafford is capable of doing it too. The Eagles need to hope getting Justin Evans back makes enough of a difference to sure up the holes in the Eagle's secondary from last week.

Tyler Higbee has not been a major threat this season so far. He has just 196 yards in 4 games. The reason he is on this list has more to do with the Eagles than it does Higbee himself. Because the Eagles have struggled to cover the middle of the field. That has not always meant the Tight ends putting up big numbers. Logan Thomas had only 41 yards last week, and they gave up just 16 yards to the Bucs Tight Ends. But they gave up 66 yards and 2 TDs to TJ Hockenson in week 2, and  86 yards and a TD to the Patriots Tight Ends in week 1 (Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki). So Tight Ends are capable of giving them trouble.

It is also worth noting that the biggest game of Higbee's career came against the Eagles. In 2020 he scored 3 TDs on them. That was a much different defense, but still worth mentioning.