Please make it snow! Please make it snow! Please make it snow!
The road to the Super Bowl was decided Sunday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field as dazzling white snow fell soft and fast from the sky like fluttering feathers.
A trip to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans takes you through the City of Brotherly Love.
Saquon Barkley ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in an epic snowstorm in the NFC divisional round.
The second-seeded Eagles will play their NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, next Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles suffered a heartbreaking loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, but are now one win away from returning to the big game and getting revenge.
A roller coaster season is coming to an end for the Rams, but they have nothing to hang their heads over. In a year defined by devastation and resilience, the Rams won the NFC West and upset the Vikings, who won 14 games on a neutral site in Arizona, in the wild-card round.
The game was moved from SoFi Stadium to Arizona’s State Farm Stadium after devastating wildfires broke out in Los Angeles last week, leaving behind chaos, destruction and ashes.
Similar to the first matchup at SoFi Stadium in November, the Rams led 7-6 near the end of the first quarter before Saquon Barkley broke through with a 62-yard touchdown scamper and score.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took the lead on Philadelphia’s opening drive with a 44-yard house call.
The Rams responded with a 13-play, 67-yard scoring drive after Stafford threw a touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee to give Los Angeles the lead.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford played in frigid conditions and finished 26-for-44 for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
Just like in the first matchup, Saquon Barkley lit the Rams on fire. On the Eagles’ third drive of the game, Barkley completed a no-touch 62-yard scamper to give Philadelphia a 13-7 lead.
Barkley had two touchdown runs of 70 yards or more in that first game and two more of 60 yards or more on Sunday. In the last two games against the Rams, Barkley threw for 460 yards and four touchdowns.
A large accumulation of snowflakes created a slippery and slippery playing surface. This wasn’t a football game, but a real-life snow globe full of glamor and sparkle, which was ideal for Berkeley.
With the Rams trailing by seven points late in the fourth quarter and snow falling like a heavy blanket over a winter wonderland, Barkley scored a 78-yard touchdown run to give Philadelphia a ticket to the NFC Championship Game. It sealed the victory for the Eagles. .
The Rams’ defense did everything it could to keep the team in the game, sacking Jalen Hurts six times, including a safety late in the third quarter.
Rams running back Kyren Williams gained 106 yards, but the game-changing play was a crucial fumble in the third quarter when the Rams drove into Eagles territory with a chance to take the lead.
The Rams kept things interesting with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that cut the lead to 28-22 with 2:48 left in the game.
But in the end, Barkley was too much for the young and aggressive Rams defense. The weather conditions didn’t help much either. The Rams had a chance to tie or take the lead on their final drive, but Stafford hit Puka Nacua on fourth-and-13, leading to a turnover on downs that gave Philadelphia the win.
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