The Los Angeles Rams are set to go up against Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles for the third time over the past two seasons in Week 3. Both games had the same thing in common — Barkley ran rampant on the Rams defense. In the first game, Barkley had 26 carries for 255 yards and two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Barkley had 26 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
The number two overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley has taken off since he got a real offensive line in Philadelphia: Where does he rank among the best non-Rams active players to watch play football?
Let us know your answer in the comments
If the Rams are going to beat the Eagles, it starts with slowing down Barkley. He is the Eagles offense. Last week, Barkley had 13 fewer rushing yards than quarterback Jalen Hurts had passing yards. This is what the Rams have been building towards all offseason. It’s why they moved on from Bobby Brown III and signed Poona Ford. The Rams upgraded at linebacker, moving on from Christian Rozeboom and signing Nate Landman. This is a team that saw themselves get run over twice by the same team and did what they could to avoid that from happening for a third time.
From a base statistical standpoint, the Rams defense has looked better against the run than they did at the start of last season. The Rams are allowing a 31.3 percent rushing success rate which is the third best in the NFL. With that said, they’ve still been pretty average against the run as their -0.04 EPA per rush allowed ranks 14th as does their yards before contact allowed. They rank 16th in yards per carry allowed.
At the same time, their stuff rate of 5.7 percent, which is the number of runs that result in no gain or a loss, is last in the NFL. Opposing offensive lines have found success creating holes in the run game. That is certainly concerning heading into a game against one of the better offensive lines and running offenses.
However, the Rams have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Outside of Barkley, the Rams have also done a very good job stopping the run on defense. From Weeks 7-11 last season, which would have been between the Bye Week and the first meeting against the Eagles, the Rams ranked fourth against the run. During that timeframe, they allowed -0.229 EPA per rush. Following the Eagles game from Weeks 13-17, the Rams defense ranked ninth, allowing -0.143 EPA per rush. Outside of Barkley, the only running back to rush for over 100 yards against the Rams defense was Alvin Kamara.
What’s also worth mentioning is the lack of success that Barkley had against the Rams defense outside of the two long touchdown runs. Barkley’s two scores came on two rushes for a total of 140 yards. Outside of those two plays, Barkley had 24 carries for 60 yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per carry. The Eagles running back had a 34.6 percent rushing success rate in that game.
The key here is avoiding giving up those explosive plays. This season, the Rams have allowed four runs of 10 or more yards. Those are the plays that the Rams defense has to be able to avoid.
Again, the Rams will hope that the additions that they made this offseason are enough to close that gap. The Rams defense ranks fifth in run-stop win-rate with Poona Ford and Jared Verse ranking top-10 at their positions according to ESPN Analytics. If Braden Fiske plays, he ranks ninth in run stop percentage via PFF while Tyler Davis ranks 16th on the defensive line. Byron Young also ranks sixth among edge rushers in run stop percentage. Through two weeks, this group seems more built to stop the run than they were last year.
Sunday will be a big test for the Rams defense, but it’s the game that this group has undoubtedly had circled on their calendar. What the Rams experienced in that game likely had a big role in how they approached the offseason. Again, it’s a reason why they brought in Ford and Landman. It’s also why they brought back Coleman Shelton and added a legitimate ‘X’ receiver on the outside.
If the Rams are going to beat the Eagles, it starts in the run game. They have to avoid the explosive plays and remain disciplined. This matchup will serve as an early measuring stick for how far their rebuilt run defense has come, and whether the offseason changes were enough to close the gap with the defending Super Bowl Champions.
Where does Barkley rank among the best non-Rams NFL players to watch?
Barkley had over 2,000 rushing yards last season and he didn’t even play in Week 18. He also had the highlight of the year in 2024:
Where does Saquon rank among the best non-Rams players to watch? Who are your favorite non-Rams players to watch?
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