Eagles

If You’re Scared of the Los Angeles Rams, Get a Dog

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Dec 30th, 2025 · 11:22 AM EST

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You’ve heard it, haven’t you? “The Eagles don’t want to play the Rams in the first round of the playoffs.” Some version of that. Matt Stafford is a grizzled vet and they gave the Eagles hell twice at Lincoln Financial Field over the past calendar year. They have the greatest offense the world has ever seen and they’re going to be a nightmare.

Then they go out on Monday Night Football and lay a stinker against the 6-9 Atlanta Falcons, losing 27-24 and putting in a Sirianni-esque offensive performance. Only in this case, their offense was nonexistent in the first half, and not the second half. Matt Stafford threw three interceptions while LA went 1-4 on fourth down and 1-3 in the red zone. The defense gave up a 93-yard house call to Bijan Robinson and 6.6 yards per carry.

Same Rams team that had the #1 seed within their grasp and blew a 30-14 lead in Seattle.

Same Rams team that lost to an average Carolina team and blew a 19-point lead in Philadelphia.

Is that why we’re scared? Because the Eagles needed a blocked field goal to beat LA at home? Because they needed a big Jalen Carter play to win the divisional round game in the snow?

This is an Eagles team that is 3-0 against the Rams over the past 13 months. Two of those games were extremely competitive, while one became a laugher. Naturally, you hear people using the “it’s difficult to beat a team X times in a row” narrative, which is such a pointless, Captain Obvious take. No shit, Sherlock. Anybody can beat anybody on any given Sunday, or Thursday, or Saturday or Monday or whenever then NFL is playing now. We know this.

What we really need to do is flip it around and consider the LA fan perspective. What do they think of possibly having to come out here for the third time in 2025? Do you think their fans walk around saying, “ah yes, this is the preferred matchup for us, going out to play Philly in the cold as a #6 seed.“? Presumably, they’re worried about whether or not their team is going to play a full four quarters. They’re worried about losing three of their last five games. They’re worried about Stafford facing the Eagles’ defense and they’re hoping their banged-up players return at 100% for the playoffs.

It’s pointless to worry about possible opponents when everybody knows that the Eagles’ biggest threat is themselves. It’s the O-line whiffing on blocks and Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo playing conservative with a lead. It’s stuffed runs and third and long situations and the offense failing to complete a single pass in an entire half of football. This is largely the same unit that hung 40 on the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, yet has totally underwhelmed throughout this season. But nobody is worried about Vic Fangio’s unit, and the challenge it can present to anybody in the postseason, especially at Lincoln Financial Field with rabid mongrels in the stands. What they’re concerned about is whether or not this Eagles team can score enough points when it really matters.

It’s one thing to be careful and take an opponent seriously because you don’t want to get overconfident and possibly jinx the Birds. But jinxes aren’t real, and we don’t play in the games. The Eagles and Rams have the same record and are each loaded with talented players on both sides of the ball. If LA winds up coming here, the onus is on them to prove they can finally win in Philadelphia.