5 key matchups to watch as Eagles and Rams collide in 2024 NFC Divisional Round rematch

The Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) return to Lincoln Financial Field to welcome the Los Angeles Rams (2-0) for what is perhaps the best game on the slate in Week 3. Aside from Arizona and San Francisco, the Eagles and Rams are the only other matchup between 2-0 teams. This game also marks the rematch from last year's unforgettable "Snow Bowl" game where the Eagles held on to a 28-22 thrilling win.

Here are five key matchups to watch as both teams look to remain unbeaten.

Saquon Barkley vs. Rams' rush defense

Saquon Barkley has to be licking his chops. The Rams simply had no answer on how to not only stop the running back, but even remotely contain him in their two games last season. Barkley galloped for 255 yards in the 37-20 Week 12 win before he etched his name in Eagles' playoff lore with his 205-yard performance in the Divisional Round highlighted by his 78-yard dash in the snow electrifying the packed crowd who braved the elements of the snowstorm that rolled through South Philadelphia in the second half.

In the two meetings, Barkley amassed 460 yards on 52 carries, averaging a ridiculous 8.8 yards per carry with four touchdowns against Los Angeles. Through two games, the Rams are tied for 17th in the NFL allowing 111.5 yards per game on the ground after facing Houston and Tennessee, teams with not nearly as potent of a rushing attack.

Philadelphia has gotten off to a slow start wholistically on offense with Barkley having to earn every bit of his 88 yards in Sunday's win against Kansas City. He has yet to hit the century mark in either of the first two games, but this matchup bodes well for Barkley to have one of his signature performances.

Eagles' cornerbacks vs. Rams' wide receivers

The Rams have a potent duo at wide receiver with Puka Nacua and newly added Davante Adams who replaced Copper Kupp who is now with Seattle. It is expected that Quinyon Mitchell will primarily cover Adams on the perimeter based on Adams' history and how the Eagles have utilized their talented young cornerback this year and all of his rookie season when he was one of the top shutdown cornerbacks in the league.

Nacua meanwhile, will be running a lot of his routes out of the slot, similar to CeeDee Lamb in Week 1. Cooper DeJean will work against Stafford's favorite target with a mix of Adoree' Jackson on the opposite perimeter of Mitchell when Nacua lines out wide. Jackson had a better performance against the Chiefs, but Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton are nowhere near the talent Nacua is.

"I though he was improved," Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said on Jackson earlier this week. "Hopefully it can kickstart him into being a good corner for us."

The kickstart will need to commence for Jackson and the Eagles in hopes of trying to slow down Nacua who had good success against Philadelphia last season. He hauled in 15 catches on 27 targets for 214 yards but did not score in two games.

Nacua and Adams come in with a 33% target share so far this season, so it will be a heavy dose of the duo. Mitchell, DeJean and Jackson will have a very tough test for the second time in three weeks.

A.J. Brown vs. Emmanuel Forbes

If this is not the game to get Brown going, then I'm not sure what game will. Brown will go against an old friend in Emmanuel Forbes. The former 16th overall pick by Washington in 2023 has struggled to prove his high draft status and now will be relied heavily on with the Rams losing starting outside cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon with a broken clavicle last week. Their top three cornerbacks are now Forbes, Cobie Durant and Darious Williams.

Fans more than likely remember Forbes. He had all kinds of trouble guarding Brown back in 2023 in his rookie season. The star wideout who has a 50-pound advantage on the defensive back has been a nightmare matchup for Forbes. Here is Brown having his way back in 2023 for a touchdown.

Per Pro Football Focus, Brown was targeted 10 times in the Week 4 game where he racked up 147 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. The second time the teams met, Brown had a more pedestrian line with two catches for 45 yards but did score another touchdown.

Last week, it was evident the Eagles were trying to get their All-Pro receiver in rhythm and involved, being peppered with eight targets. Unfortunately, Brown only turned five of those eight targets into catches for just 27 yards. On the season, Brown has six receptions for 35 yards with his longest reception going for a measly eight yards. This is a matchup Brown and the Eagles need to capitalize on.

Eagles' rush defense vs. Kyren Williams

The Eagles allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards last season at 101.8 per game. Through two games here in 2025, the defense has allowed 120 per game ranking which is 21st in the NFL. They struggled at times to stop Javonte Williams in Week 1 while Patrick Mahomes ran for 60 yards in the first half last Sunday.

The defense will look to stymie Rams' running back Kyren Williams, who is not a game-breaking back, to help keep the Rams one dimensional. The Eagles have had success jarring the ball away from Williams, forcing three of his six fumbles he had last season in both the regular season and playoffs.

In Week 12, the Eagles forced Williams to cough up the ball twice, pouncing on the first fumble to end a promising drive early in that game. Of course, he also had the back-breaking fumble in the NFC Divisional game.

On the young season, Williams is averaging 3.8 yards per attempt and has rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown in two games.

Vic Fangio vs. Sean McVay

Old school vs. new school. Fangio has been a tremendous addition to the coaching staff commanding and earning the respect of one of the youngest defenses in the league for a second straight season. Fangio debunked the notion that he and his unit make adjustments during halftime, instead saying that he is constantly evolving as the game progresses.

Fangio will need to continue that mantra Sunday after he described this matchup against Sean McVay with all of his wrinkles he brings to a high-octane offense as "an extremely challenging assignment."

"They got a great quarterback operating it. They now have two great receivers. Sean does a great job calling the game. He's a really good play caller throughout the course of a game."

The defense will need to stay disciplined to their assignments as the Rams will run a lot of pre-snap motion to help scheme open their top wideouts in Nacua and Adams. Last season, the Rams ran motion 78.6% of the time through the first two weeks of the season per NFLLines.com. From 2022-23, they used pre-snap potion at the third-highest rate in the NFL at 55.6%.

"You just got to play your techniques and your fundamentals regardless of what's going on in front of you," Fangio said of the Rams' motion.