PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley blew through a hole and ran untouched in the wintry mix, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2,000-yard rusher smacking his helmet with his hand on the final snowy steps of a 78-yard touchdown run.
The Los Angeles Rams had braced for gusty winds and a heightened chance of snow on their road trip in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
They were blown over by Barkley.
Barkley waved his arms in celebration as he scampered along the back of the end zone before he slid into the snow — Slide, Eagles, Slide! — in the late-game celebration.
Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards on the ground, quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 44-yard run, and the second-seeded Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Rams 28-22 on Sunday to reach the NFC championship game for the second time in three years.
“This is the reason why I came here,” said Barkley, who left the division rival New York Giants as a free agent during the last offseason to sign a three-year deal for $26 million guaranteed. “This was the best opportunity to play in a game like this.”
The 6-foot, 233-pound running back ran for a 62-yard score in the first half, then stretched the lead for the NFC East champions in the fourth quarter on the 78-yard score that gave him four touchdowns of 60-plus yards in two games this season against the NFC West-best Rams (11-8).
Barkley gave Hurts a little heads up before the snap that a special play was about to develop for the Eagles (16-3), who won 37-20 on Nov. 24 when the Rams hosted their regular-season meeting.
“It was fun. It was a play that I asked for,” said Barkley, a seventh-year pro from Penn State. “It’s a beautiful thing when stuff like that happens.”
These Philly Snow Birds had cause for celebration: They will host the NFC championship game next Sunday against the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders (14-5), who stunned the top-seeded Detroit Lions late Saturday night. Philadelphia and Washington split their NFC East regular-season series, with the Commanders losing 26-18 in Philadelphia on Nov. 14 but winning 36-33 at home on Dec. 22.
The Rams kept the upset threat alive Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field largely because Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott missed two extra-point attempts.
Matthew Stafford, who threw for 324 yards with sore ribs, kept the Rams in it with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson that made it 28-22. The Rams got the ball back with two minutes left, and Stafford completed consecutive passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles territory.
He was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down, though, then threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to end the threat.
That came after the Rams suffered from a flurry of fumbles in the fourth quarter, one by running back Kyren Williams that led to a field goal for the Eagles and a strip-sack of Stafford that led to another field goal by Elliott to give Philadelphia a 22-15 lead.
The Eagles are set to host the NFC final for the fifth time since their current home opened in 2003.
AP photo by Matt Slocum / Los Angeles Rams running back Cody Schrader (32) is stopped by Philadelphia Eagles linebackers Nolan Smith Jr., left, and Nicholas Morrow, right, during the second half of Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.Eagles defenders frolicked in the winter mess and made snow angels in the end zone to celebrate the turnovers. Some frigid but brave fans went shirtless — and yes, even Santa Claus was in the house, without a report of any snowball throwing.
Stadium workers used blowers to clear yard lines and hash marks of snow, while the Eagles themselves scooped and kicked away snow to clear a circle for Elliott’s place-kicks.
Hurts threw for just 128 yards, his mobility hampered in the second half after he was fitted for a knee brace. He didn’t miss any snaps but was easily mauled on the safety. He was sacked seven times.
A concussion sustained in last month’s loss at Washington — the Eagles’ only loss after they returned from their open date with a 2-2 record — led to him missing two games before he returned for last weekend’s victory against the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Hurts said he expect to play next week against the Commanders.
Barkley had 118 total yards by halftime, but the Rams’ defense — coming off a nine-sack showing against the fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings last Monday — sacked Hurts three times in the first 30 minutes. Hurts was sacked on consecutive plays to end the first half, a total loss of 16 yards that knocked the Eagles out of field-goal range.
The Eagles borrowed from the playbook used in their November win at Los Angeles when big plays — Barkley had touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards — helped them cruise to a comfortable win.
Hurts rushed for the longest touchdown of his career, a 44-yarder on the fifth play of the game that sent a cold crowd still buzzing from the pregame theatrics into a frenzy. Elliott missed an extra-point try for the second straight playoff game.
After converting a fourth down on the drive, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for a 4-yard touchdown pass that made it 7-6. Only six days earlier, Higbee spit up blood in the playoff win over Minnesota and was taken to the hospital with a chest injury.
Barkley scored on a 62-yard run for a 13-7 lead, but not before the 2,105-yard rusher for the regular season slowed near the end zone and looked back to clown the trailing Jared Verse. Barkley had has fifth touchdown run of 50-plus yards this season and was the first player with three touchdown runs of 60-plus against one team since Jamal Lewis did it for the Baltimore Ravens against the Cleveland Browns in 2003.
“Rain, sleet, or snow, he’s been able to pound, pound, pound and then take off,” Hurts said “That was fun. That was cute. Just being able to pop it out first for us.”
Verse got trolled by Barkley after the Rams rookie linebacker and Pennsylvania native said he “hates Eagles fans.” The first-round draft pick attended high school in Bloomsburg, some 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Verse egged on fans during pregame warmups and relished the boos that rained him on in the light snow. Once the game started, the stadium’s videoboard showed Verse sitting on the bench and fans booed again.
Verse winked at the camera, stamping his name on the list of Philly sports villains.
“I think I’m up here pretty shocked because I know a lot of people didn’t believe we could come in here, but we had the full expectation to come in here (and win),” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I don’t think anybody ever really expected the end of the season to be right now, and the finality of it is tough for me to swallow.”