Rams must-win game against Eagles comes at worst time possible, then Aaron Donald news dropped

The Rams have come up with enough explanations and theories for why they keep losing to the Philadelphia Eagles to fill a doctoral thesis.It’s time to write a different ending.Preferably one that includes a win.And with the Rams heading to Philadelphia at 1-2, that request has moved beyond the psychological benefits of finally beating their nemesis.There is an increasingly uncomfortable matter of math to consider.The 49ers are 3-0.

The Seahawks are 2-1.The Rams are already looking up at both, with a loss to San Francisco tucked into their back pocket.Another defeat Sunday, coupled with wins by their division rivals, would leave them three games behind the 49ers and two behind the Seahawks.In early October.So, yes, call this a must-win.Not because a fourth game can mathematically eliminate anyone.

Because a team with championship expectations should recognize the difference between having time to recover and giving itself more ground to recover.Especially when the opponent standing in the way keeps exposing the same uncomfortable truth.The Rams can compete with the Eagles.They can scare them.

They can build a lead against them or put together a furious comeback that leaves everyone wondering what might have happened with another play or two.What they haven’t done is beat them nearly enough.Philadelphia has won four straight meetings and 10 of the last 11 dating to 2005.

Head coach Sean McVay is just 1-6 against the boys from the City of Brotherly Love.That’s a history the Rams need to stop repeating, preferably before it does any more damage to their present.But recognizing the problem has always been easier than solving it.Philadelphia has become the opponent against which the Rams’ confidence and credentials undergo their most revealing examination.Talent gets them into the conversation.

Against the Eagles, execution keeps escorting them out.Consider the evidence.Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards against the Rams during the 2024 regular season, turni...