The LA Rams’ loss to the Eagles shows they are far from title contention, but not in the playoff race

LOS ANGELES — Until Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles came to town, the Los Angeles Rams were starting to build confidence with four wins in their last five games.

That month of progress, especially by the Rams’ young defense, was completely undone when Barkley threw for 255 yards and two long touchdown runs to lead the Eagles to a 37-20 victory on Sunday night.

The Rams (5-6) turned in the greatest performance by an opposing running back in the history of the team that began play in 1936, and the loss showed how far they were from true title contention.

Coach Sean McVay didn’t have much to say that wasn’t obvious on the field after his defense gave up 481 yards to the 9-2 Eagles, a team that managed to maintain the leadership and overall depth the Rams had three years ago during their run. championship, but which has not been rebuilt since then.

“There are humiliating nights like that in football,” McVay said. “It all depends on how you react. I know this team has the ability to respond and we will get off the mat and have a good week of preparation this week.”

The Rams would do well to remember that playoff contention is still quite possible in the mediocre NFC West, where Los Angeles is still just one game back of first place.

Everything else McVay wants for his team is still a long way off, regardless of what several solid wins over the past six weeks have indicated.

Not much went right against the Eagles, who had an answer to almost everything the Rams tried on both sides of the ball. Los Angeles’ offense had some solid offense, but the Rams’ defense provided points in every quarter.

“You’ve got to look at the tape of it (and) figure out what to do next and figure out what you did wrong,” Matthew Stafford said after passing for two TDs. “How can you fix these things? I won’t let these boys beat us twice. This is the NFL. If you play this game long enough, you’re going to have bad nights where you’re not playing as well as you can. You never want it to get out of hand like they did, but you’ve got to keep going.”

What works

Puka Nacua and Stafford are the engines of the Rams’ offense, not the pass rush. The second-year wide receiver had nine catches for 117 yards in his 11th 100-yard performance (including playoffs) in his 23 NFL games, while Stafford passed for 243 yards and stayed well below five sacks and 11 quarterback hits in the game’s poor efficiency in the offensive line.

What needs help

The Rams started the weekend ranked 18th in the NFL against the run. Barkley’s performance dropped them to 28th place with 144.3 yards allowed per game. Their problems are both personnel and scheme: A botched gap assignment led to Barkley’s second TD, but the Rams also lack a run-guzzling middle linebacker who can sometimes make up for those mistakes, as Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones have done in recent years.

Stock up

Demarcus Robinson is having another quietly productive season as Stafford’s third option at receiver. His catch against Philly gave him five TD receptions in the last five games. He may also bring good luck to the Rams: Robinson never missed the playoffs in nine seasons in the NFL.

Stocks down

Kyren Williams had a difficult time while his Eagles counterpart played the leading role. The third-year Rams running back fumbled the ball twice, losing one, and finished with 72 yards on 16 carries. He also allowed a sack when he failed to catch defender Nakobe Dean in pass protection. Williams has fouled four times in the last four games, and a frustrating season behind Los Angeles’ mediocre offensive line may force him to try to do too much.

Injuries

The Rams desperately need right guard Rob Havenstein, who returned from an ankle injury after backup Warren McClendon repeatedly left himself vulnerable in Philadelphia. McVay, as usual, was cautious about the severity of Havenstein’s injury, which sidelined him for three games.

Key number

3 – Number of consecutive games in which starting kicker Joshua Karty missed a field goal.

Next steps

With a visit from mighty Buffalo followed by a short Thursday night visit to Santa Clara in early December, the Rams will likely need to beat the New Orleans Saints (4-7) this weekend to stay in contention for a winning record. The problem is that the once struggling Saints have won two games in a row and returning Alvin Kamara has to lick his feet.