The Eagles are coming into Sunday’s matchup at an uninspiring 2-1, while the Rams sit at a disappointing 1-2. Someone’s gonna walk away feeling a little less bad, but what’s really wild is that Nick Sirianni has *never* lost to Sean McVay, rocking a pristine 4-0 record against him. Seriously, 4-0!
The Snub That Can’t Stand Anymore
Look, football isn’t always a meritocracy, and we got a stark reminder of that with the Sean Mannion-led offense. Before the season, we were all asking if complimentary players would actually get involved, and against the Titans, the answer was a big fat “no, not even a little.” Darius Cooper, man, he had a nice 23-yard catch and run on 1st and 17, and then he scored the game-winning touchdown! He’s been outstanding on special teams, and the head coach likes him. So what was his reward? A measly 4 snaps on offense against the Bears, which was even fewer than Elijah Moore got! Makai Lemon, meanwhile, played 35 snaps, a season-high 70%. Tank Bigsby was the *only* skill position player with fewer snaps than Cooper. Will Shipley, EJ Jenkins, and Johnny Mundt all saw double-digit snaps on both special teams and offense, just like Cooper did against the Titans. Now, with DeVonta Smith set to miss a few games, Cooper absolutely *has* to get the chance on offense he deserves. There is no excuse not to.
Rams’ Flag Problem Is Real
Speaking of things that aren’t going great, remember how the Rams had the best penalty differential in 2025? Well, that was never gonna happen again in 2026, and it certainly hasn’t. They’ve got the worst penalty differential in the league right now, a brutal -13 total penalties and -105 penalty yards! Half of those came last week against the Broncos, but let’s be real, they had double the amount of their opponent’s penalties in their first two games too. This isn’t just a one-off. Sure, maybe they’re “due” for a positive differential game, but it’s definitely a huge reason why their supposed dream season is limping along at 1-2. The Eagles are sitting 18th in penalty differential, which is a big improvement from having the worst in 2025.
Since Sirianni became a head coach, his Eagles have crushed McVay’s Rams in wins (2nd vs. 10th), points (6th vs. 9th), and yards (7th vs. 9th). They’re tied in Super Bowl appearances (2 each) and wins (1 each), but that head-to-head record is something else.
This Sunday, the Eagles need to show us they learned something about player utilization, especially with Cooper. And for the Rams, they just need to stop shooting themselves in the foot with flags. Oh, and if you’re looking to the future, the 2027 QB draft class is already looking rough, so people are already onto 2028. Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor and Alabama’s Keelon Russell are already on next year’s radar, alongside Bulldogs dual-threat RB Fluff Bothwell (yeah, not his real name) and big-hitting safety Bray Hubbard. Just something to keep an eye on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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