PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards rushing, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard scoring run and the Philadelphia Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Los Angeles Rams 28-22 on Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game for the second time in three seasons.
Barkley ran for a 62-yard score in the first half and stretched the lead in the fourth when he blew through a hole and ran untouched 78 yards for the touchdown. He smacked his helmet with his hand on his final snowy steps and flapped his arms once he hit the end zone.
Barkley slid into the snow — Slide, Eagles, Slide! — in the late-game celebration.
These Philly Snow Birds had cause for celebration -- they will host the NFC championship game Sunday against Washington, after the Commanders upset No. 1 seed Detroit on Saturday.
“The elements was great, but the atmosphere was even better,” Barkley said. “Our fans were amazing. That was a close one, but that’s playoff football. And at the end of the day, we got the job done.”
The Rams kept the upset threat alive — caused in large part by two missed extra points by Philadelphia's Jake Elliott.
Matthew Stafford, who threw for 324 yards, kept the Rams in it with a 4-yard TD 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.
But Stafford was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to end the threat.
The Eagles are set to host the NFC championship game for the fifth time since Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003.
Eagles defenders frolicked in the winter mess and made snow angels in the end zone to celebrate the turnovers. Some brave frigid fans went shirtless — and yes, even Santa Claus was in the house, without a report of any snowball throwing.
Stadium workers used snow blowers to clear yard lines and hash marks, while Eagles scooped and kicked away snow to clear a circle for Elliott’s field goal attempts.
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.
Hurts suffered a concussion that cost him in two games in a loss at Washington in December. It was the Eagles’ only loss after they returned from the bye with a 2-2 record.
“It comes through Philly. That means everything for this city, this team, and we’ve got everything we want in front of us,” Hurts said.
Barkley had 118 total yards at the break, but the Rams' defense -- coming off a nine-sack effort against Minnesota -- sacked Hurts three times in the half. 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 in 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 TD 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 for the second straight playoff game.
After converting a fourth down on the drive, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for a 4-yard TD 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 slowed near the end zone and looked back to clown the trailing Jalen Verse. Barkley had has fifth touchdown run of 50-plus yards of the season and was the first player with three TD runs of 60-plus against one team since Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis did it against the Browns in 2003.
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, Pennsylvania, which is about 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 Eagles showed on the big screen Verse on the bench and fans booed again.
Verse winked at the camera, stamping his name on the list of Philly sports villains.
Joshua Karty kicked two field goals in the first half for the Rams.
Elliott atoned for a missed extra point with a 44-yard field goal that floated through the uprights for a 16-13 lead in the third.
Injuries
Rams: DE Braden Fiske had a knee injury.
Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury.
Up next
The Eagles host the Commanders for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press