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Matthew Stafford played in one Super Bowl with the Rams and won. Jalen Hurts played in one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short.
Both quarterbacks aim to return to the NFL’s biggest stage.
One will take a step toward that goal on Sunday when the Rams play the Eagles in an NFC divisional-round game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
“I’m enjoying the hell out of it,” Stafford, a 16th-year pro, said of the preparation. “I know the guys on our team are doing the same.
Everything you need to know about the Rams facing the Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, including start time, TV channel.
“Just trying to lead as best I can to help us give ourselves the best chance we can to get a win and keep it moving.”
Hurts, a fifth-year pro, is similarly wired.
“I don’t play the game for anything other than to win,” he told Philadelphia reporters this week.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dominated strategy discussion in the lead-up to the game, specifically focused on whether he could come close to repeating his 255-yard rushing performance against the Rams in November.
But Stafford and Hurts could dictate which team moves on to play the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams are 1-4 against the Eagles.
Twice, Hurts played a key role in defeating them.
In 2023, he passed for 303 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in a 23-14 victory at SoFi Stadium.
Two months ago, also at SoFi Stadium, Hurts passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 39 yards in a Barkley-dominated 37-20 win.
Hurts’ ability to pass and run on designed and off-schedule plays makes him “a nightmare,” to play against, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.
“He’s very calm back there in the pocket,” Shula said. “He has a great O-line that he trusts and he’ll stand back there forever if you let him.”
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles ran over the Rams during a 37-20 victory in November, so changing that dynamic is atop L.A.’s to-do list for their playoff game.
And if the pocket collapses?
“He’s able to find the little holes here and there, the little creases,” Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said. “He doesn’t always want to run. Sometimes, he can just make that big play, which is different from most quarterbacks.”
In last Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers, Hurts completed his first six passes. But his next seven fell incomplete. In the second half, he completed seven of eight, finishing the game with 131 yards passing and two touchdown passes.
“He wins,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told Philadelphia reporters this week. “He’s been playing efficient, and we do what we need to do to win every game.
“And Jalen does what he needs to do to win every game, and will continue to do that and not apologize for it.”
Hurts’ role, and the Eagles’ approach, is different every game, the quarterback told Philadelphia reporters.
“And you just want to go out there and do your job, take advantage of opportunities,” he said, adding, “Ultimately, it’s about winning the game. We’re talking about playoff football.”
In each of the last two games against the Eagles, Stafford passed for more than 222 yards and two touchdowns.
In last Monday’s wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he completed his first 10 passes and finished 19 of 27 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
His most savvy play might have been his decision to flick the ball forward just as he was about to be sacked in the second quarter with the Rams holding a 10-3 lead. Officials initially ruled that Stafford had fumbled and that the Vikings had returned it for a touchdown. But upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass.
“You don’t coach that,” McVay said. “That’s not something that we would be telling a young quarterback to go ahead and do if that same situation arises. Matthew has earned the right to be able to do some things differently.”
Stafford’s “talent and his know-how” stand out, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told Philadelphia reporters.
“He’s still one of the top passers in the league,” Fangio said. “Very, very smart, can read coverages better than most, if not one of the top two or three.
“Still has tremendous arm talent. Can put the ball anywhere.”
Stafford and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay were Detroit Lions teammates for seven seasons.
Slay, a 2017 All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl pick, went against Stafford in practice, watched him in games and has played against him twice since signing with the Eagles in 2020.
Stafford remains a top-five quarterback, Slay said.
“I don’t know why folks [are] leaving him out of that conversation,” Slay said, “because there’s not many quarterbacks that have the arm talent, the guy that’s seen every coverage that’s possible, and can make all the throws.”
The Eagles must pressure Stafford, sack him on occasion and disrupt the Rams’ pass routes, Slay said.
“Because if they’re not disrupted enough, it’s going to be a good day for him,” he said, “and we don’t need a good day for him.”
Stafford is 5-1 in postseason games with the Rams. Hurts is 3–3 in the playoffs.
The Rams’ Jared Verse is ready to battle the Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs and also would enjoy silencing their fans: “They’re so annoying,” he said.
Three seasons ago, Stafford achieved a career highlight when he passed for two touchdowns in the Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
A year later, in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for another only to see the Eagles fall short in the final seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Whichever quarterback emerges with a victory Sunday puts another Super Bowl appearance within reach.
“I think back to the first day of training camp, how you’re feeling, and all the things that are going through your mind,” said Stafford, who will turn 37 two days before the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. “Looking at the end of the calendar and thinking about how long of a journey that is is sometimes overwhelming and a little bit daunting.
“But to be here now, to have worked through all the things that we’ve worked through as a team and as an individual, to get to this point and have the opportunities that we have in front of us is really fun.”
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