Philadelphia Eagles-Los Angeles Rams preview and predictions: What's the plan for Aaron Donald & Cooper Kupp?

Five weeks into the season, the Eagles are one of two unbeaten teams. In order to stay that way, they need to beat a 2-2 Rams team in Los Angeles as four-point favorites.

Once again, they’ll have turnover in the secondary, where Justin Evans is expected to return to a starting spot at safety alongside Reed Blankenship. Veteran nickel cornerback Bradley Roby could be elevated from the practice squad to alleviate the burden on James Bradberry inside. Rookie Sydney Brown, though, was declared out on Friday, along with Fletcher Cox, Marlon Tuipulotu and Cam Jurgens.

The Rams, meanwhile, expect all-world receiver Cooper Kupp to play his first game of the season. Here’s what you need to know.

What I’m watching on offense: The Eagles’ entire gameplan will start with knowing where No. 99 is on the field. Aaron Donald, the three-time defensive player of the year, is a game-wrecker in the middle of the defense who has 2.5 sacks and six quarterback hits this season. (Donald does not have a sack against the Eagles in four career games.) Look for the Rams to line Donald up over Sua Opeta, who is expected to start at right guard in place of the injured Cam Jurgens. Center Jason Kelce will be a big part of double teams. 

Protection will be critical because the Eagles have advantages on the perimeter against the Rams’ cornerbacks (Ahkello Witherspoon and Derion Kendrick) with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Rams allowed 12 catches and 148 yards to Ja’Marr Chase in Week 3. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles try to feed Dallas Goedert early in the game with Goedert stuck at a measly 88 yards through four games. 

The Rams rank No. 14 in run defense this season, which is tilted by Christian McCaffrey’s big performance in Week 2. They’ve otherwise been tough against opposing runners, although the Eagles could still try to get D’Andre Swift going. Jalen Hurts has not been as prolific on the ground as he was last season, so watch to see if he’s a factor with his legs. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson rushed for 56 yards last week against the Rams in former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen’s system.

A key to the game will be third downs. Los Angeles ranks No. 2 in the NFL in third-down defense, limiting opponents to a 26.7 percent conversion rate. But the Eagles should be able to move the ball against a defense ranked No. 24 in DVOA — the lowest of the Eagles’ five opponents this season. — Berman

What I’m watching on defense: This will be Sean Desai’s toughest test thus far. On a very basic level, Matthew Stafford is the best quarterback the Eagles have faced this season. Ditto for Sean McVay as a schemer and play-caller. You could even make a case for Kupp and Puka Nacua as the best tandem of opposing receiving options, with respect to the Bucs’ duo.

More to the point, the specific challenge presented by the Rams offense figures to test the Eagles’ weaknesses. In a secondary that will start its fifth combination of starters in as many games, growing pains are expected. Bunch formations have been a particular bugaboo for the defense thus far, in part because of the communication and trust issues of a unit without experience together in the defensive scheme. The Rams’ heavy use of motion will test that to an even greater degree.

Is Roby ready to step in as a full-time slot cornerback with just a week of practice time? If not, how big of a target does Josh Jobe have on his back? And can Bradberry be relied upon to corral Kupp in the middle of the field?

Speaking of which, the Eagles’ linebacker duo of Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham have exceeded expectations thus far but remain a liability in pass coverage. Stafford will hope to prey upon that.

As ever, the Eagles’ advantage on this side of the ball comes on the line of scrimmage. Cox’s absence will be significant though – he has a higher rate of sacks and quarterback hits per pass-rush snap than any other defensive tackle in the league through three games. None of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis nor Milton Williams has played more than 50 percent of the snaps in a game this season, so the onus will be on that young trio of defensive tackles to step their game up in a bigger role.

On the ground, the Rams enter the game ranked No. 24 in yards per rush (3.7) but No. 4 in rushing success rate, which speaks to their pass-heavy nature. The Eagles’ dominance against the run (No. 4 in defensive EPA per rush and No. 2 in rushing yards allowed per game) means they’ll be glad any time Stafford hands the ball to Kyren Williams or Ronnie Rivers. – Wulf

From the locker room: Sua Opeta is in his fifth year with the Eagles, so anyone in the locker room every day knows the 27-year old from Weber State. But Opeta has been a career backup who has been waived by the Eagles four times and is far from a household name for fans. He’s started five games — including a postseason loss to Tampa Bay — although the spotlight on him will be bright on Sunday when he sees Donald across the line of scrimmage. 

It’s natural for teammates to pledge confidence in a backup. The “next man up” cliche is recited every week around the NFL. Yet the confidence in Opeta seems genuine, in part because of his staying power. This is not someone who made the roster because he put together a few good weeks at training camp. For the players he’s between on the line of scrimmage — potential Hall of Famers Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson — the confidence has been built through five years of practices and meetings.

“I think some guys perform on the field but they’re kind of missing a few things and teams are trying to move on from them,” Kelce said. “Sua’s pretty much the opposite. He’s got all the traits. He’s very physically gifted. He’s strong. He’s explosive.”

Plus, there’s the Jeff Stoutland factor. Stoutland has helped develop Opeta since 2019, and the Eagles wouldn’t have kept him if they did not think he could play. The fact that he’s starting over a third-round rookie should suggest as much. Kelce attributed Stoutland’s college background as the reason he’s able to develop so many young linemen. In college, you’re always preparing newcomers to start. Perhaps Opeta can be viewed like a redshirt senior. 

He spent most of training camp on the left side, but he’s taken more work on the right side since the season started. He said in the locker room he did not think the difference was as significant for him as it once appeared. He now has an opportunity to show why the team believes in him against one of the best defensive linemen in NFL history.

“When you’re getting in and playing well, your confidence shoots up,” Opeta said. “I’m confident in my own ability to play. So it’s cool I get to go out there against Aaron Donald and prove that.” — Berman

Number to know

501. As in Nacua’s total receiving yards through four games, the highest such total in NFL history, outpacing Anquan Boldin’s previous record of 464. – Wulf

Predictions 

Wulf: The Eagles will have to play their best game of the season to remain undefeated. It says a lot about the talent and depth of the roster that they are 4-0 despite having played mostly C+ or B- games and not yet putting a full performance together. I don’t think that will cut it this week. Either the defense will need to surprise us in their ability to handle an offense that gives unprepared units fits or the offense will have to be explosive enough to overcome whatever mismatch there is when they don’t have the ball.

The Rams’ offensive line is gettable, so a breakout game from Reddick or a dominant performance from Carter would go a long way in stemming the tide. I tend to think there’s a little too much juggling going on with the Eagles at the moment. Can they keep Goedert happy while his production drops so precipitously? Can they keep all the pieces in the right place in the secondary? Can Hurts be himself while working so hard to protect himself? Maybe in the long run, but not this week. Rams 31, Eagles 28

Berman: This is a tough game for the Eagles — perhaps the toughest game yet — and the return of Cooper Kupp only makes it more difficult. I don’t expect the road crowd to be much of a challenge, considering there should be a heavy dose of green mixed in for the Eagles’ first trip to SoFi Stadium. Cross-country travel must be taken into account, but let’s not overstate it. This game is going to be determined by whether the Eagles can limit the Rams’ passing offense. The pass rush must be a critical part of that. It would be a good day for the Eagles’ edge rushers (Haason Reddick, in particular) to have a big game.

As dangerous as the Rams might be through the air, I’d actually take the Eagles’ passing offense over Los Angeles’ when everything is clicking. If Hurts has time, he’ll find mismatches downfield. My guess is that’s the difference. The Eagles advance to 5-0 and enjoy a long flight home knowing they don’t need to board a plane again until Week 11. Eagles 27, Rams 24