Coming off a bye week, the St. Louis Rams will travel to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
This matchup will feature a battle up front. The Rams’ offensive line has blocked very well in the running game in 2014 to this point. Right tackle Joe Barksdale leads all offensive tackles with a +7.6 run blocking grade on his way to being named to the PFF First Quarter All-Star Team. Although he has struggled in pass protection in 2014, right guard Davin Joseph has accumulated a +3.4 run block grade in 2014, which is fifth highest in the league at his position. None of the five starters along the Rams’ offensive line have earned negative run blocking grades on the season.
Battling St. Louis’ offensive line is a productive, young Eagles defensive front three. All three starters on the defensive line have a Run Defense grade +1.8 or higher. Leading the way is defensive end Cedric Thornton, whose +6.2 grade against the run is tops in the league among 3-4 defensive ends. Fellow end Fletcher Cox has been equally as impressive against opposing running backs. His 12 Total Stops is the highest mark at his position, and his 12.2 Run Stop Percentage ranks him third. Nose tackle Bennie Logan also leads the league at his position with 9 Total Stops against the run (in a tie with Akiem Hicks and Earl Mitchell).
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
St. Louis Rams
Aaron Donald – the rookie first round pick has a run defense grade of +5.9, which ranks him fourth in the league at his position.
Austin Davis – Surprisingly ranks first in the NFL with a 72.3 Completion Percentage and 64.5 Percentage of Yards in the Air.
Robert Quinn – his 10.9 Pass Rushing Productivity places him eighth among 4-3 defensive ends this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Brandon Boykin – is allowing a 68.8 Quarterback Rating on passes thrown into his primary coverage from the slot this season.
Jason Peters – ranks fifth in the NFL among offensive tackles with +5.0 Pass Block grade and sixth with a 97.6 Pass Block Efficiency grade.
Malcolm Jenkins- is PFF’s third highest rated overall safety (+7.9) and his +5.7 Coverage grade places him second in the league at his position.
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