Saquon Barkley dashes through snow as Eagles ground Rams: Here's what we learned

The Philadelphia Eagles are on the way to their second NFC championship game in the span of three years.

Playing in the snow at Lincoln Financial Field, Saquon Barkley and the Eagles survived 28-22 against Los Angeles Rams.

Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. It’s the fifth best postseason rushing total in NFL history.

SAQUON TODAY: Eagles RB soars in dominant performance vs. the Rams

Sunday was the Eagles’ second victory over the Rams this season. Philadelphia beat Los Angeles in Week 12 at SoFi Stadium. This time around, the Eagles sent the Rams home for the offseason.

The win means the Eagles will host the Washington Commanders next Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field for the NFC championship. The NFC East rivals split their season series this year.

Here’s what we learned from the Rams vs. Eagles divisional round matchup:

Another Offensive Player of the Year performance for Saquon Barkley

The Eagles star running back was the best player on the field, and arguably the top skill position player remaining in the playoffs.

Barkley had 232 yards from scrimmage (205 rushing yards) and two touchdowns against the Rams on Sunday. He amassed a career-high 302 yards from scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, including a franchise record 255 rushing yards in the Week 12 meeting versus Los Angeles.

Behind Barkley, the Eagles produced 171 rushing yards in the first half, including 115 yards on the ground in the first quarter. Hurts scampered for a 44-yard touchdown and Barkley had a 62-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Barkley rumbled for a back-breaking 78-yard touchdown.

The Eagles had 285 total yards on the ground and three rushing TDs.

The Commanders are going to have their hands full with Barkley. Barkley rushed for 296 yards and four touchdowns in two games versus Washington this year.

Jalen Hurts injury might loom large this week

Hurts hurt his left knee in the third quarter when he was bent backward by Rams defenders Desjuan Johnson and Jaylen McCollough. He was tended to in the medical tent and returned to the game with a protective brace around his knee.

When asked about the injury following the game, Hurts avoided the question.

"I finished the game," he said with a smile.

That might be true, but his knee ailment is something to monitor going forward as the Eagles prep for the Commanders.

Eagles offensive line

While Barkley earns the headlines, the Eagles offensive linemen are the unheralded leaders of Philadelphia’s rushing attack. Philadelphia’s O-line created some big lanes for Barkley to run through during the win.

Philadelphia averaged eight yards a carry in Sunday’s win. That might not have been good enough for Philadelphia's offensive line.

"Our O-line wanted 300 tonight and we only got 285," Barkley said after the game. "So we gotta do a better job next week for those guys."

The Eagles offensive line finished the regular season ranking in the top 10 in both pass block win rate and run block win rate, per ESPN Analytics.

Eagles stout defense shows up late

The Eagles had the No. 1 total defense in the NFL this season, allowing 278 yards per contest. The Rams put up 402 total yards on them without a mobile quarterback like Jayden Daniels.

However, the snow affected all three phases in this game.

No matter the conditions, Jalen Carter is a matchup problem. He had the game's biggest sack in the fourth quarter. According to Next Gen State, Carter was double-teamed on 26 of his 49 pass rushes against the Rams. Expect a similar strategy for Washington.

Jared Verse backs up talk, proves bright future

Verse came into the game as public enemy No. 1 for Eagles fans for his comments leading up to the contest.

The Rams outside linebacker backed up his big talk. Verse had two sacks in the first half. He finished with four tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

Verse ended the regular season as the favorite for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He played like it in Philly. The Rams defense had 16 sacks in two postseason games.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rams vs. Eagles takeaways: Hurts injury, Eagles lines show loom large