When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field against Chris Shula's Los Angeles Rams defense, all eyes, both on the field and in the stands, will be centered squarely on the man, the myth, the legend, Saquon Barkley.

Originally drafted second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants over the likes of franchise quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson – gosh, I'm sure that doesn't sting in hindsight – Barkley has turned in his best season as a pro in the City of Brotherly Love, rushing for over 2,000 yards in only 16 games as the offensive engine of the Eagles. He's looked incredibly effective behind the Eagles' league-best offensive line, often running three, four, or even five yards before even encountering contact, has shown the speed needed to rup off massive 40-yard runs, and, best of all, has stayed healthy, playing 74 percent of Philly's offensive snaps.

But frankly, Rams fans know that; how couldn't they? The two teams did just play back in Week 12, and Barkley was so good he ran the ball 26 times for 255 yards and two rushing touchdowns, marking one of the ten-best rushing performances in an NFL game of any player in history. Barkley gashed Shula's defense between the tackles, ripped off big runs on the outside, and even contributed as a pass catcher, hauling in all four of the passes thrown his way for 47 yards on the way to the rare 300 yards from scrimmage game.

Will the Rams ever forget about what Barkley put on tape back in October? No, not anytime soon, anyway. But do you know what? Because Barkley will be such a major fixture of the Rams' game plan heading into the Divisional Round that nothing short of a sub-100-yard game would be surprising. No, the true X-Factor of Week 20 is the Eagles' defense, as if Vic Fangio can call another A-plus effort against Matthew Stafford and company, there's no way the Rams will be able to sustain much momentum through the air or on the ground.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

1. Vic Fangio has turned the Eagles' defense into the NFL's best

In 2023, calling the Eagles' defense mid would have actually been a compliment.

Splitting the year between the suspect calls of Sean Desai and the absolute disaster that was Matt Patricia holding the clipboard, the Eagles ranked 10th against the run, 31st against the pass, and finished out the season allowing more points than all but two teams in the NFL. After coming dangerously close to blowing multiple leads down the stretch with Desai running the show, Sirianni made the switch to Patricia, but it did little to steady the ship; if anything, it actually made things noticeably worse, with players often being out of position on the way to a brutal exit at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.

But in 2024? Goodness, the difference was night and day.

Granted, some things never change, as the Eagles still lost to the Buccaneers back in Week 4, but Fangio has the Eagles playing their best defense since the late, great Jim Johnson was calling the shots, ranking 10th against the run once more, but first against the pass, with only one team allowing fewer points and no team allowing fewer yards than Philadelphia.

The Eagles' secondary, which features two rookies in Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, looks elite, with opposing teams averaging just 174 passing yards per game. When the Eagles need to slow down the run, they can put in Jordan Davis, who has remained an elite stuffer even if Fangio doesn't trust him as much on passing downs. And because the back seven of their defense is playing so well, they are often forcing opposing quarterbacks into making mistakes, which has helped to ease the pressure on the team's just-okay pass rush.

Really, the only thing the Eagles aren't doing very well is getting to the quarterback in the postseason, with Nolan Smith having both of the team's sacks so far. Still, even if the Eagles aren't bringing down opposing quarterbacks, they are still impacting their decision-making, as Jalen Carter is such a certified difference maker that he was named to the Pro Bowl as only a second-year pro. Even if Stafford remains upright for much of the game, he will have to get rid of the ball quickly, which limits what the Rams can do through the air as a result.

Oct 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts after quarterback Jalen Hurts (not pictured) scores a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium.
Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

2. Vic Fangio and Saquon Barkley form a clock management nightmare

So, with Fangio's defense among the best individual units in the NFL, all the Eagles really need to do is have a pulse, right? On paper, yeah, that's probably the case, but here's the thing: the Eagles have actually built an offense designed to complement Fangio's defense instead of fighting against it.

You see, over the regular season, the Eagles rank fourth in defensive time of possession, allowing opposing teams to hold the ball for an average of just 2:39 minutes per drive. While that number is great, as quick drives get the ball back into the offense, that doesn't really matter if the Eagles give the ball right back to the defense. Fortunately, because of Philly's elite rushing attack, which ranks second overall in the NFL, their offense holds the ball for an average of 3:01 minutes per drive, which is also the fourth-best mark league-wide.

As a result, the Eagles are running the ball effectively, playing the tempo game, and ultimately making aggressive calls on fourth and short with the most devastating move in all of football, the Tush Push, knowing that if they don't convert, Fangio's defense would likely get them the ball back, what with averaging the what with the team averaging the fewest yards per drive and second-fewest points per drive in the NFL.

Throw that all together and what do you have? That's right, a team built to win games in a way few other teams can match, and that's not to mention Philadelphia's incredible passing attack, which has sat like a sleeping giant all season long, with DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown, and Dallas Goedert all showing the occasional glimpses of what they can do but the trio never all putting it together in the same game, what with Barkley rushing the ball just 16 fewer times than Hurts threw it in 2024's regular season.

Will all eyes be on Philadelphia's Offensive Player of the Year candidate every time the pride of Penn State takes the field? Yes, even if the Rams aren't particularly well versed at stopping the run, what with their rushing defense ranking 22nd overall and their front seven loaded up with youngsters with less than four years of NFL experience, Shula will have it nailed into his players' heads to watch 26 at all times.

Still, if both teams pretty much know that is going to happen, the Eagles have an opportunity at their hands to exploit that, with Barkley potentially playing a decoy role to set up bigger passing opportunities down the field. If that happens, the Eagles have a pretty good chance of pulling out the win, but even if they don't, Fangio's defense will keep them in the game either way, as he's turned in more than a dozen top-tier efforts in his maiden voyage in the City of Brotherly Love.