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Over the years, cameras have caught NFL players doing some memorable non-football things on the sidelines during games. Tom Brady once hurled an electronic tablet in frustration. Three members of the Seattle Seahawks were fined for eating hot dogs during a 1995 preseason game.
Last Sunday evening in Philadelphia, as the Eagles hosted a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, wide receiver AJ Brown did something arguably even more intriguing.
He sat down and opened a book.
As the Eagles ground out their 22-10 victory, cameras showed Brown on a sideline bench, studying a well-worn paperback. One of the Fox Sports broadcast announcers chuckled. “I haven’t seen too many people read books (during a game),” he said.
The book is called “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life.” It was written by Jim Murphy, a former professional baseball player and self-described “performance coach” who helps athletes build mental toughness.
When disaster strikes and people are hurting, sports can seem so small and unimportant. In the grand scheme of things, a game on a field is nothing compared to the task of losing a loved one or rebuilding a life after losing it all.
But the magic of games is that they can be a salve on painful wounds. A team can become a city’s light in a dark time. In sports-mad Los Angeles, the Rams are embracing that role as wildfires sweep across Southern California.
“All you guys did – you represented exactly what we wanted to be about, men. A city that’s f**king going through a lot of different stuff that can look to you guys and say, ‘I’m proud of that group,’” head coach Sean McVay told the team in the locker room after a stirring win over the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
On the field, the Rams’ challenge gets steeper on Sunday when they play the NFC East champion Eagles on the road in Philadelphia. Off the field, it’s hard to imagine a team playing through a more difficult circumstance.
Players and coaches, including McVay, have had to evacuate their homes. One of the fires began only miles from the organization’s practice facility in Woodland Hills, California. And in the interest of safety, the NFL moved the team’s game against the Vikings from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix, turning what would have been a home playoff game into a neutral site contest in which both Rams and Vikings fans turned out in big numbers.
While the stars on both the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are on offense, it was both teams’ defenses which shone brightest in their respective wild-card victories.
The Rams intercepted Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold once as well as sacking him nine times while the Eagles picked off Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love three times.
And while both units certainly have plenty of game-wrecking talent – Rams rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske have enjoyed breakout seasons while Philly’s Zack Baun and Jalen Carter are difference-makers on both levels – the offensive side of the game could be where the contest is won and lost.
Since totaling 44 points in a high-scoring win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Rams have only scored more than 20 points twice; once in their Week 18 loss with most of the starters sitting and the other coming in their wild-card victory over the Vikings.
They have plenty of offensive weapons – with veteran QB Matthew Stafford, young running back Kyren Williams and the dual receiving threat of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp – but it hasn’t clicked all too often for head coach Sean McVay.
It’s a somewhat similar story for the Eagles who also have a star-studded offense but at times have struggled for chemistry this year.
Outside of Saquon Barkley’s historic season, the passing game has often been a point of consternation between Philadelphia players, with wide receiver AJ Brown even vocalizing his frustrations with his lack of production.
Both offenses could break out and lay a marker down heading for the rest of the postseason.
The teams have played already this season, with the Eagles producing a dominant display to beat the Rams. In that game, Barkley ran for a franchise-record 255 yards.
Here are the two games we’ll be following here today as the NFL’s divisional round comes to a close:
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 3 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
- Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills – 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders are both one win away from the Super Bowl after convincing wins on Saturday. The Chiefs knocked off the Houston Texans 23-14 while the Commanders upset the top-seeded Detroit Lions 45-31.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the Commanders, who won only four games a year ago. But that poor season allowed them to grab quarterback Jayden Daniels in the NFL draft and the rookie has taken the league by storm in his first season, playing with poise as he guides his team deep into the playoffs.
For the Chiefs, it’s about as unremarkable as it gets, though their win was much more competitive than many were expecting. They’ve now won eight straight playoff games and have played in every AFC Championship game since the 2018-19 season.
Read more on what happened last night.
