Braving the snow and the Philadelphia crowd, the Los Angeles Rams brought the fight to the Philadelphia Eagles. At 28-15, with around 5 minutes to go, the clash looked done and dusted. It looked like the Eagles are going to the Conference championship to take on Washington Commanders. But no. 4 MINUTES 36 SECONDS STILL LEFT ON THE CLOCK and the Rams weren’t going to take it laying down.

They pushed hard, with Matthew Stafford pulling the strings. 1 touchdown, and conversion – 7 points. 6 more points left to overturn. Can they do it? Can they steal victory from the jaws of sure defeat? ….. Unfortunately, they couldn’t. They just couldn’t score another touchdown as the Eagles managed to run the clock down. A gut punch for the Rams, and especially for linebacker Jared Verse.

Verse was hurt, and he didn’t hide it while talking to the reporters after the game: “I don’t want my teammates to feel like this again. I only want to look in their eyes and see anything but pure bliss and pure happiness. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” So much dejection, a determination to not let his brothers go through something like this again. Verse is indirectly letting everyone know that this is not the end. They will be back. He wants head coach Sean McVay to know that he is hungry. He won’t let this break him.

It was a close encounter where anyone could have won, especially the way the LA Rams were pressing towards the end, on the 21-yard line with the score reading 28-22. They even managed to drive to the red zone with around a minute left. But Stafford got sacked on the third down and the 2022 Super Bowl winner couldn’t connect with Puka Nacua on the fourth as the Eagles survived. Such a cruel defeat to take.

A playoff exit like this will keep the Rams players awake at night, contemplating that on another day, they could have won the same game. It can break your spirit. However, despite the pain, like a true leader, Verse is already ready to go again. He is so driven that he has taken the responsibility to turn the Rams’ fortunes in the next season. And it’s not an outrageous claim. He is a bulldozer.

Jared Verse’s dominant performance in Rams’ exit and what the future holds

In this aching loss, there were positives the LA Rams can take into the next season – one of them being linebacker Jared Verse. After an amazing season, the 6’4 unit of pure power and speed was once again a wall against the Green and Whites. With the authority and decisiveness with which he acted as a pass rusher, forcing 2 sacks himself and inspiring the defense to sack the Eagles QB Jalen Hurts 7 times, the 24-year-old has been a standout rookie this season.

His performance has put him in contention for the official Defensive Rookie of the Year. Scoring 77 pressures in the regular season, 4th in the list of edge rushers in pressures, and being among the top 10 edge rushers in the league this season with 35 stops, he has been one of the best surprises to come out of the Rams roster. And the way the guy didn’t shy away from taking responsibility, Verse will most probably be the next captain of the Rams.

And aside from him, the Rams have a young squad, especially the defensive line. Youth is a mark of inexperience, but with time, if there is talent, the young defensive unit can become one of the best. Think of how Verse will be the centerpiece of the puzzle, around whom the Rams can build a sturdy D-line.

And besides that, the Rams will probably look at a few reinforcements. Are they thinking about Stafford? He will be 37 this February. Yes, the Philadelphia game wasn’t his best. Still, nothing too hasty. The Rams should come back fresh and start rebuilding again. Being in championship contention next season won’t be an outrageous prediction. They almost took Philadelphia down.We will have to see what the Rams do in the 2025 NFL Draft. They should not lament what has gone by. Learn from it. And with Jared Verse by their side, they should start planning for the next playoffs. And Verse intends to go all the way, isn’t it?