PHILADELPHIA − Everything was going against the Eagles.

The snow, which picked up after the first quarter, was practically blinding when Jalen Hurts, already hobbled by a knee injury, tried to throw from the end zone and ended up taking a sack for a safety, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 1 point.

That’s when the Eagles’ top-ranked defense recovered two straight Rams fumbles that led to two field goals. Then Saquon Barkley delivered what should’ve been the knockout punch with a 78-touchdown run, his second long TD run of the game, with 4:36 left.

But Jake Elliott missed his second extra point of the game, giving Rams life.

And the Rams nearly snatched it from the Eagles, getting to the Eagles’ 13 with 1:14 left, trailing by 6. That’s when Jalen Carter sacked Rams QB Matthew Stafford for a 13-yard loss on 3rd-and-2. Stafford threw incomplete on 4th-and-15 with 31 seconds left.

Finally, the Eagles could exhale with a 28-22 win as they advanced to the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Washington Commanders, who beat the top-seeded Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night.

But oh, it was harrowing.

“That was not fun. That wasn’t fun at all, man,” wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “Tough game. Tough conditions. You make the most of it and try to get the win, and I’m glad we did.”

What was Brown thinking on the sidelines as Stafford had that one last chance?

“Get to Stafford. Please get to him,” Brown said. “He’s an incredible talent. Those guys started catching the ball like it wasn’t snowing at the end. I was nervous, and the defense showed up.”

So did Barkley.

He finished with 205 yards on 26 carries, breaking Steve Van Buren’s franchise playoff record of 196 yards set in the 1949 NFL Championship game.

“Given the conditions or not the conditions, it doesn’t matter,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about Barkley. “It’s a luxury to have him, that’s for darn sure. Love him. I can’t say enough good things about him and the leadership he brings to this football team. He’s special.”

Barkley had to be special.

That’s because Hurts went down in a tie game late in the third quarter when he was sacked by Jaylen McCullough at the Rams’ 27 yard line. Hurts was slow to get up and was limping. He stayed in the game and handed off to Barkley on third down.

Elliott hit a 44-yard field goal for a 3-point lead as Hurts hobbled to the medical tent, where he remained during the Rams’ possession.

The Rams punted, and just like that, Hurts popped out of the tent and back onto the field. But the Eagles were at their 4 yard line. And one play later, Hurts was sacked in the end zone for a safety, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 16-15 late in the third quarter.

“Tough game. A challenging game,” said Hurts, who went 15-for-20 passing for 128 yards, but was sacked 7 times. “I was able to finish the game, and we will see how the week goes.”

Later, Hurts said he’s confident he will play against the Commanders.

That he’ll have the chance is because the defense went to work when the Eagles punted the ball back to the Rams following the safety.

The Rams’ Kyren Williams fumbled the ball away as Isaiah Rodgers, replacing Quinyon Mitchell who left with a shoulder injury, recovered the ball and returned it 40 yards to the Rams’ 10.

But Barkley’s 1-yard TD run on third down was overturned by replay. The Eagles were going for it on fourth down, but Lane Johnson was called for a false start, forcing Elliott to kick a field goal for a 4-point lead.

Then Nolan Smith’s second sack of the game forced Stafford to fumble, and Zack Baun recovered at the Rams’ 40. That turned into another field goal for a 22-15 lead with 6:18 remaining.

“We had a blitz, a good call, and I just worked my move,” Smith said. “I got there when (Stafford) had the ball. I was just trying to get the ball out.”

By this time, the snow was blinding.

The Eagles had already missed several chances to take control of the game.

That was evident late in the first half, when Barkley’s catch and run converted a 3rd-and-14 from the Eagles’ 5, leading by 3. Barkley caught a swing pass in the end zone, broke a few tackles and gained 16 yards for a first down.

The Eagles continued down the field as Kenny Gainwell gained 10 yards on back-to-back plays followed by Hurts’ 13-yard run.

Then Hurts, from the Rams’ 37, threw deep into the end zone. But Brown couldn’t hold onto the ball. Hurts was then sacked and fumbled, which Gainwell recovered, and the Eagles didn’t score as the half ended.

“Not good, man,” Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said about the pass protection. “It’s the same thing we talk about every week, the communication side … (The Rams) did a good job running some games and pops, taking us off our levels.”

Hurts opened the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run, keeping the ball on a zone-read with Barkley, then taking off through a hole to his right. But Elliott, for the second straight game, missed an extra point.

That loomed large when the Rams answered on Stafford’s 4-yard TD pass to Tyler Higbee, giving the Rams a 7-6 lead. Barkley answered later in the first quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run.

That’s when the snow picked up. Meanwhile, the Rams stayed close.

That is, until Barkley took off down the left sideline with less than 5 minutes left, going for a 78-yard TD run that gave the Eagles a 13-point lead.

“I knew exactly what was about to happen,” Hurts said. “Just the run we had on, how they were playing the run, and then the man you’re handing the ball off to. You know that there’s an opportunity to take advantage of it, and he took advantage of it. It was a big-time play we needed.”

It seemed like Barkley had called “game.” But the Rams, and the snow, kept coming.

That is, until Carter sacked Stafford on third down, leading to a fourth-down play that had no chance.

“I was focused on trying to finish the game,” Carter said. “After that sack, I was trying to get everybody together to tell them we had one more play left to make.

“It came down to the last second, and now everybody can celebrate.”

For one snowy night, anyway.

Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.