PHILADELPHIA — It was beginning to look a lot like 2021.
That was the year the Rams went all-in, started fast, endured through a midseason losing streak and then went on to win the Super Bowl.
There is still a long way to go before Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
But the Rams’ collapse on Sunday against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles was no confidence builder.
The Rams blew a 19-point third quarter lead, were set up to possibly win with a last-second field goal and then had that kick blocked and returned for a touchdown in a 33-26 defeat at Lincoln Financial Field.
The stunning defeat ended the Rams (2-1) chances of improving to 3-0 for the first time since their championship season.
The Rams had defeated the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans in their first two games, but the matchup against the Eagles and Saquon Barkley represented the first real test for a team coach Sean McVay has described as the deepest in his eight-plus seasons.
The Rams were returning to the site of last season’s loss to the Eagles in the NFC divisional round.
The conditions were markedly different on Sunday. Instead of frigid weather and snow on the ground, it was sunny and warm.
Perhaps most importantly, Barkley was not running over and through the Rams’ defense for long touchdowns.
On Sunday, the Rams limited Barkley, the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, to 46 yards in 18 carries.
The Rams built a 19-7 halftime lead on Matthew Stafford’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams and Joshua Karty’s four field goals.
And they appeared to seize the momentum on the first series of the second half when Jared Verse sacked Jalen Hurts and forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Nate Landman.
The turnover set up Stafford’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Kyren Williams for a 26-7 lead.
But then the Eagles came alive.
Hurts tossed touchdown passes of 33 yards to tight end Dallas Goedert and nine yards to receiver A.J. Brown.
Suddenly, the Rams’ lead was five points.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles stopped Williams on a fourth-and-one play near midfield.
But Byron Young sacked Hurts on third down and Hurts’ fourth-down pass fell incomplete, giving the Rams the ball with 12:18 left.
And then disaster struck.
With less than nine minutes left, Karty came on for a 36-yard field-goal attempt. Eagles defensive lineman blocked the kick, giving the Eagles an opportunity to take the lead.
The Eagles drove to the four-yard line, and Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a touchdown that — after a two-point conversion pass failed — put the Eagles ahead, 27-26.
Stafford found Puka Nacua twice and Jordan Whittington once for completions that helped move the Rams to the 26, where Jordan Davis blocked Karty’s kick and returned it for a touchdown as time expired.
Stafford completed 19 of 33 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception.
Nacua caught 11 passes for 112 yards, Adams three for 56, including a 44-yard touchdown.
Williams rushed for 94 yards in 20 carries.
Hurts completed 21 of 32 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown.
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