Goff vs Wentz in maiden QB matchup

Battling duo ‘forever linked’ by 2016 NFL draft

Rising stars Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will face each other for the first time since being drafted one-two in the 2016 NFL draft when the Los Angeles Rams host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

The careers of Rams quarterback Goff and his Eagles counterpart Wentz will forever be intertwined after Goff was selected first overall and Wentz right behind him.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Goff said of the matchup. “I think it’ll be good to see him, good to talk to him and good to compete on the same field.

“But ultimately I’m competing against their defense and he’s competing against ours and that’s kind of the way it goes.

“Any time you guys ask me about a quarterback matchup, I’m going to say that every time and it’s no different this week.”

There is more than just quarterback bragging rights on the line as the winning team Sunday will have the inside track on home-field advantage in the playoffs and a firstround bye.

A win and the Eagles will improve to 11-2 on the season and clinch their first division title since 2013.

With this being the first season that each quarterback is playing at all-star level, the interest in their clash is building.

“I just have a lot of respect for what he’s done this year,” Goff said.

Said Wentz, “Obviously we’ll be forever linked because of the draft and I think we’re both excited for this game and just for those matchups in the future.

“They’re a great football team and so are we right now, so there’s a lot riding on this one.”

The Rams were forced to alter their practice schedule this week because of wildfires near their training facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

The Los Angeles area has been besieged by raging wildfires this week, including the massive Thomas fire that began 35 kilometers from the Rams training facility and destroyed more than 150 homes.

The fires also caused significant air-quality issues and as far as the game goes, unless the gusty wind conditions suddenly change direction over the next few days, officials said it should go ahead as planned.

After losing to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday, the Eagles find themselves facing a must-win game Sunday against the 9-3 Rams.

A loss for the Eagles and they could wind up number four seed in the NFC by Sunday, behind the Rams, the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.

The Eagles are second in the league in rushing. But their running back-by-committee – Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement – will need to be more active against the Rams.

Wentz had five of the Eagles’ eight rushing first downs against Seattle. In the last two games, he has nine rushing first downs. Offensive co-ordinator Frank Reich said this week that nine rushing first downs in two games is a heavy load for Wentz.

Wentz will also have to contend with the Rams’ excellent pass defense.

In other key games, Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens renew a rivalry which has seen the Steelers win the past two games after losing four straight.

The Ravens will be playing without their top cornerback, Jimmy Smith, who was lost for the season with an Achilles injury last week. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has 10 touchdown passes in the past three games, and eight of those have come at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field.

Elsewhere, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson will need to find a way to move the ball against a Jaguars’ defense that is the class of the NFL as the Seahawks visit Jacksonville.

The Monday night game features the 10-2 New England Patriots travelling to south Florida to battle the Miami Dolphins.