INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Saquon Barkley ran for touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards in the second half and finished with an Eagles-record 255 yards rushing in the Philadelphia Eagles’ seventh consecutive victory, 37-20 over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.

Barkley racked up the ninth-most yards rushing in a game in NFL history, thanks in large part to his huge TD runs that bookended the second half. He sprinted for a 70-yard score in the opening moments of the third quarter, he added another huge run through the middle with 2:44 to play.

Barkley totaled 302 yards while becoming the first NFL player with two 70-yard TD runs in a game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009. Barkley leads the league with 1,392 yards rushing, including a career-best seven 100-yard rushing games in the competition. his seismic first season with Philadelphia.

Averaging 9.8 yards per carry, Barkley destroyed the Eagles franchise record of 217 yards rushing set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. He also had the all-time leading rushing performance against the Rams, surpassing DeMarco Murray’s 253 yards for Dallas in 2011.

AJ Brown caught six passes for 109 yards and a TD from Jalen Hurts, who threw for 179 yards, as NFC East-leading Philadelphia (9-2) blazed away in a 24-point second half.

The Eagles improved to 4-0 against the Los Angeles-area Rams since the franchise returned home, but they led just 13-7 at halftime despite dominating both sides of the ball in the second quarter.

Barkley started the third by cutting through the heart of LA’s defense and past the Eagles’ sideline for his ninth rushing touchdown. It was the second-longest streak in the longtime Giants star’s seven-year career.

Kyren Williams rushed for a score and Demarcus Robinson caught a TD pass for the Rams (5-6), who lost their second straight home game.

Matthew Stafford passed for 243 yards while being sacked five times by Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense, and Los Angeles couldn’t keep up with a Super Bowl contender in the second half after just its second loss in six games. Puka Nacua had nine catches for 117 yards, and Cooper Kupp caught a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:07 to play.

Barkley had just 73 yards rushing in the first half for Philadelphia, which led 13-7 after Hurts hit Brown for a 6-yard score with 1:27 left on a play that was initially ruled incomplete but was overturned by video review.

Barkley broke open the game and the Rams’ defense with his run up the middle to start the third quarter. Los Angeles answered that 70-yard dash with Robinson’s short touchdown catch, his career-best sixth of the season, but Kenneth Gainwell rushed for a 13-yard touchdown moments later, one play after Barkley’s catch-and-run from 31 meters in third place. and long.

The Eagles held Barkley to a commanding lead late in the game, apparently trying to surpass his previous career-best of 189 yards rushing — and he once again found a gaping hole in the middle of the Los Angeles defense and sprinted away for a new score.

Injuries

Eagles: CB Darius Slay (concussion) left in second half. … WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) sat out for just the third time in his four-year career.

Rams: Starting RT Rob Havenstein (ankle) missed his third straight game, and backup Warren McClendon struggled in pass protection.

Next

Eagles: Next Sunday in Baltimore.

Rams: Next Sunday at New Orleans.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL