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Rams Accuse Eagless Of Supplying Smelling Salts To $41M Star During Home Win

Sep 22, 2025 


 What looked like an ordinary matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night quickly turned into a source of controversy after the Rams accused the Eagles of supplying smelling salts to their $41 million star, Saquon Barkley, directly on the field just minutes before kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field.

A video circulating on social media appeared to show Barkley crouching down near the sideline, cracking open a small vial, and taking a deep inhale before lining up in the backfield. According to the Rams, the act went beyond simple personal use and raised suspicion that the Eagles themselves had provided the smelling salts — a direct violation of the new NFL ban implemented for the 2025 season.

“This isn’t about rituals or pregame habits. It’s about rules and fairness,” a Rams spokesperson said Monday. “If the home team really supplied smelling salts to a player just before the opening whistle, that’s an unfair competitive edge, and we expect the league to act.”



The Eagles have yet to issue an official comment. Barkley, who signed a four-year, $41 million deal with Philadelphia in March, brushed off the controversy following  the 33–26 win.

“I don’t get caught up in all that talk,” Barkley said postgame. “I just focus on playing ball and doing whatever it takes to help this team win.”

The NFL confirmed it has opened an investigation. While smelling salts are not banned for players’ individual use, teams are prohibited from providing them to players at any time during games.

Any potential punishment would likely come in the form of fines or warnings, not a change to the game’s result. Still, the incident has shined a spotlight on a long-standing sideline ritual that, until now, rarely stirred controversy.

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Eagles Head Coach Announces A.J. Brown To Start On The Bench For Standout Rookie After Poor Performance vs. Broncos
  Philadelphia, PA — the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach confirmed that A.J. Brown will start on the bench in Week 6 against the New York Giants, with the boundary starting spot going to rookie WR Taylor Morin—an undrafted signing out of Wake Forest who flashed through rookie camp and the preseason. The decision follows an underwhelming offensive showing against the Denver Broncos, where several snaps highlighted the unit being out of sync between Brown and Jalen Hurts. On a midfield option route, Hurts read Cover-2 and waited for an inside break into the soft spot, while Brown maintained a vertical stem and widened to the boundary to stretch the corner. The ball fell into empty space and the drive stalled. On a separate red-zone snap, a pre-snap hot-route signal wasn’t locked identically by the pair, resulting in a hurried throw that was broken up. The staff treated it as a reminder about route-depth precision, timing, and pre-snap communication—the micro-details that underpin the Eagles’ offense when January football arrives. Starting Morin is part of a plan to re-establish rhythm: the early script is expected to emphasize horizontal spacing, short choice/option concepts, and over routes off play-action to probe the Giants’ responses. Morin—who has shown strong hands in tight windows and clean timing in the preseason—should give the call sheet a steadier platform, while Brown will be “activated” in high-leverage downs such as 3rd-and-medium, two-minute, and red zone to maximize his body control, early separation, and the coverage gravity that can force New York to roll coverage. Facing the tough call, Brown kept his response brief but competitive:“I can’t accept letting a kid take my spot, but I respect his decision. Let’s see what we’re saying after the game. I’ll practice and wait for my chance. When the ball is in the air, everyone will know who I am.” Operationally, the staff is expected to streamline the call sheet between Hurts and Brown: standardize option-route depths, clearly flag hot signals, and increase game-speed reps in 7-on-7 and team periods so both are “seeing it the same and triggering the same.” Handing the start to Morin also resets the locker-room standard: every role is earned by tape and daily detail—even for a star of Brown’s caliber. If Brown converts the message into cleaner stems and precise landmarks—catching the ball at the spot and on time—the Eagles anticipate early returns: fewer dead drives, better red-zone execution when back-shoulder throws and choice routes are run “in the same language,” and an offense that regains tempo before taking on Big Blue. With Taylor Morin in the opening script, Philadelphia hopes the fresh piece is enough to jump-start the attack from the first series.