Matthew Stafford played in one Super Bowl with the Rams and won. Jalen Hurts played in one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short.

Both quarterbacks aim to return to the NFL’s biggest stage.

One will take a step toward that goal on Sunday when the Rams play the Eagles in an NFC divisional-round game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“I’m enjoying the hell out of it,” Stafford, a 16th-year pro, said of the preparation. “I know the guys on our team are doing the same.

“Just trying to lead as best I can to help us give ourselves the best chance we can to get a win and keep it moving.”

Hurts, a fifth-year pro, is similarly wired.

“I don’t play the game for anything other than to win,” he told Philadelphia reporters this week.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dominated strategy discussion in the lead-up to the game, specifically focused on whether he could come close to repeating his 255-yard rushing performance against the Rams in November.

But Stafford and Hurts could dictate which team moves on to play the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.

Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams are 1-4 against the Eagles.

Twice, Hurts played a key role in defeating them.

In 2023, he passed for 303 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in a 23-14 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Two months ago, also at SoFi Stadium, Hurts passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 39 yards in a Barkley-dominated 37-20 win.

Hurts’ ability to pass and run on designed and off-schedule plays makes him “a nightmare,” to play against, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

“He’s very calm back there in the pocket,” Shula said. “He has a great O-line that he trusts and he’ll stand back there forever if you let him.”

And if the pocket collapses?

“He’s able to find the little holes here and there, the little creases,” Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said. “He doesn’t always want to run. Sometimes, he can just make that big play, which is different from most quarterbacks.”

In last Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers, Hurts completed his first six passes. But his next seven fell incomplete. In the second half, he completed seven of eight, finishing the game with 131 yards passing and two touchdown passes.

“He wins,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told Philadelphia reporters this week. “He’s been playing efficient, and we do what we need to do to win every game.

“And Jalen does what he needs to do to win every game, and will continue to do that and not apologize for it.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stiff arms a Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine during the Eagles’ wild-card playoff win on Jan. 12.

(Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)

Hurts’ role, and the Eagles’ approach, is different every game, the quarterback told Philadelphia reporters.

“And you just want to go out there and do your job, take advantage of opportunities,” he said, adding, “Ultimately, it’s about winning the game. We’re talking about playoff football.”

In each of the last two games against the Eagles, Stafford passed for more than 222 yards and two touchdowns.

In last Monday’s wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he completed his first 10 passes and finished 19 of 27 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

His most savvy play might have been his decision to flick the ball forward just as he was about to be sacked in the second quarter with the Rams holding a 10-3 lead. Officials initially ruled that Stafford had fumbled and that the Vikings had returned it for a touchdown. But upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass.

“You don’t coach that,” McVay said. “That’s not something that we would be telling a young quarterback to go ahead and do if that same situation arises. Matthew has earned the right to be able to do some things differently.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass during an NFC wild-card playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 13.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford’s “talent and his know-how” stand out, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told Philadelphia reporters.

“He’s still one of the top passers in the league,” Fangio said. “Very, very smart, can read coverages better than most, if not one of the top two or three.

“Still has tremendous arm talent. Can put the ball anywhere.”

Stafford and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay were Detroit Lions teammates for seven seasons.

Slay, a 2017 All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl pick, went against Stafford in practice, watched him in games and has played against him twice since signing with the Eagles in 2020.

Stafford remains a top-five quarterback, Slay said.

“I don’t know why folks [are] leaving him out of that conversation,” Slay said, “because there’s not many quarterbacks that have the arm talent, the guy that’s seen every coverage that’s possible, and can make all the throws.”

The Eagles must pressure Stafford, sack him on occasion and disrupt the Rams’ pass routes, Slay said.

“Because if they’re not disrupted enough, it’s going to be a good day for him,” he said, “and we don’t need a good day for him.”

Stafford is 5-1 in postseason games with the Rams. Hurts is 3–3 in the playoffs.

Three seasons ago, Stafford achieved a career highlight when he passed for two touchdowns in the Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

A year later, in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for another only to see the Eagles fall short in the final seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Whichever quarterback emerges with a victory Sunday puts another Super Bowl appearance within reach.

“I think back to the first day of training camp, how you’re feeling, and all the things that are going through your mind,” said Stafford, who will turn 37 two days before the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. “Looking at the end of the calendar and thinking about how long of a journey that is is sometimes overwhelming and a little bit daunting.

“But to be here now, to have worked through all the things that we’ve worked through as a team and as an individual, to get to this point and have the opportunities that we have in front of us is really fun.”

SAN FRANCISCO —  Nearly a week ago, Lakers coach JJ Redick and LeBron James spoke about the margins of the game, the things that help provide cushion and cover for a team when it’s not perfect. Both said, internally, there weren’t great options for the Lakers to extend those margins.

In some ways, only a massive roster reconstruction would fix the problem. James will always be 40. Anthony Davis will always have his issues in transition defense because of the way he crashes toward the hoop. The Lakers will always lose the mathematical battle because of their lower volume of three-point attempts.

But on Saturday, one player showed in his first 12 minutes of the season the ways he could provide the Lakers with a little more room for error.

Jarred Vanderbilt, out since Feb. 1 because of foot injuries, checked in during the second quarter of the Lakers’ 118-108 win over the Golden State Warriors and immediately made an impact, delivering a much-needed boost that his skill set can provide.

“Vando was awesome,” Redick said. “Did all the things that we need him to do.”

Vanderbilt’s only bucket came on an offensive rebound, but he had three steals and four rebounds, extending possessions on the offensive end and closing them out on the defensive side.

“I knew I might be a little rusty coming in and as far as rhythm and knowing the plays and all that stuff,” Vanderbilt said. “So my main goal was just to go in there and play hard. Bring the energy and then everything else — just control the controllable and everything else will play its hand.”

It was these little things he provided that stood out as the Lakers turned in another 48 minutes of good basketball to win their third straight game.

“It looked like he didn’t miss a beat,” James said. “I mean, he’s flying around. What he does don’t even always show up in the box score.”

Vanderbilt’s contributions proved valuable for a Lakers team that was forced to make starter Rui Hachimura a late scratch because of a calf injury.

Max Christie and Gabe Vincent, two other players tasked with helping the Lakers with the little things, defended Stephen Curry wonderfully, limiting the Warriors star to 13 points on four-for-17 shooting, Curry missing all eight of his second-half attempts.

“It’s Steph, man,” James said. “Just hope that he miss. Put bodies in front of him and just hope that he miss.”

Davis dominated the Warriors’ depleted frontcourt, which was missing Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, for 36 points and 13 rebounds. James had 25 points and 12 assists and Austin Reaves had 16 points and seven assists.

“The last two games, our three best players have played really well and everyone else has starred in their roles,” Redick said. “And that’s what a great team is, is guys starring in their roles. And so for Vando, him starring his role, Gabe starring his role, Max Christie starring his role, Jaxson Hayes starring his role, all those guys. … That creates a margin for us to become a great team.”

The Lakers (25-18) continue their Grammys trip Monday in Charlotte.

“We have to be ready to play every single game, regardless of who we’re playing,” Reaves said. “We need to go into every game playing to continue to get better. And we can’t take our foot off the gas. We gotta do that every single game and hopefully we have a good trip.”

What could overshadow Tony DeAngelo’s first game as an Islander — and his first game back in the NHL after a KHL stint that had looked like the end of his NHL career?

How about the roaring Islanders comeback that played out on Saturday night at UBS Arena, ending on Brock Nelson’s overtime winner to cap a 3-2 victory over the Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall-infused Hurricanes?

For good measure, how about the Islanders playing the whole game with five defenseman after Ryan Pulock got hurt on the first shift, then losing goaltender Marcus Hogberg to injury right before the extra period?

So much happened in 62:03 of game time on Saturday that you almost forgot: With their fourth straight victory, the Islanders are over NHL .500 for the first time since mid-November.

“There was a lot of energy and a lot of heart being given tonight,” Anders Lee said after a win that qualified as both the most emotional and most entertaining of the season for an Islanders team that has dug in its heels and absolutely refused to quit on their playoff chances, however minute. “I thought all four lines were skating as hard as they could. We were battling, grinding this one out. And look — these guys [Carolina] are the ones that have been knocking us out.”

Forty-eight games in, the Islanders’ season is hitting an inflection point in these weeks before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

What happens now dictates whether or not a team that’s trying desperately to prove it can still be a contender will get a chance to do so post-March 7.

Just like their general manager, Lou Lamoriello, the team is refusing to cede an inch of ground.

There was an abundance of story here, but start with the comeback itself against a team that’s been a litmus test against which the Islanders have fallen short the past two postseasons.

After the Islanders spent much of the second period knocking on the door, the score stuck at 2-1 with the home side having given up a pair before Alexander Romanov cut the deficit in half at the end of the first period, their breakthrough finally came 6:26 into the third.

Anders Lee followed Bo Horvat’s initial shot by jamming it into the net, putting paid to the momentum the Islanders had steadily built for 30-plus minutes.

That opened up what had been a tight match with the Islanders steadily controlling possession into a track meet, with the teams trading chances throughout the rest of a highly entertaining third period.

With Andrei Svechnikov’s shot off the crossbar being the closest either team got to a winner in regulation, though, it took three-on-three overtime to settle things.

Even that came with a twist, as Hogberg — who had played through an apparent injury that got steadily worse throughout the third — went up the tunnel before overtime, ceding the net to Ilya Sorokin.

Nelson then netted the winner from Kyle Palmieri on an odd-man rush, and the whole place went batty.

“We were resilient, but more than that, we showed character,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Down 2-0 in the past, it could have been worse. We stopped the bleeding. I was very proud of the way the guys played and stuck to it.”

Even with the Islanders on a decent run for the moment — they have won seven of nine and are inarguably playing their best hockey of the season — accomplishing the goal of making the playoffs is still the longest of long shots.

Most other general managers would have looked at the standings a few weeks ago and pivoted; not Lamoriello. Signing DeAngelo was another way of doubling down.

The newly minted No. 4 made his debut under tough circumstances, being asked to skate 25:10 in a system he does not know without so much as a full practice, the Islanders being forced to rely on five defenseman after Pulock got hurt.

DeAngelo held his own, which was about as much as anyone could have reasonably demanded.

“I don’t think I was expecting those minutes,” DeAngelo said. “I thought our team played really well.”

Pulock’s injury, though, complicates things even more. It was his three-point game in Boston early this month which helped kick the Islanders into high gear, and his renewed partnership with Adam Pelech has been a factor on a near-nightly basis.

There’s no timeline for now — all Roy would say after the game was Pulock and Hogberg both have upper-body injuries — but if Pulock does miss an extended period, the Islanders have just lost two of their most irreplaceable players in the span of a week.

Little about their situation was ideal before that became a factor. Things are now even tougher.

And still they march on.