LOS ANGELES -- Upwards of 2,000 credentials were distributed, which is about 500 more than usual. The Fox pregame show will be staged onsite, live from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. And the only tickets available at the start of the week were on the secondary market, a first this season.

Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles isn't just one of the biggest games this week, it's the biggest NFL game that L.A. has experienced in decades.

You have to go all the way back to 1993, when the now-Oakland Raiders made a playoff run, to find equally relevant professional football in this city. And you have to go all the way back to 1983 to find the only other game between two teams averaging at least 30 points this late in the season, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Eagles (10-2) and Rams (9-3) each come into their Week 14 matchup averaging 30.08 points per game, tops in the NFL.

The Eagles lead with a plus-146 point differential; the Rams are second at plus-139.

"It's a great opportunity to play in a game like this," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "It's a credit to both teams."

Their ascensions have roots in the 2016 draft, when the Rams selected Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick and the Eagles countered with Carson Wentz at No. 2. Goff and Wentz are represented by the same agency, Rep 1 Sports, and spent the weeks leading up to the combine training together in Southern California. They pushed each other, built a respect for each other. And they have spent a lot of this season watching each other.

Goff and Wentz make up only the seventh quarterback duo to be selected with the first two picks in the common draft era, which dates back to 1967, and are off to better starts than any of the previous six.

"Obviously we'll be forever linked because of the draft and everything, and I think we're both excited for this game and just for those matchups in the future," Wentz said. "But at the end of the day, they're a great football team and so are we right now. So there's a lot riding on this one just because we've got two good NFC opponents. There's a lot more at stake than just me versus Jared."

With a win, the Eagles can clinch the NFC East and bump their chances of locking up a first-round bye to 97 percent. If the Rams win, they would maintain at least a one-game lead over the division-rival Seattle Seahawks -- their opponent next week -- and position themselves among the top two seeds in the NFC.

The Rams will probably be without wide receiver Robert Woods and outside linebacker Connor Barwin, but they're hoping inside linebacker Alec Ogletree can return from a hyperextended left elbow. The Eagles may be without star tight end Zach Ertz, who remains in concussion protocol.

Wentz leads the NFL with 29 touchdown passes, with Ertz, Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery catching seven each. But the Eagles also rank second in rushing yards per game and are averaging an NFL-leading 68.0 yards after initial contact, thanks to a stout offensive line and the two-pronged attack of Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount.

Defensively, the Eagles have allowed the NFL's fewest rushing yards and have forced a three-and-out on 42.8 percent of possessions, on pace to be the best rate since the 2011 New York Jets, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"They’re great in every aspect of the game -- special teams, offense, defense, you name it," Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "They’ve got great players on all sides."

The Rams are tied for the NFL lead in points per game just one season after finishing dead last, their 16.1-point increase on pace to top the 1999 Rams for the largest year-to-year increase since the 1970 merger. Under McVay, Goff's passer rating has improved from 63.6 to 98.4 and Todd Gurley has vaulted himself back into prominence, while tied for the NFL lead with 11 touchdowns and second with 1,502 scrimmage yards.

The Rams' defense, led by Aaron Donald, ranks third in sacks per attempt (9.5 percent) and tied for fourth in forced turnovers (21). Eagles coach Doug Pederson was a backup quarterback in the NFL while Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was well into his coaching career.

"I've known him for a lot of years, and I think he's done an outstanding job wherever he's gone," said Pederson, who is seemingly battling McVay for Coach of the Year honors. "You're seeing it in the style of play and the aggressive nature that the defense presents."

The Rams and Eagles have each experienced unconventional weeks. The Eagles stayed on the West Coast after last Sunday's loss to the Seahawks and trained out of Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Rams were affected by wildfires that have devastated Ventura and L.A. counties, cancelling practice Wednesday and practicing through heavy winds Thursday. But both coaches shrugged off the logistical impacts on their respective preparations.

Given the talent and success on both sides, ESPN's Football Power Index gave Eagles-Rams the third-highest pregame matchup quality of any game this season.

"This is a game everybody’s been anticipating," Gurley said. "You get excited for games like this. Go out there and compete. You’ve got to beat the best in order to be the best, and that’s what both teams are going out there to try to do.”