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NFC Championship Game
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Philadelphia Eagles 55, Washington Commanders 23
In the end, this year's NFC Championship Game was nowhere near as competitive as I had assumed it would be. Although that is a bit deceptive, since in fact, the Eagles were only up 34-23 when the fourth quarter started, and for the first few minutes of that final quarter.
Then to their credit, however, the Eagles just absolutely blew the game open. They scored a touchdown to go up 41-23. Washington needed a miracle. But a few minutes later, it was Saquon Barkley and Philly who scored again, ending any real suspense. Then yet another TD by Will Shipley for the Eagles, to make the final score look like this was an absolute blowout.
It was not really a massive blowout like the score would suggest. Yet, there also was no doubt that Philly earned a convincing win in this one.
Washington had enjoyed their best season overall in many years. Even, arguably, decades. They finished the season 12-5, the most wins in franchise history since 1991, which also happened to be the last time that this franchise saw as deep a postseason run as they did this year. Entering this game, the Commanders had enjoyed a seven game winning streak, having won the final five regular season games, then earned impressive road wins at Tampa Bay and then Detroit, before falling in this game in Philadelphia. They have a young star quarterback who seems to have a very promising future in Jayden Daniels. Indeed, it sure seems like they have a very bright future ahead of them.
Philly's offense was just more opportunistic, and capitalized better on their opportunities. The Eagles produced 459 yards and 28 first downs on offense, compared to 300 yards and 22 first downs by Washington. The two teams were almost even in terms of time of possession, but the big story proved to be turnovers. While Philadelphia committed no turnovers, Washington had four. And they proved very costly.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown for Philadelphia. Hurts also added 16 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. Barkley led all backs on the ground, as he pounded out 118 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. A.J. Brown hd six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Dallas Goedert got 85 yards on 7 catches. A very impressive day overall for Philly's offense. Even the special teams looked good for Philly, Will Shipley 88 yards on 3 returns, while Kenneth Gainwell earned 39 yards on his 2 returns.
Solid.
In a losing cause for the Commanders, quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 29 of 48 passes for 255 yards, with one TD and one INT. Daniels also 48 yards and a touchdown on six carries, leading all Washington backs in running. He had an impressive game individually, even though it proved not to be enough in the end.
Yet if Washington appears to be a team for the future, the Eagles are the team of the present, at least in the NFC. This marked the fourth straight season that they have qualified for the playoffs. More importantly, this is the third Super Bowl appearance for this franchise since the 2017-18 season. So they have been one of the most consistent top teams in the NFC in the past eight years, along with the San Francisco 49ers, who were last year's NFC champs.
The Eagles returned to the big game behind a solid offensive line, and the incredible running of Saquon Barkley, who appears to be one of the best running backs of the modern era. Also, Philly's defense can be quite stingy, as both the Rams and the Commanders can attest from their postseason meetings.
Entering this Super Bowl, the Eagles are set for a rematch from the Super Bowl two years ago, when they faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Once again, the Eagles will face KC in the big game. That one went down to the wire, and was decided on the game's final play. This is the closest thing to an outright rematch since the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys met in consecutive Super Bowls back in the nineties.
It should be interesting. 459 yards 28 300 22
My pick: Accurate
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