One Win From The Big One — Commanders at Eagles NFC Championship Preview
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Well folks, here we are again. Two years after hosting the NFC Championship game against a rookie quarterback, the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the conference title, once against hosting a team led by a rookie quarterback. Last time it was the San Francisco 49ers, this time around, it’s a division rival in the Washington Commanders.
Just one year ago the Commanders finished the season 4-13, had fired head coach Ron Riveria after the season, and were set to pick second in that upcoming year’s draft. On top of that, they were still adjusting to the ownership change that took place before that season. The Commanders weren’t in a great spot, but they turned it around.
They hired Dan Quinn who previously head coached the Atlanta Falcons, signed multiple veteran free agents in Frankie Luvu, Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, and Bobby Wagner, and drafted Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick. Right away people began to see that this Washington team was different than previous seasons.
The main difference was the play in Daniels, who began to show flashes of greatness. His rushing ability combined with his skillful arm and ability to create offense and big plays, showed people that the Commanders just may have drafted their next franchise quarterback. The rest of the offense and defense began playing great football, beating team after team on their way to a 12-5 record and No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs.
In the playoffs, they battled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 23-20 win on the road thanks to a game-winning field goal from Zane Gonzalez and then traveled to Detriot to take on the No. 1 seed Lions. The Commanders put on an incredible offensive and defensive performance to upset the top seed and make the NFC Championship game for the first time in over three decades.
Then there’s the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have rode a historic rushing season from free agent running back Saquon Barkley as well as a dominant defensive unit led by former head coach and now defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Nick Sirianni’s team has a chance to make its second Super Bowl in three years, with a chance to make it a rematch of Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles picked up a 22-10 win in the Wild Card round over the Green Bay Packers. The Birds defense forced four Packers turnovers and picked off starting quarterback Jordan Love three times in the win. In the Divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Barkley continued to ride his regular season success into the playoffs with another historic performance against the Rams’ defense. In a snow-filled game, Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns leading the Eagles to a 28-22 win.
It will be a clear sky day with temperatures in the low 40s, nothing like last week’s game. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is coming off a left knee injury but should be good to good. For the Commanders they’ll be without starting guard Sam Cosmi who suffered an ACL tear last week.
During the regular season, the Eagles and the Commanders split their two matchups with both teams winning their games at home. The Eagles who are home this weekend, are -6 point favorites, as well as being the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. The Commanders may be the underdogs but they are playing with house money and feel they have nothing to lose. It will be a battle between these two division rivals with a chance for a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana for Super Bowl LIX.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
