The addition of Saquon Barkley and hard lessons learned helped elevate the Eagles back into the big game.
The addition of Saquon Barkley and hard lessons learned helped elevate the Eagles back into the big game.
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles delivered a complete game at the most opportune of times, punching their ticket to Super Bowl LIX with a decisive 55-23 win over the upstart Washington Commanders in the NFC title game Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Questions about Jalen Hurts‘ health swirled all week after he injured his left knee against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. Hurts not only looked healthy, but he also had one of his best games of the season, totaling four touchdowns, including three on the ground.
MVP candidate Saquon Barkley got the party started with a 60-yard run on the Eagles’ first offensive play of the game and finished with three touchdowns. He and Hurts became the first pair of teammates to have at least three rushing touchdowns each in a playoff game in NFL history.
Meanwhile, the defense was its usual, takeaway-generating self, helping to force a total of three Washington turnovers.
The season is over for the Commanders, but rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels announced his arrival in a big way this season. There is hope in the Washington area for the first time in a long time that the Commanders can be a threat in the NFC for years to come.
For now, the conference crown belongs to the Eagles. It was just two years ago they fought their way to the Super Bowl, only to be denied by the Kansas City Chiefs. A difficult year ensued that included a late-season collapse, the firing of both coordinators and questions about the status of head coach Nick Sirianni.
The addition of Barkley and some hard lessons learned from 2023 helped elevate the Eagles back into the big game. They’ll be looking to capture just the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Promising trend: Receiver A.J. Brown had a breakout game after a quiet postseason to this point. Brown, who has been working through a knee injury, had just three receptions for 24 yards combined in his first two playoff games. He looked much more like his normal self against the Commanders, hauling in six grabs for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Pivotal play: After going up 20-12 with just under two minutes to play on a Hurts quarterback sneak, the Eagles’ special teams forced a turnover on the ensuing kickoff when Will Shipley jarred the ball loose from Jeremy McNichols. Seven plays later, Hurts found Brown for a 4-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 15 before the half.
Eye-popping stat: Hurts now has four career games with 200 passing yards and three rushing TDs, including playoffs. No other player has more than one such game in NFL history, regular season and playoffs. — Tim McManus
Next game: Super Bowl LIX vs. Chiefs/Bills (Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
Washington Commanders (12-5)
A dream season ended in a nightmare for the Washington Commanders.
A team that had taken good care of the ball and forced turnovers in its first two postseason wins failed to do either Sunday, and it cost the Commanders. A team with a stronger roster flexed its muscles and reminded the upstart Commanders that they need more work to close the gap between the teams.
The Commanders turned the ball over four times, leading to 28 points. The Washington defense, which forced five turnovers to help beat Detroit in the divisional round, could force only two punts and had no takeaways. The defense also struggled to stop the run, allowing 232 yards Sunday.
It was not the desired ending to Washington’s first trip to the championship game since the 1991 season. The Commanders went from 4-13 a season ago to 12-5 amidst great organizational change. General manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn overhauled the roster, and Daniels provided the final — and perhaps greatest — reason for hope.
Troubling trend: Cornerback Marshon Lattimore did not make the desired impact after Washington acquired him from New Orleans ahead of the trade deadline. He was beaten in crucial moments against the Eagles, including giving up 31 yards on a fourth-and-5 pass. He was slowed by a hamstring injury this season but, regardless, in two games versus Philadelphia he was flagged five times and lost his composure in the first half Sunday.
Pivotal play: On the ensuing series after Barkley sprinted 60 yards for a touchdown, Washington receiver Dyami Brown fumbled at the Washington 48-yard line — the Commanders’ first turnover this postseason. The Eagles turned it into another touchdown six plays later. A 14-3 lead left Washington chasing them all day — a bad place to be against an explosive team.
QB breakdown: Daniels was not able to play Superman again Sunday, and that’s what Washington needed, especially after turning the ball over four times with one interception. Daniels played a solid game — 255 yards passing with one touchdown and 48 rushing with another score — and did not look like a rookie. He wasn’t the reason Washington lost and remains the No. 1 reason for optimism for the future. — John Keim
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