By The Numbers: Veteran Eagles battle upstart Commanders for NFC title
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The NFC Championship Game combatants have been decided, with the playoff-tested Philadelphia Eagles taking on the upstart Washington Commanders on Sunday for the right to play in Super Bowl LIX.
Philadelphia is a familiar face when it comes to playoff football, making an appearance each of the past four seasons and reaching the NFC Championship Game in two of the past three.
They are coming off a 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round that saw running back Saquon Barkley rush for 205 yards with two touchdowns.
The Eagles won the NFC East with a 14-3 record and were one of the best teams in the NFL since their bye in Week 5, winning 14 of their last 15 games.
Philadelphia’s 14-1 record since then was the best in the league and they also led the league with a plus-188 point differential, 15.9 points per game allowed, and an average time of possession of 32:29.
Their lone loss was a 36-33 defeat at the hands of the Commanders in Week 16.
The Eagles’ success on Sunday will rely heavily on quarterback Jalen Hurts’ productivity as he looks to lead his team back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
The 6-foot-1 pivot threw for 2,903 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in the regular season. He only threw for 128 yards in the team’s victory over the Rams but was able to run for 70 yards with a rushing touchdown.
He was also sacked a career-high seven times against the Rams and injured his knee when he was taken down in the third quarter back Rams defensive back Jaylen McCollough. It was the first time Hurts led his team to victory after taking five sacks or more in his career.
Hurts entered the playoffs with injury concerns after sustaining a concussion during the team’s loss to the Commanders in Week 16.
Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett entered the game and threw for 143 yards with a touchdown and interception in the loss. He also started Week 17’s 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys where he threw for 143 yards with a passing and rushing touchdown.
Third-string quarterback Tanner McKee started the regular season finale against the New York Giants, throwing for 269 yards with two touchdowns for the 20-13 victory.
Barkley joined the Eagles as a free agent in the off-season and the 27-year-old running back has become a key factor in the team’s playoff run.
Barkley ran for 119 yards during the team’s 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. He then set an Eagles record with 205 rushing yards during the Eagles win over the Rams.
Entering championship Sunday, Barkley only sits behind Denver Broncos legend Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards in a single season, including playoffs, with 2,329 yards.
Washington enters the NFC Championship Game as a polar opposite to the Eagles, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 campaign.
They stunned the NFC North champion Detroit Lions with a 45-31 win in the divisional round, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 299 yards with two touchdowns.
Daniels, 24, was drafted second overall by the Commanders in 2024 and made an immediate impact by throwing for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions during his rookie season.
He became the first rookie pivot to make it to a championship game since Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers there in 2022. He is looking to become the first rookie quarterback to reach the Super Bowl in NFL history.
One of the weapons Daniels will be relying heavily on will be wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
The 6-foot receiver had 1,096 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns on 82 receptions in the regular season, which was only second to Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals.
McLaurin has 176 receiving yards with two touchdowns on 11 receptions in the Commanders’ two playoff victories.
Washington will also be relying on tight end Zach Ertz, who is facing a franchise he spent nine seasons playing for.
Ertz, 34, was a key factor for the Eagles’ lone Super Bowl victory in 2018, catching the game-winning touchdown with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 41-33.
The 6-foot-5 tight end had 654 receiving yards with seven touchdowns on 66 receptions in his first season playing for the Commanders.
The Commanders are the 11th team in NFL history to make their Conference Championship game after finishing last in their division the year prior since 2002. The last teams to do it were the Bengals and 49ers in 2021 where the Bengals reached the Super Bowl.
Washington and Philadelphia played each other twice during the regular season with the Eagles taking the Week 11 matchup 26-18 and the Commanders responding by winning in Week 17.
Since 2002, there have been four times two teams from the same division met in the Conference Championship game and in three of the four times the higher seed moved on.
In all four occasions, the winning team also went on to win the Super Bowl.