In the NFC postseason, the Washington Commanders learned that turnovers can win games and defense almost always wins championships. The Philadelphia Eagles, however, mentored the Commanders in defense and turnover recoveries on Sunday and won the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field, 55-23, as they advance to New Orleans and Super Bowl LIX.
The Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, 32-29.
The Commanders had two turnovers in the first half that gave the Eagles two touchdowns and a 12-point lead at halftime. In the second half, the Eagles recovered a fumble by running back Austin Ekeler at the end of the third quarter and it was a back-breaker for the Commanders. Down 34-23, the Commanders were driving to cut the lead to one score but the Ekeler fumble gave the Eagles the ball at their own 49-yard line.
Following a 19-yard completion from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to wide receiver A.J. Brown, and a nine-yard catch by tight end Dallas Goeddert, running back Saquon Barkley caught a flat pass and rumbled to the two-yard line to give the Eagles a 1st and goal early in the fourth quarter. After a number of offsides penalties by the Commanders, a “brotherly shove” touchdown by Hurts on second and goal with inches to go gave the Eagles a 41-23 lead with 12:21 remaining in the game.
The Eagles’ defense then started to tee off on Commanders pro bowl rookie-phenom quarterback Jayden Daniels and both the Philadelphia offense and defense dominated for the remainder of the game.
Barkley ended up with his third touchdown of the game, a four-yard run following a 17-yard pass interference penalty committed by Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn against Goeddert, and the Eagles increased their lead to 48-23.
With the game basically over, Daniels threw into the end zone for all pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin but Eagles all-pro rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell intercepted the ball.
On the ensuing drive it was Eagles running back Will Shipley who ran for 16 yards and a first down and then broke another run for 57 yards before getting tackled just short of the end zone. On second and goal, Shipley bulled into the end zone for the touchdown and a 55-23 Eagles lead.
After Hurts had a designed 9-yard touchdown run with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter, Philadelphia had a 34-15 lead, and it then seemed that Eagles were already flying high and heading south to New Orleans.
But Daniels looked as if there were still a few tricks left in this magical Commanders season. Driving the Commanders offense downfield to make a 10-yard touchdown run of his own, the two-point conversion attempt was successful as Daniels hit former Eagles receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on an out pattern in the end zone. The Commanders narrowed the score to 34-23 and after the defense held the Eagles to three and out, it looked as if the Commanders were going to make the game even closer before Ekeler ran the ball and fumbled it over to the Eagles.
The Commanders were their own worst enemy throughout the game but they also didn’t have the manpower on defense to stop Barkley with 15 carries, 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns and Hurts, who ran for three touchdowns, and threw for 246 yards and a touchdown.
The Commanders received the kickoff to begin the game and if the game plan was to have long, sustained drives to keep the Eagles offense off the field, the plan was working. A 34-yard FG after an 18 play drive took nearly half the quarter for a 3-0 lead.
But the Eagles had other thoughts. In a game of blocking and tackling, there was all blocking and no Commanders tackling as Barkley ran 60 yards for the first of his three touchdowns on Philadelphia’s first play on offense.
On their second offensive posession, wide receiver Dyami Brown caught a pass across the middle and as he struggled for more yards, Eagles Zack Braun knocked the ball from Brown’s arms and the fumbled was recovered by safety Reed Blankenship before going out of bounds. It was the first turnover the Commanders made in the post season and it would be the first of four turnovers for the game.
After 5 plays and 44 yards, Barkley went into the end zone untouched for a 4-yard touchdown run and a 14-3 lead.
The Commanders desperately needed a score to keep the game manageable and setting up for a punt on 4th and 6 with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter, Tress Way turned from punter to quarterback throwing a 22-yard completion to tight end Ben Sinnott on a fake punt.
With the ball back, Brown came back from his fumble with a 24 yard catch from Daniels to take the ball to the Philadelphia 28 yard line. But unable to move further, Gonzalez kicked his second field goal of the game, a 46 yarder to cut the lead to 14-6.
The Commanders’ defense started to stiffen and following a Frankie Luvu 9-yard sack of Hurts at the 36 yard line brought in kicker Jake Elliott whose 54-yard field goal try sailed right.
Down by eight with 8:49 remaining in the first half, a Daniels run, followed by a pass to tight end John Bates for a first down, Brian Robinson, Jr., had a 7 yard run to the Eagles 36 yard line. An incomplete screen pass to Brown left the Commanders with a 3rd and 7.
Daniels dropped back and fired a 3rd down pass to Terry McLaurin who caught the ball in stride, bounced off a defender and ran downfield for the touchdown.
Going for a two-point conversion, however, Washington committed to a misdirection screen pass to Ekeler but the Eagles weren’t fooled. Ekeler was wrapped up by two defenders and the Eagles stayed in the lead at 14-12.
Just before the 2:00 warning, on 4th and 5, the Washington defense blitzed Hurts but Hurts lofted a pass to A.J. Brown who went long in man-to-man coverage. Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore fell behind Brown and the Eagles receiver pulled in a perfectly thrown pass at the Washington 14.
A delay of game penalty by the Eagles brought the ball back five yards to a 3rd and 13. A pass interference penalty against Lattimore on Devonta Smith in the end zone gave the Eagles the ball at the one yard line.
The “brotherly shove” gave Hurts the touchdown and as Lattimore’s frustrations brought out a personal foul against the cornerback, the Commanders still prevented the second “brotherly shove” play from the one yard line for a two-point conversion attempt. The Eagles were up 20-12 with 1:45 remaining in the first half.
The margin of error for the Commanders going into the game against the Eagles in Philadelphia was slim at best but the mistakes continued to set the team back. After running back Jeremy McNichols fumbled the ensuing kickoff return before the half, the Eagles recovered at the Washington 24 yard line.
Down by eight, the Commanders defense almost held the Eagles to a 41-yard field goal try but a questionable call on third down, a late hit on Washington cornerback Mike Sainristil against Barkley running out of bounds, gave Philadelphia a first down at the Washington 10. On 3rd and goal at the 5-yard line, Hurts threw to Brown in the right side of the end zone. Brown caught the ball in front of Sainristil and the Eagles led the Commanders 27-12.
Daniels and the Commanders still moved the ball downfield in 37 seconds and Gonzalez kicked his third field goal, a 42 yarder with six seconds remaining on the clock. Despite two turnovers, defensive penalties and giving up four touchdowns, the Commanders ended the half down, 27-15, and the game was well in reach.
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