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Saquon Barkley – who else? – reeled off an electrifying 60-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the football on Sunday, in the first game he had played in for a spot in the Super Bowl. His Philadelphia Eagles kept up the audacious charge all game.
With splendid Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, in a burgundy ski cap, watching from the bench for much of the afternoon, the Eagles pummeled the Washington Commanders 55-23 to win the NFC championship at home for the second time in three years.
Philadelphia will play the winner of the AFC championship game, played later Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, in Super Bowl LIX on 9 February in New Orleans. The Eagles lost to the Chiefs two seasons ago in Super Bowl LXVII.
Barkley, the speedy but punishing and resourceful back acquired from the rival New York Giants after six fruitless seasons there, also scored a touchdown on his second carry from scrimmage, then iced the decisive victory with a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
He would finish with 118 yards rushing on just 15 carries, and he was far from Philadelphia’s only weapon. The often-maligned quarterback Jalen Hurts, playing on a bad knee, was superb on Sunday, scoring twice and completing 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown.
The Commanders were partly done in by three lost fumbles – the second on a kickoff return that led to an Eagles’ first-half touchdown, the third on their last drive of the third quarter, when they appeared to be gaining the momentum needed to wipe out an 11-point deficit.
The Eagles then covered 51 yards in five plays, with Hurts scoring on a one-yard “Tush Push,” delayed three times by Washington encroachment penalties, to boost Philadelphia’s lead to 41-23 with 12:24 to play. Barkley scored again, delighting the packed house.
The Eagles stormed 58 yards in four plays on their second drive of the second half – with Hurts scoring from nine yards out – to stretch their lead to three scores. Washington was resolute, with Daniels ending a 70-yard touchdown drive with a 10-yard sprint of his own.
Daniels, the composed rookie who had led Washington to improbable playoff victories at Tampa Bay and Detroit, completed 29 of 48 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown, but his last pass was picked off in the end zone by rookie Philadelphia cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose 2023 team collapsed and whose 2024 team started 2-2, then cleared his bench, with the reserve rookie running back Will Shipley scoring a touchdown with three minutes remaining. Sirianni, beaming, promptly got a Gatorade bath.
Although Washington settled for a 34-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez to cap a monstrous 18-play, seven-minute opening drive, Daniels hardly looked like a 24-year-old rookie playing for a berth in the Super Bowl, coolly converting two third downs and two fourth downs.
But the Eagles needed exactly one play – and 18 seconds – to shred the Commanders’ vulnerable run defense to take the lead. Barkley took a deep pitch from Hurts, galloped around left end, broke three tackles and cut to his right to complete a stunning touchdown sprint.
The Washington offense was off the field after four plays. Zack Baun, a revelation at middle linebacker, punched the ball away from Commanders receiver Dyami Brown after he had caught a short pass. Reed Blankenship recovered for the Eagles at the Washington 48.
Barkley would polish off Philadelphia’s second touchdown drive with a four-yard run around end, but he had help moving the Eagles downfield on the six-play drive. A magnificent tiptoe catch by DeVonta Smith on a sideline pass from Hurts covered 20 yards.
Washington brazenly converted another fourth-down play on their next possession – this one on a 23-yard pass from Tress Way to Ben Sinnott on a fake punt. But the Eagles forced two incompletions, and Gonzalez belted a 46-yard field goal. It was 14-6 early in the second quarter.
Hurts was almost immediately dumped for a nine-yard loss on third down by blitzing Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu, critically setting the Eagles back to the Washington 36. So Jake Elliott attempted a 54-yard field-goal, and, to moans, his kick drifted wide to the right.
Daniels threaded a short pass on a slant pattern to his ace receiver, Terry McLaurin, and McLaurin sliced right through the Eagles secondary to complete a 36-yard touchdown play that trimmed the deficit to 14-12. The Eagles kept the lead when a two-point conversion pass failed.
Hurts plunged in from one yard on a sneak to finish a 12-play, 72-yard drive to push Philadelphia’s lead to 20-12 with just under two minutes left in the half. Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore was burned for a 31-yard completion from Hurts to AJ Brown.
Lattimore forced a third-down incompletion in the end zone on a pass from Hurts to Smith – but not before he interfered with Smith, handing the Eagles a first-and-goal. Lattimore then received an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for jousting with Brown after the touchdown.
Shipley slapped the ball from Washington returner Jeremy McNichols on the kickoff, with Kenneth Gainwell recovering for Philadelphia. Aided by a late-hit penalty on Barkley by Mike Sainrstil, the Eagles were back in the end zone in seven plays.
Brown got both feet inbounds while latching onto a four-yard touchdown pass from Hurts with 39 seconds left in the half, pushing the Eagles’ lead to 27-12. Daniels came up big, and Gonzalez kicked a 42-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half to knock the deficit to 27-15.
It would only be a brief reprieve.
