English
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Chinese (Simplified)
Hindi
Japanese
An inside look at the Commanders-Eagles NFC Championship showdown at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon:
Marquee matchup
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels vs. Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Daniels is trying to add a layer to the best rookie quarterback season of all time by becoming the first to reach the Super Bowl.
Most of his throws go to 1,000-yard receiver Terry McLaurin, but tight end Zach Ertz has re-emerged as a first look in the red zone late in his career.
Standing in their way is a ballhawk with six interceptions in each of his past two seasons playing for the Eagles (2022 and 2024).
Is it a coincidence that Daniels threw three of his five touchdown passes against the Eagles in Week 16 after Gardner-Johnson was ejected early in the third quarter for two personal-foul penalties? Johnson said afterward that he has to “grow the hell up.”
“I think he’s always known how important he is to the defense. We sure do,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s been just so good at taking the football away and playing with energy. He has an impact on games.”
Dunleavy’s decision
An argument can be made the Eagles’ roster is better at every position except the most important one, where Daniels might already be the NFC’s best quarterback.
Saquon Barkley has been unstoppable all season — even more so against the Commanders (296 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in two games).
He and the four Pro Bowlers on the offensive line could win the game on their own.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter took his Pro Bowl season to new heights with two sacks and a forced fumble last game.
Not a good first time for the Commanders to be without their best offensive lineman, after right guard Sam Cosmi’s ACL injury.
Eagles 31, Commanders 27
Four downs
Hurts so good: Quarterback Jalen Hurts (knee) was a full participant in Thursday’s and Friday’s practices after he was limited Wednesday. His mobility clearly was limited at the end of last week’s win.
Hurts said his recovery is “progressing” but he “anticipates” wearing a knee brace. If he scrambles, the Commanders won’t take sympathy.
“We are going to treat him like a running back,” defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. “We are going to hit him that way. That’s their decision if they want to get him hit the way that he gets hit.”
Tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle) is ready to go after not practicing Thursday. Center Cam Jurgens (back) is questionable.
For the Commanders, defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne (knee, finger) is out, but linebacker Bobby Wagner (ankle) will play.
Revenge game: Brian Johnson was considered a rising star when the Eagles made the Super Bowl two years ago.
He was the quarterbacks coach responsible for Hurts’ rapid development into NFL MVP runner-up and offensive coordinator-in-waiting as soon as Shane Steichen left to be the Colts head coach.
Well, Johnson’s one season calling plays was a disappointment. He was fired last January.
One year later, Johnson is passing game coordinator for the Commanders under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury during Jayden Daniels’ rookie-record-setting debut.
“Just being able to share some things he used with Jalen there in Philly — some things that worked, some things he wishes he would’ve done differently — with Jayden has been huge,” Kingsbury said. “Because obviously that’s instant credibility of success they had there. He’s been a blessing for us.”
Third-and-8: With a win, the Commanders will become just the third No. 6 seed to reach the playoffs and the third team to beat its conference’s top three seeds (No. 3 Buccaneers, No. 1 Lions and No. 2 Eagles) en route to the Super Bowl.
Dan Quinn, who previously took the 2016 Falcons to the Super Bowl, would join Bill Parcells (Patriots, Giants), Don Shula (Colts, Dolphins), Dick Vermeil (Eagles, Rams), John Fox (Panthers, Broncos), Mike Holmgren (Packers, Seahawks), Dan Reeves (Falcons, Broncos) and Andy Reid (Chiefs, Eagles) as the eighth head coach to lead multiple franchises to the Super Bowl.
Parcells, Shula and Vermeil are Hall of Famers, Holmgren is a current finalist, Reeves is overdue for selection and Reid is a future lock.
Fourth-and-gutsy: The Commanders led the NFL during the regular season by converting nearly 87 percent of fourth downs (20-for-23).
Their 66.7 percent hit rate in the playoffs (6-for-9) against good defenses is even more impressive.
Quinn bypassed four field goals in the win against the Buccaneers, turning 12 points into 14 when going 2-for-4 on fourth downs led to two touchdowns.
The Commanders’ three conversions against the Lions — one of the NFL’s most aggressive fourth-down teams — all led to touchdowns.
The Eagles converted 73 percent (19-for-26) during the regular season on the back of one of the most unstoppable plays in the NFL: the “Tush Push.” Nine out of 10 fourth-and-1 runs moved the chains.
One of coach Nick Sirianni’s four-year hallmarks is going for fourth downs in Eagles’ territory.
“I think the game flow and things like that will have an impact on it once you get into later moments,” Sirianni said. “That will be a key to the game on both ends.”
