The Philadelphia Eagles are playing in the NFC Championship on Jan. 26. The Washington Commanders will face the team at the Eagles’ home stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
The 2023 Season
After finishing with a record of 11-6 in the 2023 NFL season, the Eagles lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs with a score of 22-9.
In the game, the Eagles scored one field goal and one touchdown but failed to complete the two-point conversion on the same play. The Buccaneers dominated the second half of the game and gained its spot in the divisional round. Tampa Bay fell short to the Detroit Lions shortly after.
The 2024 Season
The Eagles finished the current season with an improved record of 14-3. Saquon Barkley (RB) was a key addition to the team when he signed a 3-year, $37.75 million deal with Philadelphia in March. He spent 2018-2023 with the New York Giants. Barkley broke Philadelphia’s single-season record for rushing, finishing with 2,005 yards.
Other key players that joined the team this season were stand-out rookies from the University of Iowa and the University of Toledo, Cooper DeJean (CB) and Quinyon Mitchell (CB).
Though they were very successful, the Eagles did struggle before and throughout the season, including many injuries and losing Jason Kelce. Kelce (C) announced his retirement only months after last year’s playoff loss to Tampa Bay.
Philly starting quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion minutes into the first quarter of the Eagles’ loss to the Commanders on Dec. 22. Hurts missed the majority of the game during week 16 and sat for the team’s last games of the season.
The Eagles played the Green Bay Packers and won 22-10 in the wild card round this year. They moved on to play the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round and won 28-22. Philadelphia has led with their heads held high and have shown strong determination in the playoffs.
NFC Championship Preview
The Commanders had a strong win over the 1-seed Lions last Saturday night. On the other hand, the Eagles fought hard through a snowstorm and pulled off a close win against the Rams.
Both teams are searching for a win in the conference championship and hopefully a Super Bowl title. FOX Sports claims the Eagles are favored to win the Super Bowl. On the other hand, the Commanders rank fourth out of the remaining teams to win.
The Commanders making it this far comes as a shock to the NFL and their fans. Their rookie quarterback from Louisiana State University has proved himself after completing 22 out of 31 passes for 299 yards and no interceptions against the Lions in the divisional round game.
Barkley of the Eagles is just 147 yards away from beating Terrell Davis’ (RB) record of 2,476 yards in a season (including the postseason).
Winning the NFC Championship
The Eagles have many things that are in their favor to win.
They have one of the best, if not the best, defenses in all of the NFL, which they have certainly proved in the postseason. Their defense combines for 16 total solo tackles in the two playoff games they have played. FOX Sports has the Eagles’ defense ranked at #1, only allowing 33 touchdowns which is the least amount in the league.
Not only do the Eagles have a strong defense, but they also have a very strong offense. FOX Sports ranks the Eagles’ offense at 8 with only one current playoff team ahead of them at 7 – the Commanders. The Eagles’ running back, Barkley, had the highest amount of rushing yards in the NFL. The Eagles also scored 54 touchdowns this season. On average, in the regular season, they ran the ball for 367.2 yards per game.
The Eagles also have something that the Commanders don’t – playoff experience. Before this season, the last time the Commanders had won a playoff game was in 2005. The Eagles have made the playoffs every year since 2020 and won the Super Bowl in 2017.
Both teams will try their hardest to obtain a win on Sunday to move on to the Super Bowl. The Commanders are very much ready, so it won’t be an easy win for the Eagles.
