By Tiffany Williams –
With the Super Bowl just two weeks away, the journey to Super Sunday has been anything but smooth. Two teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders, are both determined to reach February 9th and secure a spot in the Super Bowl at the iconic Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Before either team can set their sights on New Orleans, they must first navigate the crucial Championship Sunday. In the highly anticipated NFC Championship, the Philadelphia Eagles will play host to the visiting Washington Commanders at the renowned Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This matchup is not just pivotal for the teams; it represents a clash of storied franchises with rich histories.
The Philadelphia Eagles are appearing in the NFC Championship Game for the eighth time under the ownership of Jeffrey Lurie. This places them second in the NFL for most conference championship appearances since 2001, with only the New England Patriots ahead of them. Over the years, an impressive one-third of the Eagles’ seasons since 2001 have culminated in conference title game appearances, which reflects the team’s consistent competitiveness.
Since 2002, the Eagles have hosted a remarkable six conference championships, leading all NFC teams during this time period. The closest contenders, the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, have each hosted just three. This historical stronghold in the playoffs highlights Philadelphia’s status as a perennial powerhouse in the NFC.
The Eagles’ recent successes have positioned them among elite company. They are one of only three NFL teams to achieve at least three conference championship appearances since 2017, with the Kansas City Chiefs (seven) and San Francisco 49ers (four) being the other participants in this exclusive group.
In terms of playoff performance, Philadelphia has an impressive track record. Since the year 2000, they sit second in the league for total playoff games (33) and tied for second for playoff wins (18), trailing only the New England Patriots, who boast 42 games and 30 wins in the postseason. Moreover, the Eagles are tied for the third-most playoff berths (17) since 2000, just behind the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots, who each also have 18.
Under Jeffrey Lurie’s stewardship, the Eagles have clinched 11 division championships, showcasing their dominance in the NFC East since 2001. Their ten division titles achieved since league realignment in 2002 rank them fourth in the NFL, surpassed by only the New England Patriots (16), Green Bay Packers (12), and Kansas City Chiefs (12).
On the other hand, the Washington Commanders bring a rich playoff history to the table. Historically, Washington holds a playoff record of 25 wins and 20 losses. They have faced challenges in road playoff matchups, holding a record of 10-13; however, they shine in conference championship games, sporting an impressive 5-1 record. Against NFC East rivals, the Commanders have a playoff record of 3-2. Notably, they are 0-1 against the Eagles in playoff matchups, with their last encounter dating back to the 1990 Wild Card round.
Washington’s overall postseason performance speaks volumes. In Wild Card games, the team holds a 7-4 record, with their most recent victory occurring against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the current season. Meanwhile, in the Divisional round of the playoffs, they hold an 8-9 record, with their latest triumph against the Detroit Lions also coming this season. With a history of 3 Super Bowl appearances and 5 championships spanning from 1937 to 1991, the Commanders have a storied legacy in the league.
Central to their recent success is quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was drafted in the first round as the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Daniels has made waves in his rookie season, with an astonishing 91.3% completion percentage in week three of 2024, setting both a franchise and rookie record. His consistency is highlighted by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to achieve at least 85% completion in back-to-back games. Moreover, he’s set several records for rookie quarterbacks, including becoming the only player to surpass 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards within his first five games, as well as setting a franchise record for rushing yards in a season while also breaking numerous other long-standing rookie records.
In the 2024 Wild Card Round, Daniels not only led Washington to its first playoff victory since 2005, but he also joined the ranks of legendary quarterbacks, such as Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson, by winning his first road playoff game as a rookie. Following this triumph, he advanced the team to the AFC Championship for the first time since 1991, throwing for an unprecedented 242 yards in the first half, a record for rookies in NFL postseason history.
Originating from San Bernardino, California, Daniels attended Cajon High School and has a few interesting personal tidbits. His favorite film is “Friday After Next,” and he has expressed that if football were not in his future, he’d likely pursue basketball. He also spoke about the significance of his faith, sharing that God is an essential part of his life.
On the opposing side, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been instrumental in leading the Eagles to a formidable 14-2 record in games he has both started and completed this season, including playoffs. Since taking the reins as a starting QB in 2022, Hurts has an impressive 41-12 record, marking the second-best winning percentage in the NFL, surpassed only by superstar Patrick Mahomes. His career winning percentage of 46-20 in regular-season games ranks seventh since 1970, placing him alongside some of the greatest quarterbacks the league has ever seen, including legends like Tom Brady and Joe Montana.
As both the Eagles and Commanders prepare to clash on Championship Sunday, the outcome will not only determine who advances to the Super Bowl but also add another chapter to the rich history of both franchises, and showcase the talent of emerging stars like Jayden Daniels and established leaders like Jalen Hurts.
This week, the NFL did a poll on what teams will meet in the Super Bowl. 27,000 voted Bills vs. Commanders. 15.5k voted Bills vs. Eagles. 12,000 voted Chiefs vs. Eagles, and 8.5k voted Chiefs vs. Commanders.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on Friday asked where Jalen Hurts’s mobility would be for Sunday, and Sirianni replied, “I think he’s had a good week of practice. I think he’s done some really good things all week. Yeah, we’ll see.”
Zach Selby on Friday pointed out in his story Three keys to Washington getting to the Super Bowl, and those three keys he said are force the ball into Jalen Hurts hands, keep the status quo on offense, and avoid reckless mistakes.
On Wednesday after practice Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was asked what makes Jayden Daniels different from other rookie quarterbacks who have made it to a conference championship and Quinn said, “Yeah, we don’t think that way in terms of looking back at stuff. It’s honestly just into this game, man. He’s got rare, in the moment skills that have allowed us to be into this spot. When it’s mental chaos going down and two-minutes, in these tight moments where it could feel that tight, he’s got the experience of somebody that’s played a lot more football than a first year player. But we don’t get into the historical stuff, man. It’s just how do we get down this weekend?”
When asked about finding winning edges against Philadelphia, Quinn said, “Yeah, I think the natural narrative, ‘You know them and they know you.’ And I don’t really think of it that way. You start right back at it, what are fresh eyes on the games? What are fresh eyes on the times from when we played it. The easy narrative would be, they know us, we know them, but it’s different than that. To me, this is our first time playing them in the postseason. Game one, what needs to be different, what could be the same? What do we need to start doing? What do we need to stop doing? Same thing in the second game. And so, as you get into the third matchup with somebody, you want to make sure you have fresh eyes for the first two. ‘Hey, did I miss something?’ And was there something there that I didn’t think we had or did? And both teams will have things on their call sheets that never got called in that game. And you do have those up still that you’ve been practicing and sometimes every play on your call sheet doesn’t make it into the game and you keep those alive as well.”
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