By Tiffany Williams –
On a brisk Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, an electrifying atmosphere enveloped the stadium as the Philadelphia Eagles clashed with the Washington Commanders in a highly anticipated NFC Championship showdown. The Eagles delivered a masterful performance, utterly dominating their opponents and sealing a resounding victory with a final score of 55-23.
The game kicked off with the Commanders striking first. Zane Gonzalez successfully converted a long 34-yard field goal, giving Washington an early lead at 3-0. However, the Eagles quickly responded with explosive plays from their star players. Saquon Barkley showcased his remarkable agility and strength, recording two rushing touchdowns in quick succession that flipped the momentum and put Philadelphia ahead at 14-3.
As the second quarter unfolded, Gonzalez added another three points for the Commanders, completing a 46-yard field goal that narrowed the gap to 6-14. The Commanders kept the pressure on when quarterback Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin in the end zone, securing his first passing touchdown of the game and narrowing the score to 12-14. However, Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ dynamic quarterback, answered back decisively by recording his first rushing touchdown, extending Philadelphia’s lead to 20-12.
The momentum continued to shift as Hurts demonstrated his dual-threat capability by connecting with wide receiver A.J. Brown for his first passing touchdown of the day. Kicker Jake Elliott successfully converted the extra point, amplifying the Eagles’ advantage to 27-12, leaving the Commanders reeling as the packed stadium roared in approval.
As the third quarter, Jalen Hurts showcased his relentless determination once again, adding another rushing touchdown for the Eagles. Elliott’s successful point-after attempt pushed the score to 34-15 in favor of Philadelphia. The Commanders, however, refused to back down. Jayden Daniels found a path to the end zone with his own rushing touchdown, and a subsequent two-point conversion—where he connected with Olamide Zaccheaus—brought Washington closer, making it a 34-23 game.
In the final quarter, the Eagles put on a display of offensive intelligence and skill that had the fans on their feet. They notched three more rushing touchdowns, with Hurts, Barkley, and rookie Will Shipley all contributing major plays that extended the Eagles’ lead to a staggering 55-23.
Referee Shawn Hochuli following the Eagles and Commanders matchup was asked about the sequence at the goal line with the QB sneaks, and how was it determined that they were unfair acts by Commanders LB Frankie Luvu, and Hochuli said, “Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score. So, [Commanders LB Frankie Luvu] jumped the ball a couple of times. That was when the warning came in. Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”
When asked about the Eagles having used hard counts before, and if that was taken into consideration, Hochuli said, “So in terms of a hard count, there’s a play clock that prevents them from doing that too many times. With the defense, since we deem it as an effort to prevent the score – a repeated act – that’s where the potential for awarding the score comes in.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts post-game was asked what made the passing game work so well today, and he said, “I think we need to change our approach to all of this. I don’t play the game for stats. I don’t play the game for numbers, any statistical approval from anyone else. And I understand that everyone has a preconceived notion on how they want it to look, or how they expect it to look. I told you guys that winning, success, is defined by that particular individual, and it’s all relative to the person. And what I define it as is winning. So the number one goal is always to come out here and win.”
When asked if he expected Saquon Barkley to have this many long scores, Hurts said, “You don’t think about it that way. When you’re in a game, you take it a play at a time, and you just want to execute the fundamentals of the play and [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley] is a heck of a player. He’s been paired with a great group in front of him. And I think that’s showing. He’s been able to take us to the next level in many ways, take our running game to the next level in many ways. And he’s been able to do really big, big things.”
When asked about the difference Saquon Barkley makes on offense, Hurts replied, “Well, I’ve told you guys this from this instance throughout the year. A lot of these things come down to how you finish. And I think being able to lean on him when we’re trying to bring things home, I think that’s a huge impact he’s made for us. And obviously, when he does it early, it doesn’t really matter who gets the party started, just for us to gain some momentum as an offense and gain a rhythm, I’d say. Rhythm is the word, gain our rhythm as an offense and keep going.”
When asked about the rhythm of the passing game coupled with the running game, Hurts said, “It’s a journey, and there’s no point where you will arrive in that journey. I think for us and how we attack people, it’s just a matter of being on the same page with that. And going out there and playing clean football.”
Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn post-game was asked what he thought of Jayden Daniel’s performance on a big stage, and Quinn said, “Yeah, it just doesn’t seem like there’s going to be one that’s too big, honestly. He has rare competitiveness that makes him unique in a lot of ways. I love inside how he can stay into this space in the toughest environments. It hurt him to come out at the end. He wanted to stay in. I said that’s my call. But that’s the competitor. Honestly he’s just kind of wired in that way.”
When asked about turnovers, Quinn said, “Yes and the only way to get into the plus, you have to create some too. And so we’ll give Philadelphia credit. You know, like they caused them. It wasn’t like a fumbled snap or something that was reckless in that way. They [Philadelphia] caused them. And so I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that’s a good job by [Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic] Fangio and their crew of creating the ball. We knew both teams were at plus six after two games. So it was something we talked about a lot, winning the turnover margin in this game. Over seven weeks we’ve been pretty complementary in that spot. And this was our first time not doing that.”
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels post-game was asked about how momentum was lost in the second half, and Daniels said, “Yeah, I mean turnovers play a huge factor in a game, especially playing a good team like Philly. You can’t give those guys extra possessions.”
When asked what he and the team can take from this season, Daniels said, “Man, it sucks. Man, it just sucks. Excuse my language, but I couldn’t be prouder of the guys in the locker room. You know, just year one, everybody not really knowing each other, rookies, the vets did a tremendous job of bringing us in and helping us out. And we all just meshed. And we got to this point, but at the end of the day, man, we lost. It sucks, but we’ll move on from this.”
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