The NFC Championship is officially set, as two teams from the NFC East will battle for a spot in Super Bowl LIX. It’s Round 3 of Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles, two rivals who already split the regular-season series in 2024.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is looking to cap his historic campaign by becoming the first rookie QB to start a Super Bowl, while Washington can become the first team to reach the Super Bowl after losing 13 games the year prior. This is the Commanders’ first conference championship game since 1991, which is tied for the most seasons between conference championship appearances all time (32).
The Eagles have won at least 11 games in three straight seasons now, and are seeking their second Super Bowl trip in the last three years. Similar to the Commanders, a new face has powered this team to the “final four,” as Saquon Barkley ran roughshod over the entire NFL in his first year away from the New York Giants, becoming the ninth player to cross 2,000 yards rushing in a single season.
Let’s preview this intriguing NFC Championship game, but first, here’s how you can watch it:
Odds courtesy of SportsLine consensus
Commanders vs. where to watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Channel: Fox | Stream: fubo
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Eagles -5.5, O/U 48
Why Commanders’ Jayden Daniels could be having best rookie season in NFL history
Garrett Podell
Keys for Washington to win
Not many expected the Commanders to be able to keep pace with the Detroit Lions in what ended up being the largest postseason upset since 2019. Washington dropped 45 points, 481 yards of total offense and forced a whopping five turnovers. The Commanders won’t need to rack up those kinds of numbers to win the NFC Championship game, but they will need to have that kind of well-rounded performance vs. a well-rounded Eagles squad.
Offensively, Daniels needs to continue to be efficient. The rookie has more wins (2) than negative plays (sacks, fumbles or interceptions) this postseason, and always seems to make the right play — whether it’s hitting a wide receiver in stride down the field, or hitting his check down when coverage holds. Of course, Daniels is going to need help from his playmakers, which is exactly what he got from Washington’s supporting cast on Saturday night.
Brian Robinson Jr. had his best performance on the ground in over a month with 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, Terry McLaurin caught four passes for 87 yards and a touchdown and Dyami Brown continued his hot streak with a team-high 98 yards receiving on six catches. Previously, Brown had crossed 57 yards receiving just once in his career. This postseason, he’s recorded at least 89 yards receiving in both outings.
Additionally, fourth downs are going to continue to be important for the Commanders. Dan Quinn’s unit converted on 87% of their fourth downs in the regular season (20 of 23), which led the league. This postseason, Washington has converted on 6 of 9 fourth downs, including going 3 of 4 against Detroit in the divisional round. The Commanders scored 21 points after fourth-down conversions against the Lions, and have scored a total of 150 points on fourth-down conversions this season — the most by any team since at least 2000, including playoffs.
Defensively, Washington needs to stop the run. The Commanders finished the regular season with the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL (137.5 rushing yards allowed per game), which leads us to what Philadelphia needs to do.
Keys for Philadelphia to win
Saquon. Barkley. The best running back in the NFL just rushed for the fifth-most yards in a playoff game all time with 205, and scored touchdowns from 62 yards and 78 yards out. As we mentioned, Washington’s run defense is not one of the premier units in the NFL. The Commanders allowed Jahmyr Gibbs to average 7.5 yards per carry in the divisional round with two rushing touchdowns, while Jameson Williams had no problem scoring from 61 yards out on his reverse.
Barkley also carries more importance in this matchup because Jalen Hurts is dealing with a knee injury, and the Eagles’ passing game hasn’t been a major factor in the playoffs, either. While we don’t know for sure, Hurts’ knee issue probably won’t stop him from starting on Sunday, but it’s notable that he did not scramble after going down awkwardly on that third-quarter sack. Hurts hasn’t crossed 131 yards passing in Philly’s two postseason games, while A.J. Brown has caught a total of three passes for 24 yards. He’s read more pages of that book on the sideline than receiving yards recorded this postseason. Barkley accounted for 66% of the Eagles’ total yards on Sunday. If he is held in check on Sunday, Washington could be bound for New Orleans.
Defensively, containing Daniels is the name of the game for the Eagles. The rookie ranks third in EPA per play vs. the blitz (0.34) this season, including playoffs. I imagine DC Vic Fangio won’t blitz Daniels like he did in the Eagles’ Week 16 loss to the Commanders. Philly recorded its second-highest blitz rate of the season vs. Daniels (36%), and the rook made the Eagles pay by completing 10 of 15 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns against extra pressure. The Eagles defensive line is talented enough to get pressure on Daniels — especially with Sam Cosmi out due to a torn ACL.
