PHILADELPHIA — For a second time in three years, the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl bound. Forced turnovers during Sunday’s 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders are a big reason why.
The Eagles parlayed four Commanders takeaways and one turnover on downs into 35 points. Along with forcing turnovers, Philadelphia’s victory was spearheaded by Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown. Hurts and Barkley became the first pair of teammates to each run for three touchdowns in a playoff game. Brown pulled down six passes for 96 yards that included a short touchdown grab that extended the home team’s lead to 27-12 just before halftime.
Philadelphia raced out to a 14-3 lead on two Barkley touchdown runs that included a 60-yard jaunt on the Eagles’ first offensive play. The Commanders rallied with two unanswered scores before the Eagles responded with two touchdowns by Hurts, who is now the first Eagles quarterback to lead Philadelphia to multiple Super Bowls. Jayden Daniels was able to lead the Commanders to a field goal just before halftime.
Washington had a chance to make it a game after a nifty touchdown run by Daniels made it an 11-point game late in the third quarter. But the Commanders’ third turnover — an Austin Ekeler fumble that was scooped by by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun — set up Hurts’ third touchdown run that essentially put the game on ice.
Here’s a closer look at how the Eagles got it done.
Why the Eagles won
The Eagles dominated the turnover battle, and their three-headed monster on offense turned those turnovers into touchdowns. Simply put, it was complementary football at its best.
Philadelphia won despite Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson swapping time at center while dealing with injuries. Hurts played with a brace on his knee, while Barkley stayed in the game after tweaking his calf in the first half. While these injuries slowed the Eagles down for parts of the game, it wasn’t enough to stop them from making key plays at crucial moments. Barkley rumbled for 118 yards on 15 carries, and Hurts scored four total touchdowns while going 20 of 28 through the air.
As Hurts, Barkley and Brown continuously came through in clutch moments, so did their defense, led by Baun, who had an incredible game with 12 tackles along with his massive forced fumble.
Why the Commanders lost
Washington made uncharacteristic turnovers after not turning the ball over once during their playoff wins over the Buccaneers and Lions. While turning the ball over is bad enough, compounding the issue was the fact that Washington’s defense gave up touchdowns after each one.
Turnovers aside, the Commanders relied too much on Daniels, the team’s rookie phenom who became the sixth rookie quarterback to lose in a conference title game. Daniels played well; he actually threw for more yards (255) than Hurts and finished the game as Washington’s leading rusher. But as good as he was, Daniels couldn’t overcome the mistakes or the lack of a ground game.
Daniels capped off his marvelous rookie campaign with one last touchdown run that briefly gave the Commanders hope in the second half.
Turning point
Despite their miscues, the Commanders had the ball and a chance to delve into their 11-point deficit late in the third quarter. Ekeler’s fumble, however, essentially ended Washington’s hopes of a comeback while opening up the floodgates, as the Eagles ended the game with three unanswered touchdowns.
Plays of the game
We’ve got a tie between Barkley’s first touchdown run and Hurts’ 31-yard completion to Brown that helped stretch the Eagles’ lead to 20-12 late in the first half. Both plays were emblematic of the type of performances all three players had.
We also should acknowledge Washington’s perfectly executed fake punt that set up its second score. Washington lost despite converting on each of its first four fourth-down situations.
Quotable
What’s next
Philadelphia will soon begin preparations for the franchise’s fifth trip to the Super Bowl and its third trip since the 2017 season. The Eagles are one win away from capturing the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sunday’s loss ends what was a tremendous 2024 season for the Commanders, who advanced to the franchise’s first conference title game in 33 years. The future is bright for Dan Quinn’s squad.
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