Washington Commanders trail Philadelphia Eagles at halftime of the NFC Championship

Our look-in at the Washington Commanders' NFC Championship contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to pass the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA -- The Washington Commanders trail the Philadelphia Eagles 27-15 at halftime of the NFC Championship Game.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels got the first crack at putting points on the board after the Eagles won the coin toss and opted to defer to the second half.

On the drive, Washington converted just two of their five third down tris but was able to convert both of their fourth-down attempts and eventually got down to the Philadelphia 16-yard line, where coach Dan Quinn opted to take the 34-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez over trying a third fourth-down play.

Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to pass the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

It took the Commanders just over seven minutes to get their first score of the game. It took the Eagles 18 seconds. On the first play from scrimmage by Philadelphia, several front-seven defenders ended up on the ground for Washington, and running back Saquon Barkley broke two tackles on his way to a 60-yard touchdown run. Just like that, Philadelphia took a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

The ensuing Commanders' drive seemed to be going the same way as the first until receiver Dyami Brown lost hold of the football trying to turn a positive, leading to a fumble on his own 48-yard line that the Eagles promptly recovered.

Six plays later, Barkley was hitting pay-dirt again, this time from four yards out. That score gave Philadelphia a 14-3 lead and put Washington in serious trouble early in this game.

Coming out of that series needing to make something happen and facing a three-and-out that could have spelled disaster for his team, Quinn and special teams coordinator Larry Izzo dialed up a fake punt that resulted in a 23-yard pass from punter Tress Way to tight end Ben Sinnott. The play kept the drive and the team's relative hopes alive for the time being.

With the ball at the Eagles' 28-yard line, however, Daniels and the offense were unable to do anything else with it, resulting in another field goal try for Gonzalez, this one from 46 yards out. The made kick trimmed the lead to 14-6 in favor of Philadelphia.

Eagles' kicker Jake Elliott had a shot at a 54-yard field goal try himself to stretch the lead back out but missed the try and gave Washington back the ball at its own 44-yard line. Daniels and the Commanders' offense capitalized on the possession by driving 56 yards in five plays, including 36 of them gained on the final play, a touchdown pass from the rookie quarterback to receiver Terry McLaurin.

Trailing by two points after the touchdown, Quinn opted to go for two, which the team failed to convert leaving the score 14-12 in favor of the Eagles with just over seven minutes left in the half.

In the waining moments of the first half the Washington defense had a golden opportunity to keep Philadelphia off the board and get the ball back for its offense but a perfect pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts to receiver A.J. Brown converted the try and put the ball at the 18-yard line going in at the two minute warning.

On a 3rd and 13 play, Commanders' cornerback Marshon Lattimore was flagged for defensive pass interference leading to a 'tush push' touchdown run by Hurts. The Eagles attempted a two-point conversion of their own and also failed, leaving the score 20-12.

With 1:44 left in the half and two timeouts Washington was poised to get the ball back with time to try and make something happen, but running back Jeremy McNichols fumbled the kickoff and it was recovered by Philadelphia giving them the ball at the Washington 25-yard line. It was the second turnover of the half by the Commanders.

Like the last drive, this one again ended with an Eagles touchdown and was again aided by a penalty on a third down play that would have gotten the Washington defense off the field with minimal damage. After Hurts found receiver A.J. Brown in the end zone the score was 27-12 in favor of Philadelphia.

The Commanders were able to get into field goal range at the end of the half, and his 42-yard kick was good and trimmed the lead to 27-15 where we stood at the half.

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