Commanders-Eagles NFCCG Stock Market: Second Super Bowl In Three Seasons For Philly

PHILADELPHIA - For the third time in eight years, the Eagles punched their ticket to the Super Bowl with a 55-23 blowout win at Lincoln Financial Field, dominating the Washington Commanders with the kind of offensive performance so many envisioned when Philadelphia added Saquon Barkley to a talented crew of playmakers.

The points scored were an NFC Championship Game record topping the 49 by Carolina in the 2015 NFCCG.

Super Bowl LIX will feature the NFC champion Eagles against the winner of Buffalo-Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game later Sunday.

THE BULLS

FOURTH-DOWN DISPARITY

After a monster 18-play drive to start the game that featured two fourth-down conversions, Washington coach Dan Quinn went off book when facing a fourth-and-three from the Eagles' 16-yard line.

Instead of pressing his foot down on the gas pedal with the understanding that he needed to be bold against a more talented opponent on the road, Quinn eased up and settled for a 34-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

The take-the-points crowd didn't have much time to take a victory lap because it took Saquon Barkley all of one play to go for 60 yards and a touchdown.

The Commanders never lead again in the game.

More so, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stayed aggressive on a 4th-and-5 from the Commanders' 45-yard line with 2:14 left in the first half with a precarious 14-12 lead.

Instead of flipping the field and playing it cautiously, the Eagles allowed Hurts to take a shot on a go ball to A.J. Brown, who tortured Marshon Lattimore, for a 31-yard gain. A short time later Jalen Hurts was in the end zone with a tush push and order was restored...

CLOSING THE HALF

The Brown completion set off a chain reaction that turned that 14-12 Eagles lead into a 27-12 advantage in 81 seconds of game time.

Over that period the Commanders imploded with a 16-yard pass interference by Lattimore in the end zone on a third-and-13 play, two unnecessary roughness penalties, one on Lattimore and the other on Mike Sainristil, and a fumbled kickoff return by Jeremy McNichols.

Whether Washington knew it or not, it was game over at that point,

BIG THROWS

The passing offense has been a discussion all season but in the biggest moment with a banged-up knee, Hurts came up big with his arm. The Brown fourth-down completion was one of a host of big-time throws by Hurts, who threw the football with a conviction that has rarely been seen this season.

Hurts finished 20 of 28 for 246 yards and a touchdown to Brown.

HOMETOWN

That's three championship games since 2018 in Philadelphia and all three have been routs in the Eagles' favor, 38-7 over Minnesota in 2018, 31-7 over San Francisco in 2023, and 55-23 over Washington this year. For those doing the math, that's a 124-37 edge when the Super Bowl runs through South Philadelphia and a pretty clear indication that if others want in the big game they better keep the path out of Philly.

FUMBLES

The Eagles pride themselves on their physicality and perhaps that shows up best when it comes to fumbles. Philadelphia forced three fumbles which resulted in three TDs.

Zack Baun started in the first quarter prying it away from Dyami Brown before Reed Blankenship scooped it up. The short field ultimately resulted in a four-yard Barkley TD run.

The fumble on McNichols kickoff return was forced by Will Shipley and recovered by Kenny Gainwell, resulting in a Hurts four-yard TD pass to Brown.

The final fumble was punched out of Austin Ekeler's hands by Oren Burks and was recovered by Baun. Hurts cashed that in with a tush push.

THE BEARS

There are no Bears when you make the Super Bowl.

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