NFC Championship Game: Players To Watch, Final Score Prediction, And More

PHILADELPHA – The Eagles are trying to get back to their second Super Bowl in the last three seasons and third since 2017. Washington hasn’t been there since the 1991 season when they were still the Redskins and beat the Bills, 37-24.

This will be their third meeting of the season, and they have each won once. Call it a rubber match, but it’s much bigger than that.

Here’s more:

Eagles offensive line. The entire unit is the best in the league and it matches up well with a Washington front that will be without Daron Payne, who was downgraded to out on Saturday (knee/finger). There is concern about Cam Jurgens’ back, but the center, who was listed as questionable on Friday, should play. How effective he will be with a back injury that saw him miss both practices this week and limited in a third, remains to be seen.

Jalen Carter. The defensive tackle ruined the Rams’ Divisional Round chances with a pair of sacks, including one late that preceded a key pressure, to go along with a forced fumble. Now, Washington has to figure out how to block him without their best offensive lineman, Sam Cosmi, who tore an ACL last week. Carter is the youngest Eagles player (23) to produce two sacks in a playoff game and has eight QB pressures and five QB hits in the two playoff wins.

Frankie Luvu. Washington’s linebacker is quickly earning a reputation as a cheap shot artist. He knocked Jalen Hurts into two weeks of concussion protocol with a borderline tackle that was neither flagged nor fined on Dec. 22. On Saturday, two cheap shots earned him $33,766 in fines that, again, weren’t flagged when they happened last week against the Lions - one a blow to the head of Detroit QB Jared Goff and another for a hip-drop tackle on running back Jahmyr Gibbs. You know Luvu will be targeting Hurts again and Saquon Barkley, too, especially after his defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt, sounded the dog whistle and said they were going to hit Hurts if he runs, which could be code for “attempt to injure,” knowing how Luvu plays.

Saquon Barkley. The running back is 148 yards away from breaking the combined regular season and playoff rushing record of Terrell Davis set in 1998, and against the Commanders’ 30th-ranked run defense, chances are he gets it.

Jalen Hurts. He has broken finger and a knee sprain, but he will play. Will he be limited?

C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The playmaking safety was tossed out of the previous meeting and didn’t play in the second half. His absence could have been a reason the Commanders were able to overcome a 27-14 deficit after three quarters with 22 fourth-quarter points.

Zach Ertz. The Eagles drafted the tight end in 2013, and he spent nine terrific seasons in Philly, making a pair of crucial plays in the Eagles’ 41-33 Super Bwo win over the New England Patriots, and now will try to keep some of his close friends like right tackle Lane Johnson, who was picked 31 spots ahead of Ertz by the Eagles in the same draft, from moving on to the Super Bowl.

THINGS TO KNOW

-Nick Sirianni has won four straight home playoff games, the longest streak by a head coach in team history.

-Linebacker Zack Baun is the fourth player to record a takeaway in his first two career playoff starts, joining Devin White (2020), Brandon Spikes (2011) and Ray Lewis (2000).

-Tight end Dallas Goedert leads the Eagles this postseason in receiving yards with 103 and his 43 postseason catches are the most in team history.

PREDICTION

The Eagles are banged up and that is a concern. Not too much of one, though, to think this Commanders’ magic carpet ride continues. It starts in the trenches, where the Eagles’ offensive line is better than Washington’s and their defensive front is better, too.

EAGLES 30, COMMANDERS 21

Season record: 12-7 (2-0 in playoffs)

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