The Washington Commanders head north this Sunday to face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship game. It’s the Commanders’ first appearance past the divisional round since they won the Super Bowl in 1991. It hasn’t been an easy road to get here, and it won’t be easy this week either.
The Commanders shocked the entire league with their victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. It wasn’t just that they won, but how they won. The margin of victory, the turnovers, and every player was at the top of their game. How they played led CBS Sports to suggest that the Commanders have a very real chance of beating the Eagles on their home field.
The Commanders are the team that isn’t supposed to be playing on conference championship weekend, yet here they are in the final four with the Chiefs, Eagles and Bills. Washington has to go into Philadelphia and win a playoff game, a place the Eagles are 6-1 in their last seven home playoff games (won four straight).
The Commanders beat the high-powered Lions in Detroit, because Jayden Daniels has played like a top-five quarterback all year. Daniels and the offense can score against the Eagles defense, enough to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia. The extent of Jalen Hurts’ knee injury is unknown and could keep him away from being a plus-one in the run game. The Eagles offense is good, but inconsistent.
Washington can beat the Eagles in Philadelphia with the way the Commanders are playing. They are a very confident team.
Leet’s also take a moment to remember that the Commanders’ defense had five takeaways against the Lions, and that was ultimately the difference in the game. Daniels has played like a top-five quarterback all year, but let’s not discredit the defense that has struggled at times and turned it around in a pivotal moment.
The Commanders and Eagles kick off at 3pm EDT this Sunday.