JAYDEN DANIELS and the underdog Washington Commanders are one win away from the Super Bowl with a familiar roadblock standing in the way.
East division rivals meet in Philadelphia on Sunday to decide the NFC in the third meeting between the teams since the Eagles posted a 26-18 win on Nov. 14 with a 20-point fourth quarter. The Commanders have two road playoff wins in the same postseason for the first time in history, including a 45-31 dismantling of the Lions at Detroit last week.
But don’t tell Commanders coach Dan Quinn his team is an underdog.
Washington pulled the “upset” of the Eagles five weeks after their first meeting. The Commanders claimed the 36-33 nailbiter after Eagles quarterback (QB) Jalen Hurts exited with a concussion five minutes into the game.
Kenny Pickett replaced Hurts on the fifth play of the second offensive possession and gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead on a 4-yard toss to AJ Brown as part of Philadelphia’s 21-point opening quarter at Washington. The Commanders shifted into rally mode to hand Philadelphia its only loss since September.
Quinn said it’s Daniels’ in-the-moment skills that separate him from others. He led the NFL in completions (101) and touchdowns (TDs) (12) against the blitz this season.
Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said Daniels knows only one way.
Hurts began the week with his status unclear because of a knee injury. Head coach Nick Sirianni said his quarterback and rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (shoulder) were attendees for a light walkthrough practice. Sirianni said beating Daniels won’t motivate Hurts, who commonly uses the phrase “keep the main thing the main thing.” On Sunday, the main thing is punching a ticket back to the Super Bowl.
“He’s the same guy all the time. No matter who we’re playing, when we’re playing, practice, game. He’s the same guy,” Sirianni said. “He loves football. Jalen’s pretty stoic and I love that about him. The same thing I say about Jayden Daniels, that he’s calm, cool, I say the same thing about Jalen Hurts.”
Daniels and the top-down regime change in Washington have changed the fortunes of the franchise, now sitting on a 10-win improvement over their 4-13 record in 2023. The No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft was 6 years old when the franchise last won a playoff game (at Tampa Bay in January 2006) before the current postseason. They’re appearing in a conference championship game for the first time since 1991 and sixth overall (5-1).
Quinn again puts trust in a player he calls “a rare dude” as the No. 6 seed in the NFC attempts to storm all the way to New Orleans with a third upset in these playoffs. Daniels can become the first rookie quarterback to win three postseason games and surpass Ben Roethlisberger (14 wins, 2004 Steelers) to claim the record for wins in a season, including playoffs.
The Eagles intercepted Daniels three times in two games in the regular season.
Washington had to make a change at right guard. Sam Cosmi left the win at Detroit with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and Trent Scott, a 30-year-old on his fifth NFL team, enters the fire against All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter on Sunday. Carter had two sacks, five QB pressures, forced a fumble and batted a pass in a game-altering performance against the Rams last week.
He’s a player Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been worried about since the teams first met in Week 11.
Outside linebacker Nolan Smith leads the Eagles with three sacks in the playoffs alongside linebacker Zack Baun, a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Washington has two of the NFL’s top three tacklers in the playoffs in Jeremy Chinn (19 total tackles) and Bobby Wagner, a tandem abundantly aware of their mission Sunday. Wagner, who has 16 postseason tackles, didn’t practice Wednesday. He plans to play through an ankle injury suffered late in the wild-card win at Tampa Bay.
Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (knee, finger) missed practice Wednesday but said he wouldn’t miss the “dogfight” with the Eagles.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore didn’t attempt to mask his intent against Washington, saying the game plan would follow the same formula even if Hurts is limited or out.
Because of seven sacks, the Eagles had 65 net passing yards against the Rams. Hurts was not as explosive in the second half but had a 44-yard touchdown run in the first half.
Barkley remains the essential ingredient for the Eagles’ offense otherwise playing more of a supporting role to Philadelphia’s No. 1-ranked defense in the playoffs. The Eagles rushed for more than 200 yards in both regular-season games, averaging 219.5 yards on the ground, and Barkley provided the big plays. He gained 146 yards on the ground in the first meeting, 150 in the second and scored four touchdowns highlighted by TD runs of 39 and 68 yards. He also caught a 43-yard pass in the November game.
Including the playoffs, Barkley’s historic season puts him third in single-season rushing yards (2,329) and fourth in total yards (2,638) by any player in NFL history. Broncos running back Terrell Davis had 2,476 yards in 1998 as part of a Super Bowl-winning run in Denver. — Reuters
