Eagles Dominate Commanders to Reach Super Bowl
Saquon Barkley dashed 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia's first play and finished with 118 yards and three scores. Jalen Hurts rushed for three touchdowns as the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Hurts and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, with Barkley joining them this time. The Eagles will face either the Buffalo Bills or former Eagles coach Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs.
The 55 points are the most any team has scored in a conference championship game since the 1970 merger.
Hurts, wearing a brace on his left knee, also threw for 246 yards and a touchdown pass, energizing the towel-waving crowd at Lincoln Financial Field for the NFC championship game.
A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown while the Eagles scored a season high in points, marking the franchise's fifth Super Bowl appearance.
The Commanders played a vital role in getting the NFC title game to Philly with two straight road wins, including a shocking victory at No. 1 seed Detroit that set the stage for the second-seeded Eagles to host the game.
Jayden Daniels threw for 255 yards with one touchdown and one interception but fell short in his attempt to become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The Commanders were hampered by four turnovers, including a fumble by Austin Ekeler in the third quarter while down 34-23.
The Eagles won their only Super Bowl in the 2017 season, with Nick Foles, the quarterback in that game against New England, serving as honorary captain.
As the game progressed, Barkley led the way for the Eagles once more. After the Commanders initiated the game with an 18-play drive leading to a field goal, Barkley electrified the fans, including actor Bradley Cooper, on the first offensive play from scrimmage. Barkley, only the ninth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, took a pitch from Hurts, spun around two defenders, and dashed for a touchdown.
The Eagles recovered a fumble on their next drive, with Barkley adding a 4-yard run for a 14-3 lead.
Including the playoffs, Barkley extended an NFL record with his seventh rushing touchdown of 60-plus yards in a season.
Daniels, leading the Commanders to six consecutive victories, made a significant play with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, reducing the deficit to 14-12.
Hurts, who suffered a knee injury after being sacked last week, had his best game yet, finishing the first half with a 1-yard touchdown rush and throwing a 4-yard scoring pass to Brown, taking a 27-15 lead into halftime.
Hurts extended the lead in the fourth quarter with another rushing touchdown, making it his ninth career postseason rushing score for a 41-23 lead.
As small amounts of green confetti began flying from the upper deck, the anticipation for the Super Bowl grew.
The Commanders' hopes for another late-game comeback faded as Nolan Smith sacked Daniels on fourth down. Will Shipley took over for Barkley and scored a 2-yard touchdown, sealing the 55-23 lead as chants of "E-A-G-L-E-S! Eagles!" erupted throughout the stadium, resonating in New Orleans.
