Author: David Gold

After a disappointing wild card loss to the Buccaneers last season, the Eagles look to redeem themselves in a divisional matchup where they are heavily favoured. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels appears to have entirely turned around the Washington Commanders’ franchise, leading them to their first season above .500 since 2016 and their first NFC championship since 1992.

Philadelphia Eagles: Keys to Success

Establish the Run and Control the Clock

It is no question that Saquon Barkley is the most dominant running back in the NFL. His 2005-yard season led the Eagles to having the second highest rushing yards per game in the league, only behind the Ravens. The Commanders’ defense, despite being a mediocre defense overall, allowed the third most rushing yards per game this season. While the two teams split their season matchups, Saquon has managed to score 2 rushing touchdowns each game, along with averaging 148 rushing yards across the two matchups. This highlights that Washington’s weak run defense cannot stop him. As well, Hurts missed played only 16% of the snaps in the Eagles’ week 16 loss to the Commanders. Despite that, he managed to average 40 rushing yards across their two matchups. By involving Hurts in the run game, the Eagles can further exploit the Commanders’ weak run defense while creating space for Saquon in the process.

Do not treat Daniels like a Rookie

It is a mostly accurate conception that rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle under pressure. The Eagles, however, quickly learned in week 16 that blitzing Daniels is ineffective. In that matchup, Daniels threw for 173 passing yards and threw for three touchdowns on plays where he was being blitzed. Daniels’ ability to remain calm under pressure along with his scrambling skills makes it imperative for the Eagles to disguise their defensive schemes and force him into mistakes without relying solely on the blitz. Their elite defensive line, led by Jalen Carter, tends to play at such a high level that they should not require excessive blitzing.

Key Player: Jalen Hurts

Running behind PFF’s best offensive line as the NFL’s best running back, matched up against a bottom-three rushing defense should theoretically be a cakewalk for Saquon Barkley, who is obviously a key player. Despite that, Washington’s top priority will almost certainly be to contain him. Given this, Hurts becomes an X-factor the Eagles. His rushing ability can take a great deal of focus off Saquon. As well, in a game where clock control will be crucial, it is essential that Hurts converts his third-down opportunities against the Commanders’ top three passing defense.

Washington Commanders: Keys to Success

Take Pressure off Daniels by Establishing the Run

The Commanders have struggled to run the ball against the Eagles this season. While Jayden Daniels has proven he can lead the Commanders with his arm, a balanced offensive attack will be essential to keeping Philadelphia’s elite defense off balance. In their two matchups, aside from Daniels’ rushing yards, the Commanders averaged only 62.5 rushing yards. Despite this, they have still shown flashes of strong rushing abilities, such as combining for 131 rushing yards aside from Daniels last week against the Lions who are ranked 5th in rush yards allowing 98.4 yards per game in the regular season. While they were able to beat the Eagles in week 16 despite their weak rushing performance, Daniels threw for five passing touchdowns. Regardless of the running backs, Daniels will still need an exceptional performance in this matchup. One could argue that these stats further emphasize the importance of the pass attack and play calling. However, if Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler are underperforming, the team’s sole dependence on such a performance by Daniels could be costly.

Force Jalen Hurts to Throw the Ball

Figuring out a way to exploit the Eagles’ weaknesses is a near impossible task, as they are such a well-rounded team. The one area they appear to have a leg up is their secondary. With Saquon’s performance this season, Hurts simply has not needed to do as much. The Eagles’ entire offensive scheme is centred around Barkley and forcing Hurts to throw requires adjustment from the Eagles. The Eagles have two elite receivers in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, however, this is Washington’s best shot from a defensive standpoint, especially considering they have a top three pass defense.

Key Player: Jayden Daniels

No matter how well Saquon Barkley is contained or how well-established the Commanders’ ground game is, Daniels will still need to be nearly flawless to win this game.

The biggest difference between these teams is the importance of this game for the franchise. No matter what happens, this season was a success for the Commanders. They’ve found their franchise quarterback and returned to the NFC championship for the first time in 33 years. This is not the case for the Eagles. They are in Super Bowl or Bust mode.

Prediction

The Commanders put up a good fight, but they are ultimately unable to contain Saquon Barkley as the Eagles win by one score

Eagles 24-17 Fly Eagles Fly

References:

References:

ESPN. (n.d.). ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2025, from https://www.espn.com/

Kerr, J. (2024, January 22). X-factor for NFC Championship teams: Eagles' defensive front, Commanders' secondary crucial in playoff bout. CBS Sports. Retrieved from https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/x-factor-for-nfc-championship-teams-eagles-defensive-front-commanders-secondary-crucial-in-playoff-bout/

National Football League. (n.d.). NFL.com. Retrieved January 24, 2025, from https://www.nfl.com/

PFF Staff. (2024, January 15). Final offensive line rankings 2024. Pro Football Focus. Retrieved from https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-final-offensive-line-rankings-2024