Saquon Barkley took off on a 60-yard run that led to a touchdown during the Eagles’ first offensive play against the Washington Commanders, and he wrapped up the game with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts also put in work, adding three rushing touchdowns of his own as Philadelphia secured a commanding 55-23 victory to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles are now returning to the Super Bowl for the second time in the past three seasons, and this time around, Barkley is a major part of the push. Their next opponent will either be the Buffalo Bills or the Kansas City Chiefs, coached by former Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
Barkley Reflects on the Moment
Barkley admitted that although he tried not to overthink the moment, reaching the Super Bowl feels incredible. “I won’t lie, I tried not to get too excited, but this is unbelievable. We’ve made it to the Super Bowl,” he said. He made it clear that reaching the big game was never the final goal; they came to win it. While the team planned to enjoy the win, they were already looking ahead to preparation.
Philadelphia’s 55 points marked the highest scoring performance by any team in a conference title game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
Hurts Leads While Battling Injury
Despite playing with a brace on his left knee, Hurts threw for 246 yards and added a touchdown pass to his performance. The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field was energetic and waving towels as they watched their team dominate the NFC Championship matchup.
Coach Nick Sirianni praised Hurts with excitement, shouting, “What about our quarterback? He’s a warrior.” Sirianni expressed confidence that Hurts would perform like this and insisted that doubting him is pointless, since he consistently delivers wins.
A.J. Brown caught six passes, gaining 96 yards and scoring a touchdown as well. The Eagles’ point total for this match became their highest all season and officially booked them a fifth Super Bowl appearance in team history.
Commanders Set the Stage Before Falling Short
Washington helped make this NFC Championship possible in Philadelphia by earning two playoff wins on the road. That included a surprise victory against top-seeded Detroit, allowing the second-seeded Eagles to play at home.
Jayden Daniels passed for 255 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but his hopes of becoming the first rookie quarterback to reach the Super Bowl ended here. Four turnovers hurt the Commanders’ efforts, one of them being a fumble by Austin Ekeler in the third quarter while they were trailing 34-23.
Daniels said his mindset was steady heading into the game. “We believed we deserved this opportunity,” he said. “I treated it like every other game.”
Former Eagles QB Honored as Team Prepares for Another Shot
Philadelphia’s only Super Bowl win came during the 2017 season, when Nick Foles led them past the Patriots. Foles was present as the honorary captain and got recognition from the crowd. Video clips showed other former players from that championship squad in the stands.
Two years after their loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Eagles are back with a renewed shot at winning a second championship.
Barkley Sets the Pace Early
Barkley, just as he has all season, played a leading role in the Eagles’ offense. The Commanders opened the game with a long, 18-play drive that ended in a field goal, briefly silencing the crowd. But Barkley quickly gave them a reason to cheer again.
On Philadelphia’s first snap, he received a pitch from Hurts, cut to the left, spun around two defenders, and sprinted into the end zone. Actor Bradley Cooper, in the crowd, joined the celebration.
When the Eagles recovered a fumble on Washington’s next drive, Barkley ran in another touchdown from 4 yards out, making both of his first two touches end in scores. At that point, Philadelphia had jumped to a 14-3 lead.
Including postseason play, Barkley now holds the NFL record with seven rushing touchdowns of 60 yards or more in a single season.
Daniels delivered some big moments, too. One of his strongest plays came when he connected with Terry McLaurin for a 36-yard touchdown that brought the Commanders closer, narrowing the score to 14-12.
Hurts Closes the Deal
Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Commanders, said he had faith in how his team would perform. “I trusted our plan and the way we’d execute,” he said.
Even with the injury from last week’s game against the Rams still affecting him, Hurts gave his strongest effort of the postseason. Before halftime, he scored with a one-yard sneak known as the “tush push” and later threw a 4-yard touchdown to Brown, putting the Eagles ahead 27-15 going into the break.
Hurts added another rushing touchdown late in the game on a fourth-quarter sneak, not long after an official joked that he might hand Philadelphia the points if Washington kept jumping offside. That score gave Hurts his ninth postseason rushing touchdown and pushed the lead to 41-23.
Green confetti slowly started falling from the stadium’s upper deck as the Eagles moved closer to sealing their victory and their trip to New Orleans.
Philadelphia Seals the Win
Washington’s final attempt at rallying ended when Nolan Smith sacked Daniels on a crucial fourth-down play. With the game nearly over, Will Shipley stepped in to relieve Barkley and ran in a 2-yard touchdown, increasing the score to 55-23.
At that point, chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S! Eagles!” echoed through the stadium, and it’s likely the celebration will continue to the Super Bowl.
