To win Sunday’s NFC Championship, not only are the Philadelphia Eagles going to have to earn it, but they’re going to have to do it with the majority of football fans rooting against them.
Because as storied of a franchise as the Eagles are, and as fun as Saquon Barkley has been to watch this season, they’re not the alluring storyline in this one.
Jayden Daniels is.
The Washington Commanders’ quarterback is one win away from becoming the first rookie QB in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl. But win or lose on Sunday, Daniels has already put together what is likely the best rookie QB season of all time.
Even one of his opponents this weekend believes so.
“Jayden Daniels, man. He’s an amazing kid man,” Eagles star cornerback Darius Slay Jr. said on his podcast this week. “Even though he’s a hell of a player, man, the reason I’ve got the most respect for him man, is because he’s a very, very humble dude, man.
“To see what he’s doing as a rookie, I will say he’s the greatest rookie quarterback ever. Ever.”
Daniels’ appearance as a rookie in the conference championship game is rare, but it’s not unheard of. He’s the sixth first-year pivot to start a conference championship game in NFL history.
But what is unheard of, is that for his team, Daniels has done the majority of the heavy lifting.
The other five rookie QBs to make it to the conference championship (Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez and Brock Purdy), all had defences that finished in the top three in points allowed.
Washington’s defence finished 18th.
In the biggest moments, the Commanders have asked more of Daniels than any other rookie QB, and he hasn’t blinked once.
Top-to-bottom, there’s no question the Eagles have the more talented roster. They’re the favourites for good reason. But so were the Detroit Lions in last weekend’s divisional round. Look at how that turned out for them.
Daniels and the Commanders have serious “team of destiny” vibes, and could very well make Washington a conference champion again for the first time in over 30 years.
But good stories don’t always have happy endings, and the Eagles are hoping that’s the case on Sunday.
To get you set for Sunday’s championship clash between two divisional rivals with a Super Bowl berth on the line, we look at one key question for each team, and one pivotal matchup to keep an eye on.
Can the Eagles’ passing attack step up when needed?
It’s no secret that the Eagles’ success this season was on the back of Barkley. And things have been no different in the playoffs.
The Eagles’ star RB has gone over 100 yards in both their playoff wins, including a whopping 205 yards and two touchdowns in last weekend’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Combine his playoff totals with his franchise-record-setting regular season, and Barkley now has 2,218 total rushing yards this season, which is the third-best mark ever behind two back-to-back seasons from legendary Denver Broncos RB Terrell Davis.
“He’s a remarkable player,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said of Barkley. “You have to be able to do right over and over again and not get bored with just being in the right spot over and over again.”
But with Daniels on the other sideline, Barkley can’t do it all on his own Sunday.
If the Eagles are going to make it back to the Super Bowl, their non-existent passing attack will eventually have to come through.
Through Philadelphia’s first two playoff games, QB Jalen Hurts has thrown for a total of just 259 yards. No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown has a combined three catches for 24 yards, and his most memorable moment has come from reading a book on the sidelines.
In the conference championship, even with No. 26 in the backfield, that’s just not going to cut it.
At some point on Sunday, Hurts — who has no injury designation despite getting banged up against the Rams — and the Eagles’ passing attack will be thrust into the spotlight and relied upon to make a couple of big plays.
Whether or not Hurts and the Eagles’ pass catchers can rise to the moment will have a big impact on the outcome of the game.
Can Commanders win the turnover battle?
As great as Daniels has been, many great quarterbacks have seen their Super Bowl hopes dashed by one or two costly turnovers. Just ask Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Daniels has appeared unflappable through his first two playoff starts, and hasn’t turned the ball over once.
“He’s locked in from the start of Quarter 1 to the end of Quarter 4,” Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said of Daniels. “He stays as even-keeled a player I’ve ever been around. To have that demeanour as a rookie and then as a rookie quarterback, that’s one of the things that makes him so unique.”
But the Eagles present a much stiffer challenge than either the Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers did.
The Eagles finished the year with the second-best turnover margin per game behind only the Buffalo Bills.
They have a knack for forcing turnovers in crucial moments, as they did in the second half of last weekend’s win over the Rams when they forced Los Angeles into fumbles on consecutive possessions.
The Commanders also have some ghosts to overcome, as in the second matchup of the season between the two division foes in Week 16, the Commanders turned the ball over five times.
Washington still somehow managed to win, but that also came in a game where Hurts left early in the first half.
If the Commanders are that reckless with the ball again on Sunday in front of what is sure to be a raucous Philly crowd, their storybook season will end on a down note.
Matchup to watch: Jalen Carter vs. Commanders’ O-line
All the great quarterbacks will tell you there’s one thing that bothers them the most: Quick pressure up the middle.
As poised as Daniels is, a defensive tackle winning his matchup quickly can make life miserable for even the best.
And the Eagles have just the man to do just that.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter is one of the rising stars in the league, and his interior dominance was on full display in the Eagles’ win over the Rams. He finished with two sacks, three QB hits and five total tackles despite getting double-teamed on 26 of his 49 pass rush attempts, per Next Gen Stats.
The Commanders’ plan up front will start and stop with attempting to limit Carter’s ability to disrupt plays. However, that task got a little more difficult as right guard Sam Cosmi, Washington’s best offensive lineman, tore his ACL in the win over Detroit and will be unavailable Sunday.
With Cosmi out, if the Eagles can scheme up ways to get Carter one-on-ones, he has the ability to single-handedly take over this game.
