Eagles Offense Stands Between Commanders and the Super Bowl

As the Los Angeles Rams learned last Sunday, it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia.

Going into this Sunday’s NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field, the ball and turf will likely be less slippery. The weather as of Thursday looked like it will be partly cloudy, temperature in the low 40’s, and winds blowing around 10-20 miles per hour. Basically, the weather will not be much of a factor compared to last Sunday’s snowfest.

But despite the weather the players on the Eagles remain the same—primarily Saquon Barkley and the rest of the Eagles offense. In December at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, Barkley ran rampant over the Commanders in the first half, including a 68-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 21-7 lead.

Most of his 150 yards and two touchdowns were in the first two quarters. The Commanders contained him in the second half and Barkley will need to be contained as much as possible for the Commanders to have a chance against the Eagles this Sunday.

Jalen Hurts, like cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, was injured against the Rams but it looks like both practiced on Thursday and will play for the NFC Championship. The Commanders will prepare as if both players are completely healthy although Hurts may be limited in running the ball and Mitchell may be tested early by Jayden Daniels and receivers Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown or Olamide Zaccheaus, who played a major role in the 36-33 Commanders win over the Eagles in Landover, Md.

Brian Robinson, Jr., had two early fumbles in that game and he’ll be looking for a bit of redemption. Robinson ran well against the Lions and seems to be regaining his form from earlier in the regular season.

Besides Hurts and Barkley, and a formidable Eagles offensive line, the Washington secondary will again need to overachieve against wide receivers A.J. Brown and DaVonta Smith, who will also be seeking redemption for his dropped pass in the previous meeting that could have sealed the game for the Eagles. Former Commanders receiver Jahan Dotson and definitely Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert should not be underrated. Goedert did not practice on Thursday but he led all Eagles receivers against the Rams on Sunday with four catches for 56 yards. It’s the NFC Championship game so expect Goedert to play.

It could be up to the linebacking corps to handle Goedert, possibly Bobby Wagner, as Commanders linebackers Frankie Luvu and Dante Fowler, Jr., put pressure on Hurts. Whether or not Hurts will have his usual speed to scramble away from defenders remains to be seen but he will need to be pressured on Sunday and Luvu has been bringing the heat on opposing quarterbacks for the entire season.

Eagles wide receiver Brown was targeted seven times against the Rams but only had two catches for 14 yards. Still, he will be a dangerous threat on Sunday. It will again require a 100% healthy Marshon Lattimore for the entire game. Any injury would require Noah Igbingehene or Benjamin St. Juste to overachieve against the Eagles receivers and for the defensive line to add additional pressure on Hurts with the help of blitzing linebackers. Even Lattimore had trouble against Brown in the previous meeting but Lattimore appears to be more healthy today than he was a month ago.

Despite seven sacks by the Rams defense, Hurts still threw 15 completions on 20 attempts for 128 yards, but it was truly the ground game that powered the Eagles over the Rams. Hurts, before his injury, scrambled to his right and rambled 70 yards for a touchdown while Barkley overwhelmed the Rams with 205 yards rushing on 26 carries accounting for two touchdowns in their 28-22 win. The Rams had two touchdowns passing but there were two key turnovers as well.

Special teams could be a factor as in any game, adding points if necessary. Zane Gonzalez made a 47-yard field goal and missed a 44-yard field goal wide left late in the fourth quarter while making six extra points against Detroit. Of course, Gonzalez hit the winning field goal in the wild card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Commanders to advance to the divisional playoffs.

Jake Elliott, in a snowstorm, was three-for-three in field goals but one-for-three in extra points.

The Eagles typically had close games this season going into the fourth quarter and then the offense would soar and drive the Eagles to victory. Perhaps the Eagles offense tired out defenses at the end as Barkley continued to accumulate yardage on the ground.

Earlier this season, in fact, on a Thursday night game against the Commanders, the Eagles were down by four going into the fourth quarter, 10-6, but then scored 20 straight points and won 26-18 following a meaningless touchdown and two-point conversion by the Commanders with only 28 seconds to play.

In Northwest Stadium, however, the opposite was true. Philadelphia had a 13-point lead going into the fourth quarter but the Commanders outscored the Eagles 22-6 to take home the 36-33 win. The Commanders did not only prove they could come from behind to defeat the Eagles but they could win in pressure situations as they have been doing since the bye week.

Only this time, for the NFC Championship, Hurts might be playing the entire game for the Eagles.

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