NFL’s Washington Commanders Play Longtime Division Rival Philadelphia Eagles for NFC Championship
Image Courtesy of The Washington Post
By Anthony Curioso
In the National Football League (NFL), January 26 marked “Conference Championship Sunday,” when the last two teams in the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC) faced off. A berth in the NFL’s world championship game, the Super Bowl, was on the line.
The NFC Championship Game kicked off on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Eastern Time. It featured two longtime division rivals: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders. The game took place at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, as the Eagles were the higher seed of the two teams. These teams first played each other in 1934, when the Commanders were based in Boston and known as the Redskins (a name the team would keep until 2020.) Many in the CUA community supported both teams, with 6 percent of students from Pennsylvania and 47 percent from DC, Maryland, and Virginia. As a result, many students watched the game in their residence halls, gathered with friends, or checked the score online while busy with other tasks.
In the first quarter, the Eagles kicked the ball off to start the game, and the Commanders started from their 30-yard line. The Commanders’ first drive consisted of several high-risk plays: a third-down catch from wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, a fourth-down catch from tight end Zach Ertz, and a fourth-down run from quarterback Jayden Daniels. Ultimately, the Commanders finished their first drive with their kicker, Zane Gonzalez, making a 34-yard field goal.
The Eagles’ first drive, which started from their 40-yard line, consisted of exactly one play: a 60-yard touchdown run from Saquon Barkley, their superstar running back.
Highlights from the remainder of the first quarter included Eagles safety Reed Blankenship recovering a fumble near midfield, another much shorter touchdown run from Barkley, and a successful high-risk attempt at a fake punt from the Commanders’ special teams unit on fourth down. The first quarter ended with the Eagles leading 14-3, but the Commanders had possession of the football.
In the second quarter, the Eagles had two great catches by wide receiver AJ Brown, two successful “tush push” plays on fourth down, and a touchdown from a “tush push” at the 1-yard line. Philadelphia also recovered another fumble, leading to an AJ Brown touchdown. The Commanders scored field goals of 46 and 42 yards and had a sack on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, plus a long touchdown by wide receiver Terry McLaurin. At halftime, the Eagles led 27-15.
The Eagles received the kickoff to start the second half and returned it for nearly 30 yards. For the Eagles, highlights from the third quarter included a deep catch from tight end Dallas Goedert, a touchdown run by Hurts, and another fumble recovery. The Commanders’ highlights from the third quarter included another sack of Hurts, a touchdown run by Daniels, and a sliding catch from Ertz. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 34-23 in favor of the Eagles.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles executed yet another “tush push” for a touchdown, aided by multiple encroachment penalties committed by the Commanders’ defensive players near the goal line. Other Eagles highlights in the fourth quarter included a critical sack of Daniels on fourth down, another touchdown run from Barkley after a pass interference penalty by the Commanders’ defensive players, and an interception off a Hail Mary pass in the end zone that led to a touchdown from rookie running back Will Shipley.
The game’s final score was 55 to 23 in favor of the Eagles. The NFC Championship victory sent the Eagles to Super Bowl LIX, held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. There, the Eagles will play the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the winner of the AFC Championship Game.
