If their dominant NFC Championship win is anything to go by, the Philadelphia Eagles are either an overwhelming juggernaut heading into Super Bowl LIX, or the hapless Washington Commanders just made them look that way on Sunday.
Yes, Nick Sirianni & Co. return to the NFL's biggest stage for the second time in three seasons thanks to their emphatic 55-23 victory over their division rivals at Lincoln Financial Field.
But unlike last week's hard-fought 28-22 Divisional Round win over the visiting Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles pulled off an easy victory on Sunday. And all Sirianni had to do was rely on game-opening star Saquon Barkley against one of the NFL's worst run defenses.
Philadelphia's biggest star did that, gaining 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries, including a 60-yard scoring run on his first touch of the game.
And for their part, the Commanders did almost everything they could to thwart rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' desperate attempts to keep Washington in the game. Three lost fumbles, untimely penalties and Washington's continued problems defending the run were more than enough to doom the upstart Commanders, who clearly still have a ways to go before joining the NFL's elite.
“It was a different kind of season coming up,” All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson said, referring to the team's 2023 campaign that ended with losses in six of the Eagles' final seven games, including a Wild Card against Tampa Bay. 'I feel like expectations were high, but we were very motivated about how the season ended [last year].'
Saquon Barkley opened the Eagles' first drive with a 60-yard touchdown run on Sunday
Former Heisman winner and offensive ROY favorite Jayden Daniels kneels in prayer
The Eagles didn't play brilliant football in the first half, but they didn't need to.
The Commanders were doing the exact opposite with three head-slaps in the red zone, two of which helped the Eagles push their lead to 27-15 by halftime.
And even without Washington's mistakes, the path to victory over Philadelphia on Sunday already seemed impossibly simple: Just give the ball to Barkley and let him build a battered defense that ranks only 30th in the NFL.
Additionally, Commander's run-stuffing defensive tackle Daron Payne was ruled out due to a knee injury, giving Philadelphia another reason to rely on their All-Pro running back.
Barkley obliged on his very first touch, taking a throw from Hurts down the left sideline and through a handful of tacklers on the way to a spectacular 60-yard touchdown that nearly toppled Lincoln Financial Field.
And the Eagles gained even more momentum on the Commanders' next offense when Defensive Player of the Year candidate Zack Braun forced Washington receiver Dami Brown into a fumble that was recovered by Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship.
Six plays later, Barkley was back in the end zone, this time on a four-yard run toward the right pylon.
And Philadelphia's momentum continued into the second quarter, where Hurts orchestrated a miraculous fourth-down conversion with a 31-yard throw to AJ Brown on the left side.
That Philadelphia drive was aided by Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, bringing the Eagles to the one-yard line. And when Hurts scored easily off a QB keeper on the next play, Lattimore started shoving Brown, resulting in a near brawl.
Lattimore's helmet came off during the altercation when Brown raised his arms to indicate to officials that he was not participating in the altercation. Ultimately, Lattimore was marked with unnecessary roughness, bringing the Eagles a yard closer on a two-point conversion attempt that proved unsuccessful.
And things got even better for the Eagles on the ensuing kickoff, when Washington's Jeremy McNichols coughed up the football, which was recovered by Philadelphia's Kenneth Gainwell.
Thanks to another unnecessary roughness penalty against Washington – this one being a controversial late-hit flag on Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil – Hurts capped his first half with a touchdown pass to Brown for a 27-12 lead.
Washington added a field goal to cut that lead to 27-15 before heading into the locker room.
But for all the Commanders' troubles, it was hardly the fault of their starting quarterback on Sunday.
Facing a deep Eagles defense that limited opposing quarterbacks to an 82.5 passer rating (better than all but three defenses) and a league-low 2,961 yards through the air, Daniels was strong from the game's opening drive. Not only did he convert a pair of third-down chances, he also moved the chains on fourth down twice to set up a 34-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez.
Later, Washington fooled Philadelphia by letting punter Tress Way throw to a wide-open Ben Sinnott on fourth down to extend a drive that ended with a 46-yard field goal by Gonzalez, cutting the Eagles' lead to 14-6.
Daniels and the Commanders offense finally had their breakthrough moment in the second quarter when he found Terry McLaurin on a short route and the All-Pro needed it 36 yards for a touchdown.
And the Heisman winner kept the momentum going after halftime with an eight-play scoring drive that Daniels capped with a 10-yard touchdown run and an impressive play-action pass to convert the two-point conversion.
But the Commanders' many mistakes would soon catch up with them, as their next drive was spoiled by their third lost fumble of the game.
