The NFC Championship Game is set for a division rivalry showdown. Fans of the league will get round three of a heavyweight matchup, Eagles vs. Commanders. These teams have been nothing short of entertaining over the past season. Both teams enter this game being down on their luck the previous year only to add pieces to their roster to get them over the hump. How do these teams stack up for round three?
Eagles Vs. Commanders Through The Season
These teams have certainly gotten a fair share of each other this year. Being division rivals, they have faced each other twice this year by default. Both of which were tightly contested. The first matchup was in November for first place in the division. The Commanders jumped out to the early lead and the Birds struggled offensively for much of the game. However, as has been the story for the year, the Eagles have the talent to flip a switch. The team erupted for 20 points in the fourth quarter to get the victory and take control of first. The Eagles would never surrender the division lead again.
The second matchup game was shortly before Christmas. This time in Washington, the Commanders won a thriller 36-33. This was an absolute shootout, and the Commanders impressively came back from not one but two 14-point leads. The team’s stars Jayden Daniels and Saquon Barkley put on a show offensively. Daniels threw for five touchdowns and Barkley ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
However, one area the Eagles were at a disadvantage was quarterback. Jalen Hurts left the game with a concussion in the first quarter. Having Hurts healthy will be crucial for a Birds victory.
Each Team’s X-Factor
Speaking of the two stars who put on a show in the second matchup, they have been the missing links for their teams from the start. Daniels revitalized the struggling franchise that was the Commanders. He is well on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He also had a near 70% completion percentage.
Barkley made history this year becoming just the 9th running back in the league to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He led the league in that category as well as carries with 345 and yards per game with 125.3. He also had 13 touchdowns on the season.
Both teams have incredible talent, but the Birds may have one more advantage in this matchup, the Linc. Both teams, as said earlier, are 1-1 on the year and won those games at their respective home fields. The fans of Lincoln Financial Field are known to be some of the loudest and rowdiest. Both teams have the ability to get the job done and now it comes down to one game for the right to go to the Superbowl.
Will Barkley get one step closer to a storybook ending for a storybook season, or will Daniels get one step closer to writing arguably the greatest rookie year for a quarterback of all time?
Main Image: Peter Casey – USA Today Sports
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