The Super Bowl stage is almost set with the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship for a chance at their third consecutive Super Bowl title while the Washington Commanders take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship. NBC’s Sam Brock reports for Sunday TODAY.
They set an NFL record for most rushing touchdowns and most points in a championship gamePhiladelphia has beaten Washington, 55-23, to win the NFC championship and secure a berth in the Super Bowl against the winner of Buffalo-Kansas City in the AFC title game.
The Eagles were powered by a running game that averaged 6.4 yards per carry led by Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 118 yards on 15 carries and scored three times on the ground. Quarterback Jalen Hurts also rushed for three touchdowns as Philadelphia matched the NFL record for most rushing scores in a postseason game, with seven.The superlative rookie season of Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has come to an end. Daniels became only the sixth rookie quarterback to start a conference championship game, and completed 29 of his 48 passes for 255 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Daniels also rushed six times for 48 yards and a touchdown. Sacked just once combined during playoff road wins at Tampa Bay and at Detroit, Daniels was sacked three times under Philadelphia's relentless pressure.Playing its backups, Philadelphia collects its record seventh rushing touchdown in an NFC championship to widen its lead even more with 3:03 to play in the fourth quarter. This game is over enough that the Eagles have already doused coach Nick Sirianni with the celebratory Gatorade bath on the sideline.Philadelphia's Quinyon Mitchell intercepts Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, the fourth Commanders turnover of this championship game. The Eagles have scored 21 points off of turnovers tonight, and those mistakes have been the difference.All year long we’ve known the Eagles have one of the most feared rushing attacks in the NFL. And now the Jalen Hurts-Saquon Barkley backfield has been immortalized in the league record books. Philly’s six rushing touchdowns today are the most in NFC championship game history, per the Fox broadcast. The Eagles set the record with their fifth rushing score. Barkley’s third touchdown on the ground added to the record.Andrew Greif Philadelphia is closer to securing a berth in the Super Bowl after Saquon Barkley scores his third rushing touchdown of the day with 7:58 to play in the NFC championship. As the Washington Commanders struggled to keep up with the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-year-old Northern Virginia native Ilia Malinin won his third consecutive men’s title at the U.S. Figure Skating ChampionshipNo team has ever converted as many fourth-down attempts as Washington this season, which has 30 including the postseason. Yet with 10:19 to play in the NFC championship, Washington's Jayden Daniels was sacked on fourth-and-11 to give Philadelphia the ball back while leading, 41-23. It was the first failed fourth-down conversion today for the Commanders, and puts them in a very difficult position to mount a comeback.After the comical series of events on the Eagles’ last drive — during which the referees almost awarded Philly a score — Jalen Hurts is now in sole possession of an NFL playoff record. With his third rushing touchdown of the game, Hurts has nine rushing touchdowns in his postseason career — the most for a quarterback in league history.Washington tried everything to stop Philadelphia from pushing the ball into the end zone on a quarterback sneak, the play the Eagles made famous and known as either the"Tush Push," or"Brotherly Shove." On three consecutive plays, with the ball only inches from the end zone, Commanders defenders drew encroachment penalties in hopes of timing the Eagles snap. But eventually, the Eagles broke through for the third rushing touchdown of the day by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The touchdown was set up by yet another big run by Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, this time a 21-yard gain.Washington running back Austin Ekeler made an athletic play to catch a short throw by Jayden Daniels, but when Ekeler tried to make a move upfield, he fumbled the ball, giving Philadelphia possession back with seconds to play in the third quarter. The Eagles have forced more fumbles this season than any other team in the NFL.A perfectly timed blitz up the middle of Philadelphia's offensive line by Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu allowed Luvu to tackle running back Saquon Barkley almost as soon as Barkley took the hand off on third down. It left Philadelphia with little choice but to punt, and now Washington gets the ball back with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter, trailing 34-23.Philadelphia's lead has been trimmed to 34-23 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter following Washington's touchdown and successful two-point conversion — both engineered by quarterback Jayden Daniels.With his latest rushing touchdown in the third quarter, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts tied Steve Young for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in playoff history.Concern over the injured left knee of quarterback Jalen Hurts followed the Eagles throughout the week leading up to today's NFC championship game. Hurts, it turns out, looks just fine. Already up to 199 yards passing, his most in the playoffs — previous high, 131 — Hurts has also hurt the Commanders as a rusher, including on his nine-yard scamper for a touchdown to extend Philadelphia's lead to 34-15 with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter. The run capped a four-play, 58-yard touchdown drive.The first two punts of the NFC championship have taken place on each team's opening drive of the third quarter. Both teams went three-and-out, with a total yardage gain of ... negative-three yards.The most important thing to look out for in the second half will be the Eagles’ rushing attack vs. the Commanders’ run defense. Once Philly gets ahead, its offense isn’t shy about pounding the ball on the ground and bleeding clock. The Eagles’ success is largely predicated on keeping Jalen Hurts out of obvious passing situations and controlling the game with the run. Washington can’t afford for Philly to run roughshod in the second half, and the offense will need all the help it can get. Better yet, if the Commanders can make Hurts throw more often, that’s their best bet at throwing a wrench into the Eagles’ offense. Jayden Daniels may not have had to play from behind much in the playoffs, but he’s already led several game-winning drives in his rookie season. The more Washington can get the ball in his hands, the better chance it will have to get to the Super Bowl.Eagles receiver A.J. Brown entered today’s game against the Commanders with only three receptions for 24 yards in the postseason, catching 30% of his targets across two games. His biggest highlight from the playoffs was Brown already has four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown through the first half. He also made one of the biggest plays of the game — a 31-yard reception after beating man coverage on a 4th-and-5. An engaged and active Brown is a difference-maker for Philly’s offense. He and Hurts haven’t always had the best connection, but they’re bringing their best at an important time.But most Washington fans are keeping the faith. “We’re still in there. I think we’re still in there,” fan Alex Vreeland said. “They need to go have a talking to in the locker room. But after that, we should be good.” “We’re always a fourth quarter team,” Meredith Hane, who has been saving a table at Whitlow’s bar since noon, said. “I feel like we always pull it off in like the last play. So I’m not worried. We’re scoring. We’re moving the ball.”As a younger team playing on the road against an experienced opponent, the Commanders desperately needed to avoid big mistakes against the Eagles today. Unfortunately for Washington, that wasn’t the case in the first half.The two fumbles Washington had — both of which led to Philly touchdowns — were both good plays by the opponent. The penalties were another story, though. The Commanders committed a pass interference in the end zone on 3rd-and-13, which set up a score. A personal foul penalty after a touchdown nearly led to a two-point conversion by the Eagles. And a separate personal foul penalty on a third down led to Philly’s last touchdown of the half. Washington is almost lucky to only be trailing by 12 after all the mistakes. But the Commanders need to clean it up quickly if they’re going to come back. These teams are close in many statistical categories at the half, but Washington's two turnovers loom large. Washington is 4-for-9 on third down, and 3-for-3 on fourth down. Did coach Dan Quinn err in settling for a field goal on the opening drive and not attempting a third fourth-down conversion that might have led to a touchdown? Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is 15-24 passing for 139 yards and a touchdown. Daniels has also rushed for 31 yards. The Eagles are 4-for-7 on third down, and 1-for-1 on fourth. Saquon Barkley has nine carries for 85 yards, including two touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, has completed 12 of his 18 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.After getting the ball back with only 39 seconds left before halftime, Washington drove 46 yards to get into field-goal range for kicker Zane Gonzalez.The Eagles now lead 27-12 after a pass from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown. Brown had caught only 24 yards in his first two playoff games but has 61 at the half today. The touchdown was set up after a late-hit penalty with 57 seconds remaining in the half, that happened on third down and gifted the Eagles a first down and goal.Philadelphia scores on its customary"Brotherly Shove" quarterback sneak play, for a 20-12 lead with 1:41 to go before halftime, but immediately after the play, Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Eagles receiver A.J. Brown got in one another's faces, a skirmish that extended from the touchdown play when Brown was blocking Lattimore.Facing fourth-and-5 from the Washington 46 with just over 2 minutes remaining before halftime, Philadelphia did something rare this postseason — it asked Jalen Hurts to make a big play. Hurts' pass up the left sideline found A.J. Brown for a 31-yard gain, and now the Eagles are just 14 yards from the end zone. Hurts has completed 9 of his 13 passes for 126 yards so far, by far his most comfortable postseason outing this season.Jayden Daniels got the ball quickly to receiver Terry McLaurin on a slant route, and McLaurin did the rest, breaking tackles en route to a 36-yard touchdown. Trying to forge a tie, Washington attempted a two-point conversion but came up short. Philadelphia leads 14-12 with 7:05 left before halftime.Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott pushes a 54-yard field goal attempt wide right with 8:55 to play before halftime to keep the score Eagles 14, Commanders 6. The miss was preceded by a nine-yard loss when quarterback Jalen Hurts couldn't avoid the blitz and was sacked by Washington's Frankie Luvu. For a Commanders team trying to climb back into this game, it was a significant two-play sequence.Philly sacked Jayden Daniels for the first time on Washington’s most recent drive, then forced a throwaway on third down after pressuring Daniels. How the Commanders hold up against the Eagles’ pass rush will be worth monitoring moving forward. Washington is without its starting right guard, and Philly is adept at collapsing the pocket from both the interior and the edge. Aside from the obvious, another reason the Commanders need to close the deficit is Daniels is going to be facing a ferocious rush in pure passing situations.At the end of a 10-play Washington drive, kicker Zane Gonzalez nails a field goal from 46 yards to trim Philadelphia's lead to 14-6 with 14:42 remaining in the second quarter.The Commanders were set up as though they were about to punt for the first time until Washington ran a trick play.The biggest deficit the Commanders had faced in the postseason entering today was 7-0 against the Lions. They now trail 14-3 to the Eagles. Philadelphia has made some big plays in the first quarter — Saquon Barkley’s touchdown run on the offense’s first play, and the forced fumble on Dyami Brown.Gifted the ball back by a Washington fumble, Philadelphia wastes little time to take advantage. Saquon Barkley scores his second touchdown on a 4-yard run with 3:43 to play in the first quarter. The TD was set up by an incredible catch from DeVonta Smith along the sideline.A big reason Washington has pulled off upsets in back-to-back weeks is because of the team’s ability to play mistake-free football. The mistake led to a second Saquon Barkley touchdown as the Eagles take a 14-3 lead.Fans are gathered to watch the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles face off in the NFC championship game. It has been more than 30 years since the Commanders played in the Super Bowl. NBC News’ Gary Grumbach reports from the official Commanders' watch party.The Commanders' second drive was rolling along with yet another third-down conversion, until Dyami Brown couldn't hold onto the ball under pressure from two Eagles defenders. Zack Baun and Cooper DeJean helped punch the ball out, and Philadelphia jumps on the fumble. Washington has shown great resilience in the postseason, but this has been a brutal last two minutes.The NFL's leading rusher runs for a 60-yard touchdown on Philadelphia's first play from scrimmage today. It's 7-3, Philadelphia, and you cannot draw up a better start for the Eagles.The Commanders already faced an uphill battle going against superstar running back Saquon Barkley. They'll have to do it without one of their top defensive players.The Commanders’ first drive of the half was a massive one — 18 plays, with 7:03 taken off the clock, nearly half of the first quarter. Time of possession will be the game within the game in the NFC Championship. Both the Eagles and Washington can play ball-control offense. Both teams have good rushing attacks and both are confident in fourth-and-short situations. That means possessions will be at a premium. With possibly limited opportunities to score for each side, that will magnify any mistakes made by the offenses today.Washington produces its longest drive of the entire season — 18 plays — before opting for a field goal instead of trying a third fourth-down conversion. Zane Gonzalez nails the 34-yard field goal with 7:57 left in the first quarter.The Commanders converted two fourth-down attempts on their first drive of the game, continuing a theme from their playoff run. Washington went for it five times in the Wild Card Round and four more times last week. The Commanders finished the regular season first in fourth-down percentage.The Commanders aren't afraid to go for it on fourth down — they were 20-for-23 in the regular season and 6-for-9 in their first two playoff games. And on their opening drive of the NFC championship they've already gone for one, and converted. Jayden Daniels extends the opening drive yet again by a 7-yard gain to tight end Zach Ertz while facing fourth-and-5. The Commanders are nearly into the Eagles' red zone.Philadelphia won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Commanders will get the game's first possession. It's time for Jayden Daniels, who has already won two road playoff games as a rookie, to get the ball.Commanders fans have packed into Whitlow’s bar in Washington, D.C., one of the official watch parties for today’s NFC Championship game.The last time the Commanders won a Super Bowl, Andrews was two years old. “We have waited a long time for this,” she said. “Bring it on.”Saquon Barkley had an MVP-type season in 2024-25, running for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season as Philadelphia won the NFC East. In his last performance, he pushed the Eagles past the Rams in the divisional round with 205 yards and two scores. If Washington wants any chance in the NFC Championship, it must stop Barkley from going off. Unfortunately, that is not a bright spot for their team. The Commanders rank 30th in the league in both opponent rushing yards per carry and opponent rushing yards per game .Daniels, the No. 2 pick out of LSU, has had arguably the best rookie season in NFL history. After two more wins in the postseason , he's tied with former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for the most ever by a rookie. If he wins Sunday, he'll become the sixth QB ever to win three road postseason games in one playoff run. The others? Tom Brady , Tony Eason , Eli Manning , Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger . He'd also overtake Russell Wilson for the most playoff passing yards by a rookie all time.The Commanders’ fourth-down aggressiveness is coming close to flying above the radar, but I think their coaching strategy has been on point during the postseason. After attempting five fourth-down conversions in the Wild Card round, Washington went for it four more times on fourth against the Detroit Lions. If the Commanders are going to pull off an upset on the road as a significant underdog, then continuing to employ a bold fourth-down strategy will go a long way. And it will especially be important against an Eagles team that likes to play keepaway with the football. Philly’s rushing attack can skew time of possession pretty quickly. If Washington remains aggressive and can keep an extra drive or two alive, that will go a long way in the Commanders upsetting yet another team.After going viral for his pre-kick routine, Washington Commanders’ kicker Zane Gonzalez is opening up about his struggle with OCD which he says he’s been managing for years. NBC’s Sam Brock reports for"TODAY."of a moment. Among the four quarterbacks left, the Commanders rookie has completed the second-highest percentage of passes, taken the fewest sacks, thrown for the most yards per game and has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio. One rating, ESPN’srates him virtually perfect on third and fourth downs. Most importantly, Daniels also leads the category of “player you least want to see right now.” Mahomes’s statistical sag during the regular season — he posted worse-than-career-average marks in rating, the percentage of passes that went for touchdowns, and interceptions, and threw for fewer than 4,000 yards for the first time since he became a starter six years ago — has continued in the postseason. And yet, try watching his improvised touchdown pass to Travis Kelce last week, thrown perfectly through Houston’s zone while Mahomes was falling down, and believe that he won’t find a way to win. Mahomes has won his last six home playoff games and 11 of his last 12, dating to 2019.Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, who previously led Atlanta to Super Bowl LI following the 2016 season, can become the eighth head coach to lead multiple franchises to a Super Bowl appearance.Philadelphia -- led by running back Saquon Barkley -- had the second-best rushing offense in the league this season with 179.3 yards per game on the ground. Washington ranked third with 154.1 rushing yards per game. According to the NFL, Sunday's game will mark the first Conference Championship since 1993 to feature two teams in the top three in rushing during the regular season.Carter’s third-down sack and fourth-down pressure of the Rams’ Matthew Stafford helped seal the Eagles’ victory in the divisional round, and he also has three passes defended in the postseason. Now, Carter faces a Commanders offensive line missing starting guard Sam Cosmi, who injured a knee last week. An Eagles victory hinges partly on getting to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and if the Eagles can get pressure with just their defensive front, it will allow its linebackers to spy on Daniels or drop into coverage.Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, including the playoffs, has 2,329 rushing yards and 2,638 scrimmage yards this season. Against Washington on Sunday, he could surpass Broncos legend Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards and most scrimmage yards by a player in a season in NFL history.Washington fans knew things were moving in the right direction a couple years ago when Dan Snyder sold the team to Josh Harris, however few if any thought the turnaround would be this fast. But thanks to new ownership, a new GM in Adam Peters, a new coach in Dan Quinn and new starting quarterback in No. 2 draft pick Jayden Daniels, that's exactly what happened. After a regular season that saw them improve from four to 12 wins, they defeated No. 3 seed Tampa Bay in the wild-card round and dominate No. 1 seed Detroit on the road in the divisional round. If Washington wins on Sunday, it will become just the third team ever to defeat the top three seeds in their conference in a single postseason and the third No. 6 seed to reach the Super Bowl.
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