Eagles NFC Championship e1737940008315 Philadelphia EaglesGetty Images

Nolan Smith might has well have been a cornerback. The Eagles’ rusher lined up outside Terry McLaurin on fourth-and-11 and shot out of a canon, right into the lap of Jayden Daniels. Smith’s sack helped shoot Philadelphia past the Commanders and back to the Super Bowl.

Four plays later, Saquon Barkley pranced around right end and hurdled into the end zone. Philadelphia never looked back in a 55-23 NFC Championship triumph that sent the Eagles to their second Super Bowl in three years. Barkley finished with 118 rushing yards with three touchdowns, including a 60-yard burst on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage and a 4-yard run on his next touch.

“I ain’t going to lie, I tried to downplay it in my head,” Bakley said. “But it’s just amazing, man. It’s amazing. We’re here. The Super Bowl. But the goal wasn’t just getting there. The goal is to win. And we’re going to celebrate and enjoy this and get right back to work.”

Jalen Hurts finished 20 of 28 for 246 yards with one touchdown, and added three rushing touchdowns to improve his postseason career total to nine and surpass Steve Young (eight) for most by a quarterback in NFL history. The Eagles totaled seven rushing touchdowns, matching the single-game NFL postseason record initially established by the Chicago Bears in the 1940 NFL title game.

“How about our quarterback?” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni asked after the game. “How about our quarterback? He’s a stud. I knew he was going to play that way. I knew it. Don’t doubt him. All he does is win.”

Indeed, but the game wasn’t fully out of Washington’s reach until early in the fourth quarter. The Commanders had been money on fourth downs all game — they were 4-for-4 up until Smith’s sack. But Philadelphia produced 28 points by cashing in four turnovers, Washington’s first of the postseason. And along with three sacks and 13 pressures, the Eagles overpowered their NFC East rivals.

In the Super Bowl for the third time in eight seasons, the Eagles will meet the winner of Sunday’s AFC Championship, either Buffalo or Kansas City, on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Super Bowl LIX is the franchise’s fifth berth in the big game.

A.J. Brown registered six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, helping Philadelphia explode for 459 yards of offense and generate 55 points, most by an NFL team in a conference championship since the 1970 league merger. Since opening the season 2-2 after a Sept. 29 loss at Tampa Bay, the Eagles have gone 15-1.

Several members of the Eagles organization were not with the team the last time Philadelphia played in the Super Bowl, a heartbreaking, 38-35 loss to the Chiefs two years ago. Among those individuals are Barkley, Smith, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, who led the team with 12 tackles, one for loss, and added both a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

For more information on the Eagles or Commanders, visit the Philadelphia and Washington team pages at ProFootballPost.com.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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