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The NFC Divisional Round games were a wild ride, and we do not expect that to change with this matchup. We have two NFC East rivals squaring off for a place in the Super Bowl. Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are traveling to Philadelphia to take on Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s break down both of these teams and give our top pick of the NFC Championship game.
The Commanders just keep on rolling. They defeated the number one-seeded Detroit Lions 45-31. The Commanders’ offense could not be slowed down, punting the football only once in the whole game.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was outstanding. He looked poised all game long under constant pressure from the Lions’ defense. Daniels threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and posted another 51 yards on the ground.
Daniels hooked up with Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz for the touchdowns, both of whom had solid games receiving-wise. However, neither of them led the Commanders in receiving — that was Dyami Brown. Brown finished with six catches on eight targets for 98 yards.
The Commanders’ run game was great in this one as well. We mentioned above that Daniels added 51 yards with his legs. Running back Brian Robinson also added 77 yards on 15 carries, while Austin Ekeler, who was a big part of the game plan, had six carries for 47 yards.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the defense the Commanders played. They had four interceptions on the day and forced a fumble on Jared Goff. Even though they gave up 31 points, head coach Dan Quinn had to be ecstatic with the way his defense played.
Like the Commanders, the Eagles had a tough battle against the Los Angeles Rams. They ended up winning the game 28-22 after their defense forced two fumbles, which ultimately led them to victory.
Jalen Hurts had a quiet day through the air, throwing for just 128 yards. However, he did start the game with a monster 44-yard touchdown run, which set the tone for the game. One thing to monitor about Hurts, though, is that he was pretty banged up throughout this game. It will be interesting to see how healthy he can get before this game against the Commanders.
With Hurts only throwing for 128 yards, his pass-catchers were quiet. Dallas Goedert was the leading receiver with just 56 yards, while star wide receiver AJ Brown had just two catches for 14 yards.
The MVP on the offensive side was none other than Saquon Barkley, who is just on another planet right now. He rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 324 yards in two playoff games on 51 carries. This man is carrying the Eagles’ offense on his back, and that is why the Eagles brought him over in the offseason.
The best part about previewing this matchup between these division rivals is the fact that we have already seen this game played twice this season. In the first matchup of the season, the Eagles won 26-18. Daniels struggled to get going in that game, resulting in Washington only scoring 18 points. Meanwhile, Barkley was the star of that game for the Eagles, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
In the second matchup, the Commanders got the better of the Eagles, winning 36-33. Daniels played elite football in that game, throwing for five touchdowns and 258 yards. However, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion early in that game so did not feature much. Barkley had another huge game, carrying the ball 25 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
As the weeks go by, it seems like we see Barkley break a huge run for a touchdown in every game. In his last four games played, Barkley has carried the ball at least 19 times while rushing for over 150 yards in three of those games. With Hurts banged up heading into this game, it would be a shock for Saquon Barkley not to get a huge workload in this game.
With that said, our Commanders @ Eagles pick is going to be on Saquon Barkley to carry the ball at least 24 times.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.