The Washington Commanders are the sweetheart team of the NFL Playoffs. A long-suffering franchise that also was never supposed to be here. What began as a new era hoping for incremental progress quickly pivoted to the realization that the Commanders have a shot of doing the dang thing.
Before the Commanders can celebrate too much, they first need to get past their biggest test of the season. A blisteringly cold Sunday game in Philadelphia at The Linc, and the Eagles waiting for them. It might all seem like too much, but there’s a strong case to be made for Washington’s chances.
No. 1: Winning the QB battle
It’s wild to think that rookie Jayden Daniels is already better than Jalen Hurts, but here we are. The No. 2 overall pick has been a phenom this season, while Hurts has had his most inconsistent season as a passer.
The Commanders are truly a Kliff Kingsbury offensive team, and love dragging teams into shootouts. The common denominator in all games like this is that the QB who plays the best wins, and we have evidence of a game like this in Week 16, when Washington beat the Eagles when they couldn’t hang with a quick-scoring 4th quarter comeback.
Philadelphia asserted itself early in that game, jumping out to a 21-7 lead in what looked like a blowout in the making. However, back-to-back touchdown passes from Daniels were answered by stalled drives and long field goals by the Eagles.
The Commanders went on to win 36-33, and while the game was close, it also drew up the blueprint for this team on how to beat Philly. If they can slow Saquon Barkley down, pressure Jalen Hurts into being the offensive focus, and do their thing on offense — well, they might just be Super Bowl bound.
No. 2: Stellar linebackers
There are a lot of areas where the Eagles have the clear edge in this matchup, but the Commanders boast three game-changing linebackers who all excel in different areas.
Arguably the NFL’s best unit, Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner, and Dante Fowler are beasts. Luvu flies around the field, and does a little bit of everything, registering 99 tackles in 2024, 8.0 sacks, and seven passes defended. Fowler is an incredible strongside pass rusher, with 10.5 sacks this season and a knack for getting into the backfield to blow up run plays before they start. Wagner is the glue that holds it all together, posting his 13th straight season of 100+ tackles and keeping the whole unit organized.
Linebackers have largely gone out of style in recent years, especially in a 4-3 defense — but the Commanders have made it a focal point of their defense. It came at the perfect time with the league pivoting to being more run-based, and this could allow them to win the matchup.
No. 3: Intangibles
Dozens of metrics show why the Eagles should win this game, but none explain the confidence and belief the Commanders have in themselves. This is a Washington team that understands the importance of this season to the fanbase, the franchise, and the entire city. It’s been the driving force for this season, and the primary reason the Commanders keep winning when everyone has counted them out. This team innately understands that they have the talent to win any game, which they showed by not getting overwhelmed in their trip to Detroit. It’s unfair to say “it just means more” for Washington, but … it just means more.
Obviously the Eagles want to get to the Super Bowl. Everyone does. The difference is that Philadelphia has been here before, and know deep down this might not be the roster to win the Lombardi Trophy, especially with Hurts playing scattershot football. It’s simply a question of who has more motivation to play about their talent level and transcend what conventional wisdom says.
The Commanders proved they could do this by asserting their will against the Lions. The Eagles came dangerously close to losing to the Rams. Momentum is on the side of Washington at this point, and the Eagles have more to lose.
