With the Patrick Mahomes-Josh Allen showdown dominating the conversation, there hasn’t been as much discourse about the NFC Championship between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. Most of it has centered on Jayden Daniels’ unprecedented rookie season or Saquon Barkley’s consistent brilliance—or Jalen Hurts’ lack of the latter. However, the defenses could play a huge role here, and Kay Adams has tabbed a Commander as this game’s X-Factor.
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Each team had two All-Pros on defense this year: linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner for Washington, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter and linebacker Zach Baun for Philly. However, no one in that quartet is going to make as big an impact on Sunday afternoon’s game as Washington corner Marshon Lattimore—at least, according to Adams.
“Who has the power to send the Eagles packing? It could come down to Marshon Lattimore, four-time Pro Bowler, he’s gonna see a lot of A.J. Brown. And it’s gonna be a battle.”
The NFL pundit believes that rookie general manager Adam Peters’ mid-season trade to acquire the veteran was a shrewd move made with this exact matchup in mind.
“This matchup is why I was all over this the second it happened, Adam Peters, you dog you, going to get Marshon at the trade deadline. Huge move. You know, Marshon, you saw it against Evans, he’s gonna bring it. I think he is feeling a little bit more healthy as the season goes on. This has the makings of an all-timer.”
The first time these two teams met post-Lattimore trade, Brown had nearly 100 yards. But, Lattimore had a couple of crucial pass breakups, and the Commanders won. The fact that these two guys are both physical and fiery trash-talkers will certainly add to the drama of the day. Not to mention this is a divisional rivalry clash.
“The first taste we got had it all. There was trash talking, there was physicality, there was PBUs, there was big catches. Overall, A.J. Brown got the better end of things. He had 97 yards, he drew a few PIs in there too, he found the end zone. Marshon, by the way, I don’t think he had his legs under him yet. I don’t think he was operating at full strength here.”
The X FACTOR for the Commanders heading into the NFC Championship is undoubtedly MARSHON LATTIMORE and his ability to cover A.J. Brown 💪🗣️@heykayadams @Commanders | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/1KuSGxd9sm
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 25, 2025
In years past, we would have probably agreed with Kay Adams on Marshon Lattimore’s importance here. However, this edition of the Eagles does not rely on A.J. Brown nearly as much as they used to. First off, they run the ball more than anyone, with nearly 70 more attempts than any other team during the regular season. Saquon Barkley is the key to this Philly offense, not Brown.
In fact, the Eagles have won their first two playoff games while throwing for a combined 186 passing yards. Only 24 of those went to Brown. The Eagles also have plenty of other dangerous weapons in the passing game, most notably wideout DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert, the latter of whom has been the most important weapon in the passing game during the postseason.
For us, it’s all about stopping the run for the Commanders. So, the X-factors for Washington, for our money, will have to be their interior defensive linemen. Guys like Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, or rookie Johnny Newton, all of whom have been playing lights out in the postseason. They could even get some pressure on Jalen Hurts up the middle like they did against Jared Goff.
