The Philadelphia Eagles will play their second NFC Championship in two years next week. And this time they will have to get past their resurgent NFC East divisional rivals, Washington Commanders. This will be a heated battle with a place in Super Bowl LIX on the line, especially for Dan Quinn’s side.
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This will be their first NFC appearance since 1992—the last time they made it to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles have had the upper hand in this rivalry for the last three decades. They have won this fixture 31 times since the year 2000 while the Commanders have managed to get the better of Philly only 19 times.
When it comes to the division, the Eagles have won 16 times, with 11 coming after the year 2000. The Commanders clinched the division 14 times, but only three times since the year 2000.
THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE AN NFC EAST BATTLE
We’ll see you Sunday at 3pm ET for @Commanders at @Eagles pic.twitter.com/Sd59wyzdxJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 19, 2025
This will be Philly’s 8th NFC Game appearance in the Super Bowl era. They made it to the NFC game in 1980, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2017, and 2022. In those 8 appearances, they went to the Super Bowl three times, winning only one in 2017.
The Commanders have had much more success than Philly, though not recently. This will be their 7th appearance in the NFC Championship. In these seven appearances, they have made the Super Bowl five times, winning three Lombardi Trophies. They have also won two NFL championships. But since 1991, they have had only five playoff games and never made it past the divisional round until this season.
However, the past is the past. Both teams have won once against each other this season. The Eagles are coming off a win against the Rams while Washington upset the first overall seed, the Lions. Philly is a more complete team, though Commanders have a high-flowing offense led by rookie QB Jayden Daniels. He has outperformed Jalen Hurts this season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles possess the best defense in the league along with the best rush attack led by MVP candidate Saquon Barkley. The Commanders have the 29th-worst record when it comes to stopping the run game, giving on average 138 yards on the ground.
Washington has the seventh best offense in the league and third-best-rushing attack thanks to their dual-threat QB. The Commanders are 17th in passing, averaging 215 yards a game while the Eagles sit at 29th with merely 187 yards per game.
It will all come down to running the ball and for both defenses restricting the ground will be imperative. Going on the road to hostile Lincoln Field, the Commanders have +250 odds to the home team’s -250.
