Game 1: Be the Blueprint

Game one of Championship weekend is going to be a doozy. Mark my words, this game will be as back and forth and unpredictable as they come. The Eagles will be the heavy favorite, as no rookie QB has ever made it to a Super Bowl. Plus, the Eagles were 8-1 at home this year. The odds will be stacked against Washington, but they do not sail in unfamiliar territory. They’re used to the tumultuous and erratic waters of the playoffs.

After taking down a heavy favorite in the Detroit Lions last week, the Commanders most likely believe that the sky is the limit for them. Who wouldn’t watching this team, let alone, being a part of it? In the two games played this postseason, Washington ranks 3rdin total offense among the teams who have played this postseason. They averaged 415 yards in their two games, 283 passing yards, 132 rushing yards, and 34 points a game. I understand the sample size is small, but let’s compare those number to their regular season totals. The Commanders finished 7th in total offense, averaging 369 total yards a game, 215 passing yards, 154 rushing yards, and over 28 points a game. The numbers in the playoffs are on par with their numbers in the regular season, and that’s what you want to see. But, as I’ve said before, statistics don’t win games, players do, and while these statistics are great, the Commanders are winning games and collecting these stats with the personnel they have. Jayden Daniels is a superstar and will be for years to come. They have a young defense, with a confident scheme, that effectively takes out offenses and forces turnovers. They have more youth in their offense, led by Daniels and a tandem of talent between Terry McLaurin, Brain Robinson Jr., and new standout Dyami Brown. Add veterans like Zach Ertz, Austin Ekeler, Bobby Wagner, and even Marcus Mariota, who is a valuable teacher and good shoulder for Daniels to lean on. This team has the pieces, they have the ability, and they have the execution. Question is, can they carry on another game? I believe they can, if they are able to do just one thing. Take away Philadelphia’s short game. Their run and screen passes specifically. They lean on it like a cane, but if they can kick out their support, I think it’s very possible they take this game. That is obviously a monstrous challenge, trying to stop Saquon Barkley and penetrate their offensive line, but Washington has a front that likes to wreck. If they can beat Baker Mayfield and the Bucs, Jared Goff and the Lions, I think they can put up a good fight against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.

Now, the Eagles will be rolling into this game feeling as confident as Washington. They’ve handled their last two opponents, not with ease, but did more than enough to overcome them. Well, definitely in the first game against the Packers, who essentially handed the game to the Eagles. And then there was the Rams game, which was ended on a 78-yard Saquon Barkley TD. The game went from a 4-point game to a 13-point game in 9 plays. Between a FG and that TD run, the game was put out of reach, when it was very much in reach for the majority of the game. Now, the Eagles should not be punished for having Saquon, I’ve said it 100 times and I’ll say it 100 more. But, if Barkley is unable to cover for a bad pass game due to containment of their run game, they just might fall short on their magic. If they keep on with the pace they’ve been going, meaning Barkley runs for 150+, Jalen Hurts gets a couple designed runs and extension of plays that lead to long runs, screen passes that get nice chunks of yardage, they’ll probably win again. I just believe that if a team can stop their short game, they can win. And as I said, I believe Washington is that team. It will take nothing short of their best performance, but I wouldn’t want to overvalue this game. Just play like you have been, keep Daniels relaxed, and leave it all out there. I like the Commanders 31-24.

POSTGAME:

Hats off to the Washington Commanders. I know it was far from the outcome they wanted, and probably wished to give a little better performance, but an incredible season, nonetheless. Very few rookies have achieved what Jayden Daniels did this year. He led a historically bad franchise to an NFC Championship game. This Dan Snyder led team was going nowhere, and despite his bitter comments in the media, this team’s path is up. They’ll be back next year, with more experience, drive, and time on task. They will be a team looking to contend for a long time.

If you were watching this game, you would know that Washington was fighting back in the first half. They were down a couple scores at times, but never out of it. The problem was, they couldn’t get out of their own way. They start off with an 18-play drive, with two fourth down conversions in that drive. It ended in a FG, fine, but on the very first play of the game, they allow Saquon Barkley to rip off a 60-yard TD. Some stellar blocking and horrible tackling led to this score, but it was if the gameplan was already ruined. The defense probably had one job. Stop Saquon Barkley. You want to give up 100 yards to A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, or even Dalla Goedert, fine. But it was the first play of the game. And they couldn’t stop them for the rest of the game. Credit the Eagles again, but Barkley ripped off 166 yards and 3 TDs. The gameplan was either ineffective, or they didn’t allot as much of their attention to him as they should’ve. Force Jalen Hurts to throw the ball deep, don’t get beat by the run. But alas, that’s exactly what happened. They had multiple chances too. Here’s an example. A false start pushes the Eagles back on 3rd down, making it 3rd and 18. The Eagles are unable to convert, but Marshon Lattimore gets rightfully called for pass interference. The drive continues, add 7 more points. Then, on a 3rd and 10 in a different drive, Barkley is hit late out of bounds, (which in my opinion was a bad call), and the rookie Sainristill is flagged for unnecessary roughness. Add 7 more points. You compile these mistakes, lack of execution in stopping the run game, and inability to keep up with this firehose of an offense, and you will get 55 points dropped on your heads. It’s not like the tape wasn’t out there. It’s unfortunate because Washington could’ve put up way more of a fight, but that’s the way she goes. The better team moves on.

The Eagles are headed to the Super Bowl again. A rematch of the 2021 Super Bowl. This is the Eagles’ 3rd Super Bowl appearance in the last decade, as they faced Tom Brady and the Patriots back in the 2017 season. They lost against the Chiefs in the 2022 season, but now they get a get-back game with a much better team. They did what they needed to do against a young Washington team. They stayed to their run game, converted in short downs, and prevented Daniels from making plays and forcing turnovers along the way. We already mentioned Saquon’s achievements, but let’s hear it for Hurts. He threw for 246 yards, going 20/28 with 1 TD. Plus, he had 3 rushing TDs. It’s their game and it works. Brown had 96 yards and 1 TD, Goedert had 85 yards, and Smith had 45 yards. They got after it. Their defense recovered three fumbles and had 1 INT. No area of their team is weak right now, especially considering the number of fumbles they force on special teams. The Chiefs will most likely be the favorite heading into New Orleans, but don’t count out the loud team from Philly. They have never not made noise, but this year, they’re booming.