Eagles Takeaways: Saquon, Hurts and opportunistic D lead Philly to Super Bowl

Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts combined for six rushing touchdowns, Vic Fangio's defense forced three turnovers and the Eagles halted the Cinderella story of Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders to win the NFC Championship Game. 

Here's four takeaways as the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl for the the fifth time in franchise history after a 55-23 throttling of the Commanders. 

1. The Legend Of Saquon Barkley Grows 

How did Barkley follow up setting a new Eagles' postseason record of 205 rushing yards in last week's win over the Los Angeles Rams? His first touch of Sunday's game went 60 yards for a touchdown: 

SAQUON! UNREAL! 🦅 pic.twitter.com/46pJ1EmFvI

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) January 26, 2025

Barkley's second rush of the day also ended in a score, as he capped off a six-play drive that started in great position thanks to a Zack Baun forced fumble with a six-yard touchdown run: 

Touchdown 2️⃣ for Saquon!

pic.twitter.com/l0yvP8Lyqd

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) January 26, 2025

Barkley finished the day with 118 rushing yards, the 14th time this season he's gone over the century mark for the Eagles. 

It's hard to compare a skill-position player to other franchise greats like Reggie White and Jason Peters. But it feels like Barkley is having the greatest season of any player in franchise history. And there will be another chapter, as Barkley tries to add onto the $250,000 incentive he triggered with a win today.  

2. Dan Quinn Did The Eagles A Favor On The Opening Drive

The Eagles won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Fangio's defense did a good job not breaking on the opening drive of the game, but allowed Washington to convert twice on both third and fourth down. 

Then, Dan Quinn made a curious decision. 

After previously having converted both a fourth-and-five and fourth-and-two, it appeared obvious that the Commanders would go on fourth-and-three at the 16-yard line of the Eagles. When you also consider how aggressive Washington has been this season, it was pretty shocking when Zane Gonzalez trotted out for the 34-yard field goal. 

Gonzalez did make the field goal, but the Eagles were likely elated by the decision. Odds are, the Commanders would have converted on the fourth-and-three. They already had two fourth-down conversions on the drive, and the Eagles defense had been on the field for close to seven minutes. Until the moment Quinn decided to have Gonzalez come out to kick a field goal, it felt like it was just a matter of when Washington got in the end zone. 

Instead, the Commanders let the tired Eagles defense off the hook, and Barkley took the ball to the house on the first play from scrimmage offensively. 

To his credit, Quinn did later call for a fake punt that Washington successfully converted. But after settling for a field goal on the first drive, the Commanders immediately ended up in a deficit that they never overcame. 

3. Jalen Hurts Turns In Tremendous Performance

Hurts didn't play again in the regular season after suffering a concussion in a Week 16 loss to the Commanders. It at times felt like he was along for the ride during postseason wins over the Green Bay Packers and Rams, and there were concerns about his left knee entering the game. 

But Hurts was effective Sunday afternoon, completing 20 of 28 pass attempts for 246 yards, a passing touchdown and three rushing touchdowns. While injuries to Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens made it a bit of an adventure on the offensive line, Hurts largely seemed in control of the game and not at all limited physically. 

Most notably, Hurts found A.J. Brown six times for 96 yards and a second-quarter touchdown: 

Touchdown A.J. Brown! 💥

pic.twitter.com/Xnw8X0izsM

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) January 26, 2025

Hurts and the Eagles' passing attack have stalled during some junctures this season, with the running of him and Barkley driving the bus for the offense. But Hurts balled out in a Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. Yes, he had a costly second-quarter fumble, but completed 27 of 38 pass attempts for 304 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team with 70 rushing yards, adding in three touchdown scampers. It was one of the best performances that a losing quarterback has ever had in the Super Bowl. But the Eagles lost. Now, Hurts will get a second crack at playing on the biggest stage in the sport. 

4. What's Next? 

The Eagles will face the winner of Sunday evening's AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and the Chiefs on Feb. 9 in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.