The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders faced off twice during the 2024 NFL regular season. They will go head-to-head for a third time during the 2025 NFL playoffs with a trip to Super Bowl 59 on the line.
That Philadelphia and Washington are meeting in the NFC championship game is a surprise. Entering Week 18, they were projected to play in a first-round matchup that the No. 2 seed Eagles would have hosted.
However, the Commanders‘ win over the Dallas Cowboys coupled with the Green Bay Packers‘ loss to the Chicago Bears allowed Washington to become the conference’s No. 6 seed. The Commanders then proceeded to win road games over the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and No. 1 seed Detroit Lions to earn the right to play the Eagles.
While the Commanders have surprised and impressed, the Eagles have survived and advanced. They had a close call late in their divisional round game against the Los Angeles Rams despite holding a 13-point fourth quarter lead, but Saquon Barkley and the team’s tough defense did enough to get Philadelphia to the conference championship for the second time in three years.
Will the Eagles continue their winning ways, or will the Commanders end up putting together one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent memory? Here’s what to expect as the two best teams in the NFC East square off with a conference title on the line.
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Eagles vs. Commanders odds
The Eagles are solid favorites over the Commanders in the NFC championship game, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
- Spread: Eagles (-4.5)
- Moneyline: Philadelphia (-225); Washington (+155)
- Over/under: 48
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Eagles vs. Commanders history
The Eagles and Commanders have played 180 times during the history of their respective franchises. Washington has a record of 90-85-5 in what has historically been an evenly matched rivalry, though Philadelphia is 12-4 over their last 16 meetings dating back to the start of the 2017 NFL season.
This season, the Eagles and Commanders split their season series. Philadelphia won the first game on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 11 while Washington earned a come-from-behind victory over the Eagles in Week 16.
The Eagles’ victory saw Saquon Barkley have a massive performance. He racked up 146 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries while helping Philadelphia score 20 fourth-quarter points. The Eagles ended up winning 26-18.
The Commanders’ win was more about the dominance of Jayden Daniels. The rookie led the Commanders in passing yards (258) and rushing yards (81) while recording five touchdowns in a come-from-behind 36-33 win. The Eagles lost Hurts to a concussion in the first quarter, but he should be healthy for their championship game matchup.
The Eagles and Commanders have only met once in the playoffs during their 180-game rivalry. That came during the 1990 NFL playoffs, contested in 1991, and saw Washington beat Philadelphia 20-6 behind a two-touchdown game from Mark Rypien.
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Eagles vs. Commanders matchups to watch
The Eagles vs. Commanders game will be a strength-on-strength matchup, as Philadelphia sports a high-quality defense while Washington has one of the NFL’s top offenses. Here’s a look at the matchups to watch in the contest.
Terry McLaurin vs. Eagles defensive backs
The Daniels-to-McLaurin connection has been difficult to stop during the 2024 NFL season. However, the Eagles managed to limit the stud receiver in their first meeting, holding him to just one catch for 10 yards. That was one of just two instances this season McLaurin had just one catch.
In that contest, the Eagles focused on limiting McLaurin and making the Commanders’ other playmakers beat them. The strategy worked, as Washington’s other playmakers hadn’t yet developed high-end chemistry with Daniels.
That said, in recent weeks, Daniels has connected more with players like Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus and Zach Ertz to create a better-rounded offense. That allowed McLaurin to rack up 60 yards and a touchdown on five catches against the Eagles in Week 16, so he could be in line for another similarly impactful performance.
Meanwhile, the Eagles lost one of their top starting cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell, to a shoulder injury in their divisional round win over the Rams. If he can’t play, Isaiah Rodgers – who was burned on occasion by Los Angeles’ receivers – may draw into more matchups with McLaurin and the like. That could make it tougher for Philadelphia to limit the second-team All-Pro and allow Washington’s offense to have another explosive day through the air.
Jayden Daniels vs. Eagles pass rush, Jalen Carter
Daniels has been incredible during the Commanders’ improbable postseason run. One of the reasons for that? He took just one sack combined across his two previous postseason starts.
Daniels has found ways to deal with blitz-happy defenses and get the ball to open playmakers down the field. He has also run the ball successfully, gliding for 87 yards on 29 runs against the Buccaneers and Lions.
With that in mind, the Eagles will need to stay disciplined in guarding Daniels. Not only will they need to pressure him to force him into some mistakes, but they will also need to contain him. The easiest way to do this will be to avoid pushing too far up the field on the edge and getting pressure up the middle with players like Carter.
Carter will be particularly important in this one because Washington’s best offensive lineman, right guard Sam Cosmi, won’t play in this game. He suffered a torn ACL against the Lions and will miss the rest of the season as a result.
Detroit wasn’t able to take advantage of Cosmi’s absence. If the Eagles’ deep and talented defensive front can find a way to do that, it may be key in finding a way to slow down Washington’s offense.
Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley vs. Commanders run defense
The Commanders are going to have a tough time containing the Eagles’ rushing offense in this contest. Washington allowed the third-most rushing yards league-wide during the 2024 NFL season (138.9) and Philadelphia went for 228 and 211 yards respectively in their two meetings. Those represented the Eagles’ fourth- and fifth-highest single-game rushing totals of the season.
Will the Commanders have a new way to contain Barkley in this contest? It doesn’t seem likely, especially considering that the team allowed 105 rushing yards to Jahmyr Gibbs on just 14 carries in the divisional round. The presence of Jonathan Allen may help Washington slightly slow down Barkley, but he alone will not fix the Commanders’ issues.
The Eagles just ran for 285 yards in their win over the Rams, so they appear ready to lean on their ground game against versus the Commanders. That could be a key advantage for Philadelphia as it looks to control time of possession and limit Daniels’ opportunities to make plays.
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Early preview, prediction for Eagles vs. Commanders
There is going to be a natural desire for many to pick the Commanders in this contest. It’s easy to understand why, as Washington is on a seven-game winning streak and Daniels is playing at arguably the highest level we’ve ever seen out of a rookie quarterback.
The Eagles also haven’t looked very good thus far in the postseason. They nearly blew a 13-point lead in the final five minutes of their divisional round game with the Rams while kicker Jake Elliott has struggled with consistency (albeit in unforgiving conditions).
Still, it’s hard to ignore the significant edge the Eagles have on the ground in this contest. Philadelphia isn’t going to be shy about leaning on Barkley and trying to ride him to a Super Bowl appearance, and Washington hasn’t shown the ability to consistently stop that during the 2024 NFL season and playoffs.
Could Daniels and the offense go blow-for-blow with Philadelphia’s unit? Sure, it’s possible. But as the Buccaneers demonstrated, there are ways to slow down the Commanders. The Eagles can attempt to follow that blueprint, which should be focus on avoiding turnovers – which have greatly helped the Commanders this postseason – and limiting possessions.
The Eagles may also be one of the few NFL teams capable of forcing Daniels into turnovers, as three of his nine interceptions came in his two games against Philadelphia. If the Eagles can gain an advantage in the turnover battle, as they did against the Rams and Packers, that would go a long way toward limiting Washington’s spectacular offense.
The rubber match of this divisional series figures to be exciting either way. If the unflappable Daniels can pull off yet another upset, he will get a chance to become the first rookie quarterback to start a Super Bowl.
But on paper, the Eagles’ running game and the experience of Hurts, Barkley and Co. should give them the edge in their quest to outlast their divisional rival.
