Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs against the Washington Commanders during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP/Chris Szagola)
- Saquon Barkley dashes 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play.
- Barkley finishes with 118 yards rushing and three TDs.
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts adds three rushing scores in the blowout win.
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PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley dashed 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play and finished with 118 yards and three scores, Jalen Hurts rushed for three TDs and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The Eagles will face the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, who edged Buffalo, 32-29, Sunday to keep their dreams of winning an unprecedented three-straight Super Bowls alive.
Hurts and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, and this time Barkley is along for the ride. The Eagles will play either the Buffalo Bills or former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurts also threw for 246 yards and a touchdown pass and the Eagles had a towel-waving crowd in a frenzy for the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.
“I came to Philly to be part of games like this,” Barkley said. “And there’s nothing better than a game where you can advance to the Super Bowl.”
The 55 points are the most any team has scored in a conference championship game since the 1970 merger.
“I don’t want anybody else leading this team at quarterback other than him. He’s a winner,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Hurts. “Again, he deals with so much criticism, which just blows my mind because of the questions I have to answer. I don’t look too much into that. … It’s just like, man, this guy wins. He’s won his entire life.”
Fifth Super Bowl for Eagles
A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles scored a season high in points to usher the franchise into their fifth Super Bowl.
The Commanders played a role in getting the NFC title game to Philly with two straight road wins — including last week’s stunner at No. 1 seed Detroit that set the stage for the second-seeded Eagles to host.
Jayden Daniels threw for 255 yards with one touchdown, and one interception, and fell short in his bid to become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The Commanders were doomed by four turnovers, including a lost fumble by Austin Ekeler in the third quarter, and the Commanders down, 34-23.
Daniels, who led the Commanders to six consecutive victories, made his share of big plays, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin that pulled them to 14-12.
“I had a lot of confidence in what we would do and how we would play,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
The Eagles won their only Super Bowl in the 2017 season and Nick Foles, the QB in that game against New England, was the honorary captain.
The Eagles cut to other stars from that game in attendance on the big screen and now — two years after coach Nick Sirianni’s Eagles lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl — the franchise has a chance at winning their second one.
Much as he has all season, Barkley led the way for the Eagles.