Conference Championship Weekend has been an iffy one for Eagles fans in the 21st century, mixing some of the worst days of their lives with the highest of highs. Big moments draw instant comparisons to past glory or failures. Every big catch by an opponent is the second coming of Joe Jurevicius. Every game-altering turnover for the Birds is a callback to Patrick Robinson's heroics.
In the Eagles' 55-23 win over the Commanders, advancing to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the last 20 years, more playoff legacies were defined.
No one did more there than Saquon Barkley, the current King of Philadelphia, ruling the city like no one since Nick Foles rocked Lincoln Financial Field and the Super Bowl itself seven years ago. The Commanders put forth a methodical 18-play drive to open up the game that included fourth down conversions on the way to a field goal, putting three points on the board. Barkley erased that in just a few seconds, uncorking a 60-yard touchdown run on the Birds' first play from scrimmage:
SAQUON 60 YARDS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dAREUcfSAd— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025
Washington answered with a field goal and the Eagles, naturally, answered with another Barkley TD:
Touchdown #2 for Saquon 👏
📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6KzjxYRZ9T— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025
Barkley's stat line, at that point, read two carries for 64 yards and two TDs. He finished with three touchdowns on the day for good measure.
The New York Giants front office brass watches from afar, the Super Bowl a distant memory for them, hiding under their desks like George Costanza on "Seinfeld," as Barkley helps carry their most hated rival to the Big Game.
Barkley's not the only one though!
Dallas Goedert played well as a blocker and a receiver with clutch catches to boot. This comes just two weeks after his stiff arm-filled touchdown "Angry Run" against the Packers in the Wild Card round. He was the perfect security blanket for Jalen Hurts.
There's Jordan Davis delivering his biggest Eagles moment to date, too. The Birds traded up for the collegiate superstar in the 2022 NFL Draft and while Davis has been good as a run-stuffer, he has still yet to reach his pass-rushing upside in his third pro season. He's third in the defensive tackle hierarchy behind Jalen Carter, his former Georgia teammate, and Milton Williams. Davis came to play though with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
He now has what will currently stand as his signature play: a sack for a loss of 12 yards to force Washington into a third and 20 early in the second half. The Eagles would score on a Hurts TD run on their ensuing drive.
Who else?
Patrick Robinson was the gold standard for one-year veteran lottery tickets that turned to riches, but Zach Baun was a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate who's now doing it big in the playoffs as well. Baun forced a fumble early that led to an Eagles scoring drive. He recovered one in the second half that did, too. He's the type of player the Eagles never have and now he's one of the best players in the entire NFL.
Nolan Smith is a playoff wrecking ball, another former Georgia Bulldog balling out for Vic Fangio's defense. He sacked Jayden Daniels for a nine-yard loss on a fourth down in the fourth quarter to gift the Birds great field position. That's already his fourth sack of the playoffs. This dude was playing deep into late preseason games not too long ago! Howie Roseman went Chase Utley-Ryan Howard mode in the 2023 draft, hitting back-to-back homers with Carter and Smith in the first round.
Then there's, of course, QB1.
Hurts has not played as well as he has in the past this regular season and, at times, in the playoffs. That's a fact. It's also true that he's taken way too much heat from the talking heads and, ahead of the Super Bowl, he's shut them up.
Hurts registered a four-touchdown day with efficient passing and timely rushes. He's undeniably a factor in making the run game easier for Barkley because of his dual-threat capabilities. He will now be presented with the opportunity two Sundays from now to forever etch himself into Philadelphia lore with Foles, the Founding Fathers and whomever the hell us if the Eagles end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Legacies are being built (and broken apart) on the other sideline, too.
Zach Ertz wanted to leave the Eagles during the 2021 season to play for a contender. His former team will now have made the Super Bowl twice since then. Ertz had a great game for the Commanders on Sunday, but it feels like he's written himself out of the Eagles' storybook a tad after his departure, no longer in that all-time Eagles hierarchy. Praise the guy forever for scoring the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl certainly, but ask yourself this: does he feel like an Eagle as much as someone like Fletcher Cox and Lane Johnson, let alone as much as Jason Kelce or Brandon Graham? The answer's no.
These Commanders arrived ahead of schedule with this spirited playoff run, mostly because of the way Jayden Daniels played like the best rookie quarterback ever. He will be a villain up and down I-95 for the next decade. The Eagles deservedly got the best of Daniels on Sunday, but this is probably the worst he will be as a QB for years and years. It's a scary proposition, but that's a worry for a different time as the Commanders start booking trips to the likes of Cabo while the Eagles go marching to New Orleans.
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