Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the NFC are the east wildcard Washington Commanders and their division winning rival Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams have potent offenses, solid quarterbacks, hard-hitting defenses, and intelligent coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#6 Washington Commanders v. #3 Philadelphia Eagles
Conference championship games featuring division rivalries are some of the best and most memorable playoff games in NFL history. Casual viewers can remember which year a team won a Super Bowl because of a rare, divisional matchup in this round. It’s also more fun if the teams split their regular season series.
Washington has nothing to lose since no one expected they’d reach the conference finals with first year head coach Dan Quinn re-vamping the roster. Philadelphia has to protect starting quarterback Jalen Hurts as much as possible after he suffered a knee injury last weekend. That means the winner of this game will be determined by two factors: the better receiving core and which offensive and defensive lines plays best.
Both teams have great receiving cores and tight-end depth. The Commanders great play-calling and complimentary slot receivers will be a reason the game stays close. However, the Eagles have better receiver depth with Jahan Dotson and Parris Campbell. Philadelphia’s receiving core should have another big game against a mediocre secondary.
There’s no offensive and defensive line comparisons. The Eagles dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage and overwhelmed the Commanders with their pass rush and running game in both matchups. The offensive line cleared paths for starting runningback Saquon Barkley in both high scoring divisional games. Washington doesn’t have the same number of highly skilled players on both sides of the ball the Eagles do. That will show in the second half.
Finally, all five previous rookie quarterbacks who went to a conference championship game lost. Second overall pick Jayden Daniels might not play like a rookie, but his team’s not where they want to be yet. Philadelphia has more roster depth at their disposal to tire out the Commanders.
Prediction: Eagles win the NFC championship 34-28 and advance to Super Bowl LIX
NFC divisional round playoff picks record: 1-1
2025 NFC playoff picks record: 3-2
JD's Sportscorner 
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