Eagles ride Saquon Barkley to an NFC championship showdown at home against Washington

Updated Jan. 20, 2025 5:13 p.m. ET

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley hit the Eagles' record book — the one he keeps adding his name in — last week to learn who held the team record for rushing yards in a playoff game.

Remember Steve van Buren?

Most old-school Eagles fans know the name because van Buren's No. 15 is retired by the franchise and he's in the team Hall of Fame. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Until Sunday, he held the record for yards rushing in a playoff game, with 196 yards in the 1949 NFL championship game against — hard to believe — the Rams.

“I was wondering. I was like, ‘what is the record?'” Barkley said. “It's weird how things work like that.”

Why did he look up the record?

“Chase greatness,” Barkley said.

Barkley has chased greatness and achieved it in his first season with the Eagles. He has shattered most rushing records, notably the 2,105 yards rushing this regular season and the playoff-record 205 yards (with two touchdowns) set in Sunday's victory over the Los Angeles Rams that sent the Eagles to the NFC championship game.

His 78-yard TD in the snow was the final exclamation point in the 28-22 win that secured them a home game Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

No matter the elements, no matter the stakes, Barkley has delivered this season and has made the Eagles favorites to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.

“Given the conditions or not the conditions, it doesn’t matter. It’s a luxury to have him, that’s for darn sure,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “Love him. I can’t say enough good things about him and the leadership he brings to this football team and the — just everything he brings to this football team. He’s special.”

With Jalen Hurts ailing, Barkley is going to need to be special again to knock out the upstart Commanders.

What’s working

Coaching. Sirianni has his critics, mostly because of his offbeat nature — such as when he jawed with Eagles fans earlier this season. There's just no arguing with the results.

He has the Eagles in the NFC title game for the second time in three seasons and they are tied with Buffalo for the best home winning percentage in the NFL (.833, 25-5) dating back to 2022, his second season.

What needs help

A.J. Brown caused a minor stir earlier in the season with the Eagles at 11-2 when he said the offense wasn’t playing up to standard.

The passing game has continued to hover as a pressing issue for the Eagles in the postseason. Hurts did what Matthew Stafford couldn't do in the snowy conditions: hold on to the ball. He didn't throw an interception or lose a fumble. But he was sacked seven times, including for a safety.

Hurts, who had a career-long 44-yard touchdown run in the first half, suffered a knee injury in the second and walked gingerly off the field after the game. He threw for only 128 yards and, while conditions were tough, it was his sixth win this season when he threw for less than 200 yards passing.

The key word, of course, is win. But can Hurts rise to the occasion if the Eagles need to get into a shootout with Jayden Daniels? Or Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes?

Brown had 1,079 yards receiving in the regular season but has been limited to three catches for 24 yards in two playoff games. It's hard for Brown to flash lessons learned from “Inner Excellence” if the Eagles don't throw him the ball. DeVonta Smith hasn't fared much better, with only eight catches for 76 yards against Green Bay and Los Angeles.

“Our performance today was enough to win, but enough is never enough in terms of the standards we have for ourselves and what we want to do,” Hurts said.

Hurts deflected one question about the Eagles' offense and said as he did in the regular season that play-calling questions should be directed at Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Barkley has essentially turned into a one-man offense for the Eagles, and the results can't be argued. Will it be enough to win a Super Bowl if Hurts can't air it out against Washington?

Stock up

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter had his best game of his two-season career. He forced a fumble, had two sacks and five tackles and pressured Stafford while being double-teamed the bulk of the game. Carter played 69 of 71 defensive snaps.

“He’s so talented. But in this league there are a lot of guys that are talented,” Sirianni said. “It takes more than talent to reach your potential, and he’s continuing to rise. That speaks a lot to Jalen Carter.”

Stock down

Jake Elliott continued his maddening season by making three field goals — including two in the fourth quarter after a pair of Rams' fumbles — but missed extra points after the Eagles’ first and final touchdowns. He has missed PATs in both playoff games. Once nicknamed “Jake the Make,” Elliott missed six of seven attempts from 50-plus yards in the regular season and hasn't attempted one since the Dec. 22 game against Washington, when he made his only one of the season.

Injuries

CB Quinyon Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury, but it was not believed to be serious.

Key number

4 — BetMGM Sportsbook has the Eagles as 5 1/2-point favorites against the Commanders, with good reason. The Eagles have won four straight home playoff games, behind only San Francisco at seven for longest active streak in the NFL.

Next steps

Get ready for Round 3 against Washington. Hurts ran for the go-ahead score, Barkley rushed for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Eagles held off the Commanders 26-18 in the first matchup in November. The Commanders took the rematch 36-33 a month later behind five touchdown passes from Daniels.

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