The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Washington Commanders this Sunday for round three of their rivalry. The difference is that this bout will decide who goes to the Super Bowl. Both teams are pretty well-matched against each other. They split their season matchups 1-1 and have plenty of playmakers. However, there is a key NFC Championship matchup that could decide the game. This involves two playmakers who have made a major impact this season. They also have largely contributed to both teams making it this far.
The Most Important Matchup In the NFC Championship
Jalen Carter
When the Birds drafted Carter in 2023, they brought him in to be the anchor on the defensive line post-Fletcher Cox. After hitting a rookie wall in the second half of his first season, Carter came into his own this year. Sure, his sack total dropped by 1.5 this year with 4.5 total sacks, but some 0f this had to do with him garnering more attention this year. Cox retired at the end of 2023 and Carter jumped into the full-time starter role at defensive tackle.
He started 15 games this year and saw upticks in combined and solo tackles from his rookie year. He also almost doubled his quarterback hits going from nine in 2023 to 16 in 2024. Carter also recorded 12 tackles-for-loss which was up from eight in 2023. Probably the biggest jump and new element he added to his game was pass deflection. He knocked down six passes in 2024, which he had none in 2023.
Carter may have also singlehandedly dragged the Birds to the NFC Championship. He had a coming-out game against the Rams in the divisional round. This included three sacks with one being a game-sealing sack on Matthew Stafford in the closing seconds of the bout.
So who is the other key player in this NFC Championship matchup?
Jayden Daniels
Daniels has changed the fortunes of the Washington Commanders. He has taken a team that was a laughingstock of the league to a bright future. If he were to knot this year with a Super Bowl appearance or win, that would arguably be the greatest rookie season ever for a quarterback. Daniels finished the regular season with 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine picks with a near 70% completion percentage.
Daniels has also been able to stay effective in the postseason despite the grander stage. He has thrown for 567 yards and four touchdowns with no picks so far. His most impressive win of course upsetting the top-seeded Detroit Lions. This matchup will be predicated on how much pressure the Eagles give Daniels and how much Daniels can operate with it.
Even with the Eagles offense not being as effective as in weeks past, what has saved them is winning the turnover battle which is caused by pressure brought from guys like Carter. This forces quarterbacks to hurry throws and make mistakes. Daniels has been near perfect so far this postseason and he’ll need to be against the number one ranked defense in the league.
We will all have to see how it pans out on Sunday.
Main Photo: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports
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