In the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, there are good teams and great teams. The Washington Commanders are a very good team, but they found out firsthand Sunday that the Philadelphia Eagles are a great team. 

In the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game Sunday, Jan. 26, the Eagles blew out the visiting division rival Commanders 55-23. 

That the Commanders are even a good team is a noteworthy accomplishment in and of itself, given where they sat before this season — there is plenty for Washington to be proud of. 

Washington last reached the NFC Championship game in the 1991-92 season, which was also their last Super Bowl win. Since then, they’ve been mired in a cycle of mediocre quarterback play and consistent mismanagement under their former owner Daniel Snyder, who sold the team before the 2023-24 season.

But this season, the Commanders drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner, to lead a new offense. Pundits always expected Daniels to be good, but he has had perhaps the greatest rookie season of any NFL quarterback. Daniels practically willed the team not only to a 12-5 record, but also road playoff wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and an impressive upset over the Detroit Lions.

For the Eagles, a record-setting championship game should excite them heading into a Super Bowl rematch against the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Kansas City NFL team.

To open the game, the Commanders received the kickoff and expertly engineered a drive down the field. Rookie phenom quarterback Jayden Daniels showed the poise of a seasoned veteran, finding open receivers for two consecutive fourth-down conversions. However, their drive stalled out on the edge of the red zone, which led Washington to settle for a field goal to open the scoring.

Philadelphia’s response came quickly. On the Eagles’ first offensive play, superstar running back Saquon Barkley, on a pitch to the outside, broke multiple tackles before cutting across the field for a 60-yard touchdown, exhilarating the home crowd.

Though determined to do so, the Commanders failed to respond on their next drive, with wide receiver Dyami Brown fumbling and the Eagles recovering just four plays in. Fumbles became the watchword for the Commanders offense. This first mishap foreshadowed the Commanders’ struggles all game on the turnovers front: In total, they committed 3 fumbles and surrendered 1 interception. The Eagles took full advantage of these errors, scoring touchdowns off all 4 turnovers.

Washington had the league’s third-worst rush defense in the regular season and, missing defensive tackle Daron Payne, displayed glaring holes on the defensive line. Barkley dominated, rushing for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns, and quarterback Jalen Hurts also had 3 touchdowns on the ground. Backup running back Will Shipley rushed for 77 more yards and a touchdown, mostly during cleanup time. 

The Eagles’ 7 rushing touchdowns tied the record for the most in a playoff game, which was set in 1940, coincidentally also against Washington.

In perhaps the oddest moment of the NFL season, with the Eagles on the 1-yard line in formation for their unstoppable “tush push” quarterback sneak, the Commanders committed three consecutive encroachment penalties. The referees warned Washington that if they continued to jump offsides, the officials could consider it unsportsmanlike conduct and award a touchdown. This rule — the “palpably unfair act” rule — has never been invoked in the history of the NFL, despite being in the rulebook for almost a century. The Commanders got the message, and the Eagles scored the traditional way on the next attempt.

Daniels performed incredibly — a glimmer of hope for Commanders fans for next season. Despite overwhelming pressure from the Philadelphia defensive line, Daniels continued to find open receivers over the middle of the field for big gains. Daniels’ final line was 255 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also had a touchdown run.

Hurts put together one of the most complete games of his career and played as if he were completely healthy, despite a knee injury picked up last week. Alongside his 3 rushing touchdowns, he threw for 246 yards and 1 touchdown. Hurts also had a much more stable command of the pocket and avoided many negative plays, unlike his prior two playoff games.

With the tone set, the Eagles took a 27-15 lead into halftime and did not look back. They allowed only 8 points in the second half and forced turnovers to shut down any glimmer of hope for Washington.

One loss should not tarnish the incredible season for the Commanders. Entering this season, optimism surrounded Washington’s football team for the first time since new ownership reenergized an ailing fan base. However, success came unexpectedly quickly with a new head coach and a rookie quarterback. 

Daniels will continue to develop in the offseason, even if he has already established himself in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks. The Commanders will also look to add additional wide receivers to accompany Terry McLaurin, a new tight end and, most importantly, upgrade their defense at all positions.

If Washington wants a model for developing a winning franchise, they could look to their neighbors. The Eagles have found an incredible partnership between Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni. Sirianni was hired in the offseason before Hurts became the Eagles’ starter. 

Around them, the Eagles have acquired superstar veterans (Barkley, wide receiver A.J. Brown) and developed talent (wide receiver DeVonta Smith, defensive tackle Jalen Carter — the list goes on.) Of course, this strategy involves a lot of luck, but much of that success comes from a top-down winning culture.

This exact kind of culture was lacking under the previous owner, but head coach Dan Quinn and Daniels have already established one in their first year. Despite a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Commanders are just getting started. Their future ahead with revitalized ownership and a standout QB1 will only get brighter as the team undergoes early growing pains.

Next up, the Eagles will face Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, La. on Sunday, Feb. 9.