It’s that time of the year again. We’re edging closer to Super Bowl 59, and it’s safe to say all of the girlfriends of the world are sharing my experience in being shafted for Redzone until Feb 10 (AEDT). With six teams being eliminated over the wild card round, we saw four more join them out of contention with the Divisional round. Racing X’s Bella King is here to debrief you on what’s to come as we head towards the Conference Championships.
In the divisional round, we lost #1 seeds as the Lions went down to the Commanders, whereas on the other side of the bracket, the top-seeded KC Chiefs secured their seat to a seventh consecutive AFC Championship.
WASHINGTON BECKONS HISTORY
Where else do we start other than Jayden Daniels? Just six rookie QBs have started in a conference championship, and none have won a Super Bowl. Jayden Daniels is just one win away from making NFL history, and Commanders fans’ entire lives (I’m not going to delve into the horror show they’ve put up with). Speaking of Commanders fans, it’s been a long 33 years since they’ve made the NFC Championships; huge kudos to first-year coach Dan Quinn!
All eyes will be glued to the screen in the early hours of Monday morning (AEDT) as the Eagles host the Commanders. With the Eagles currently being favourites, the Commanders will have to dig deep to pull off a third consecutive road upset.
GAME PREVIEW:
The Eagles Saquon Barkley will remain the focal point of Philly’s offence. In the regular season he combined for 55 carries for 306 yards and four touchdowns, including 205 yards and two TDs against the Rams in the Divisional playoffs. Washington will need to limit his scope for long runs and passing opportunities.The key for the Commanders is keeping A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith quiet and hoping the Eagles plays will be one-dimensional—Philly will be committed to the run and downfield shots to drive them home in key plays.
When we look at the Commander’s offence, do I need to say much more on Jayden Daniels? The Eagles do have a tough coverage defence, but if Washington (and Daniels) can continue to spread the field and make big plays after the catch, they can ruffle the Eagles’ feathers.
PREDICTION:
The Commanders have huge momentum on their side and are getting much better QB play compared to Philly. Hurts isn’t playing his best, and the Eagles are relying on big plays from their defence as well as Barkley’s legs. Although they were the better team during the regular season, they only survived the Packers and Rams, who made a lot more mistakes than they did. The Eagles will need a rev up to win this.
