The Eagles and Commanders matchups in the NFC Championship Game

Three playoff games, three repeat opponents. However, this is a rubber match.

The Eagles host their NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, in the NFC Championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. after the teams split their regular season series and the home team won every contest.

It will be the fourth time in the 2000s that division opponents have met in the NFC title game and the first all-NFC East matchup since the Giants faced Washington in January 1987 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line .

The Eagles separated themselves from the up-and-coming Commanders with their 26-18 Week 11 win over Washington, but the Commanders got revenge on December 22nd when rookie sensation Jayden Daniels pulled off a late comeback win, 36-33, against a Eagles team scored that lost Jalen suffered a concussion early in the first quarter.

Who wins when it counts? Here are five matchups that could make the difference.

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Jalen Carter vs. Trent Scott (or whoever plays RG)

The Eagles’ best defensive player, who helped them get here with multiple sacks and a key forced fumble against the Rams on Sunday, should be licking his lips.

Jalen Carter will likely spend Sunday facing off against a tackler, Trent Scott, who is playing out of position after the Commanders lost right guard Sam Cosmi to a torn ACL in their divisional round win Saturday night at Detroit.

Washington doesn’t have much depth on the interior portion of its offensive line to begin with, and now Scott, a 30-year-old who has largely served as a backup, could take over as the primary defense against one of the game’s best defensive tackles.

Carter already made life difficult for Cosmi when the teams met twice this season. Expect the Commanders to give Scott — or whoever gets the call at right guard — some help, which could have the domino effect of bringing home other Eagles pass rushers.

Saquon Barkley against Washington’s run defense

While Carter is the biggest game-changer on the defensive side of the ball, on the other side it is Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ offensive line.

Barkley used long touchdown runs of 62 and 78 yards to help the Eagles reach the NFC championship game, setting a postseason record 205 rushing yards in the Eagles’ 28-22 victory over the Rams on Sunday .

Next up: Washington’s 30th run defense.

Barkley has passed for more than 100 yards in all but five of the 18 games he played in his first season with the Eagles, and none of the previous matchups against the Commanders were in those five.

Barkley and the offensive line wore the Commanders down in the second half of the Nov. 14 game, as he rushed for 146 yards on 26 carries and two scores. In Week 16, Barkley passed for 150 yards on 29 carries and two more touchdowns. But there is a big asterisk in the second line of statistics. Excluding Barkley’s 68-yard touchdown run, he totaled just 82 yards on 28 carries, an average of 2.9 yards per rush.

When Hurts left the second game, the Commanders managed to slow down the running game. It’s clear that Hurts’ ability to run, or at least the threat that he could run, is a crucial component of the Eagles’ offense. More will be known about Hurts’ potential limitations after he injured his left knee Sunday against the Rams, but if he can’t move as usual, Washington could at least try to repeat its success against the run from last month.

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Eagles linebacker versus Jayden Daniels

When the Commanders win, it’s because their special rookie quarterback did special things. Just like he did on Dec. 22, when he threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 9-yard pass to Jamison Crowder in the end zone in the final seconds.

Daniels is being named this season’s best offensive rookie for good reason. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Daniels is probably one of the best rookie quarterbacks he’s ever seen.

“He’s a freshman according to the birth certificate, but not according to the tape,” Fangio said.

Daniels threw 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions while running for 891 yards and another six scores during the regular season. The Eagles did well against him in their home win, limiting Daniels to 191 yards passing — and one of those nine interceptions — and just 18 yards on the ground. But the second time was much different, as Daniels threw five touchdown passes and added 81 yards with his feet.

The Eagles have their hands full and are still missing off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean. Oren Burks played much better on Sunday after Dean was sidelined with a knee injury against Green Bay a week earlier. Given the importance of linebacker against a dual-threat player like Daniels, Burks needs to get even better on Sunday.

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Quinyon Mitchell et al. against Terry McLaurin

Quinyon Mitchell’s status is somewhat uncertain. Nick Sirianni understandably didn’t provide an update on Monday when asked how Mitchell was feeling after having to leave Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. As always, Sirianni will have Wednesday’s training report narrated.

Mitchell arguably had his best game in the first Eagles-Commanders contest. According to Next Gen Stats, he faced Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin 20 times, and Daniels didn’t throw in McLaurin’s way once.

But McLaurin got the rookie back in December and burned him with a 32-yard touchdown down the left sideline. The Eagles fared relatively well against McLaurin on the day, holding him to five catches and 60 yards.

They need McLaurin to play well to win, regardless of Mitchell’s status, although Daniels has had success distributing the ball.

Eagles blitz pickup against Frankie Luvu et al.

The Eagles have turned one of their biggest weaknesses from 2023 into a relative strength in the 2024 season. They played much better against the Lightning.

That changed on Sunday when the Rams were able to put pressure on Hurts. The pass rush in general found a way to get to the Eagles’ quarterback, sacking him seven times.

A few factors played a role, including Hurts’ mobility after the knee injury, the weather and the way offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called the play. Regardless, the Eagles were not as effective blockers.

Washington’s Frankie Luvu, best known for his involvement in the tackle that took out Hurts in the Week 16 game, had an impressive performance on the blitz. Dante Fowler Jr. led the Commanders with 10½ sacks from a more traditional edge rusher spot, but Luvu collected eight sacks, including two during the Nov. 14 game against the Eagles.

Hurts’ mobility also plays a role here. Will the commanders send more rushers at him to make him uncomfortable? If so, Barkley & Co. need to help Hurts.

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