The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Conference Championship to clinch their spot in Super Bowl LIX (59) on February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Leading up to the game, many MFS students were excited and confident about the Eagles’ chances of winning. Eagles fan Joshua Carroll ’25 stated, “I wasn’t nervous at all, and I thought the Eagles would play well. Obviously the Commanders have a rookie QB who had a good first season, but we have Saquon, Lane Johnson, and Jalen Hurts.”
Despite being down 3-0 early in the game, Eagles Running Back (RB) Saquon Barkley got the team going with a long rushing touchdown on their very first offensive play of the game. Barkley tallied on another score minutes later after a fumble by Washington Wide Receiver (WR) Dyami Brown. Washington was able to get within two points halfway through the second quarter, but the Eagles never looked back.
On a critical fourth down in the second quarter, Eagles QB Halen Hurts threw a beautiful pass to WR A.J. Brown, who went for 40 yards and led to another score just a few plays later. The Eagles added on another touchdown right before halftime thanks to a fumble by Washington on the kick return. The Eagles went into halftime up 27-15
Upper School math teacher Katie LuBrant was excited by the performance from the Eagles and shared, “What I appreciate is that they went in at halftime and made the key adjustments, which is key to victory. They didn’t turn the ball over and the defense showed why they were the best in the league. I’m just glad that it was decisive and it didn’t come down to the last play. “
The majority of the third quarter was back and forth until Washington fumbled for the third time in the game with just three minutes left in the quarter. The Eagles continued to impose themselves and drove down the field, scoring yet another touchdown. This gave the Eagles an 18-point lead with only 15 minutes left to go.
Through several more clutch defensive plays and great offensive plays, the Eagles added on to their score and clinched their spot in Super Bowl LIX by a score of 55-23. The Eagles’ 55 points were the most points scored by any team in NFL Conference Championship game history, a remarkable accomplishment.
The Eagles once again proved why their rushing attack was the best in the NFL. Star RB and MVP candidate Saquon Barkley had 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns. QB Jalen Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for 246 yards. Finally, Eagles third-string rookie RB Will Shipley had the best game of his young career, rushing for 77 yards and also getting his first NFL touchdown.
Jude Sansevero ’25 attended the game and thought that the crowd created a fantastic atmosphere.
“Ever since Saquon had the first touchdown the crowd was extremely hype. I had a couple of Washington fans behind me and they were pretty disappointed the entire game. It was definitely one of the best games that I’ve ever been to,” said Sansevero.
Sansevero is looking forward to the Super Bowl but is also feeling concerned about the challenges that Kansas City brings. He said, “I think the Eagles are the better team and have better players at most positions, but I’m just concerned because Patrick Mahomes is an amazing player and has already won three Super Bowls. I feel that if we can contain Mahomes and Kelce and just feed Saquon we can win the game.”