Saquon, Hurts each score 3 TDs, Eagles rout Washington 55-23 for NFC title

Saquon Barkley dashed 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play and finished with 118 yards and three scores, Jalen Hurts rushed for three TDs and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Hurts and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, and this time Barkley is along for the ride. The Eagles will play either the Buffalo Bills or former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.

The 55 points are the most any team has scored in a conference championship game since the 1970 merger.

Hurts, wearing a brace on his left knee, also threw for 246 yards and a touchdown pass and the Eagles had a towel-waving crowd in a frenzy for the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.

A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles scored a season high in points to usher the franchise into their fifth Super Bowl.

Jayden Daniels threw for 255 yards with one touchdown, one interception and fell short in his bid to become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The Commanders were doomed by four turnovers, including a lost fumble by Austin Ekeler in the third quarter and the Commanders down 34-23.

Much as he has all season, Barkley led the way for the Eagles.

After the Commanders opened the game with an 18-play drive and a field goal that quieted a raucous crowd, Barkley whipped the fans that included actor Bradley Cooper into a frenzy on the Eagles’ first offensive play from scrimmage. Only the ninth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, Barkley took the pitch from Hurts and cut left, spun around a pair of defenders and took off on the touchdown run.

The Eagles recovered a fumble on the next drive and Barkley added a 4-yard run — making him 2 for 2 on carries and touchdowns — for a 14-3 lead.

Barkley finished with 118 yards rushing, including his third TD from 60 yards or more in two weeks, and his NFL-record seventh of the season. No other player has three TDs of at least 60 yards in a playoff career. 

Daniels, who led the Commanders to six consecutive victories, made his share of big plays that included a 36-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin that pulled them to 14-12.

Hurts, who hurt his knee when he was sacked last week by the Rams, had his best game yet in a postseason where the Eagles played all three games at home. He closed the first half with a tush push 1-yard touchdown and threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Brown to send the Eagles into halftime with a 27-15 lead.

The Eagles head to New Orleans for a Feb. 9 matchup against the AFC champion. If Kansas City prevails in the AFC championship game, it’ll be a Super Bowl rematch against Philadelphia. Patrick Mahomes rallied the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory over the Eagles two years ago in Arizona.



(AP Photo Chris Szagola)