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Eagles Zack Baun: “Special & Cool” D-POY Finalist + Does NOT Feel Win or Go Home vs Commanders
🏆 Eagles Finalists for #NFL Honors:
MVP:
•Saquon Barkley
Offensive Player of the Year:
•Saquon Barkley
Assistant Coach of the Year:
•Vic Fangio
Defensive Player of the Year:
•Zack Baun
Defensive Rookie of the Year:
•Cooper DeJean
•Quinyon Mitchell
@JeffSkverskyYouTube
No. 6 Washington Commanders (14-5) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (16-3)
Postseason history: Washington defeated Philadelphia, 20-6, in the 1990 NFC Wild Card round, the only postseason meeting between the two franchises, as Mark Rypien threw touchdown passes to Gary Clark and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Monk, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green had one of his six career postseason interceptions.
2024 regular season: Philadelphia and Washington split their regular-season meetings, with each team winning at home. In Week 11, the Eagles defeated the Commanders, 26-18, as Saquon Barkley rushed for 146 yards, including two rushing touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win. In Week 16, Washington overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Philadelphia, 36-33, as Jayden Daniels threw a career-high five touchdown passes, with three coming in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning touchdown pass with six seconds remaining.
Divisional opponents in Championship games since 2002: Philadelphia and Washington will mark the fifth Conference Championship game between divisional opponents since 2002. In the previous four such matchups, the division-winning team won three times and each of the four winners went on to win the Super Bowl. The previous matchups: 2021 NFC Championship (San Francisco, 17 at L.A. Rams, 20), 2013 NFC Championship (San Francisco, 17 at Seattle, 23), 2010 NFC Championship (Green Bay, 21 at Chicago, 14) and 2008 AFC Championship (Baltimore, 14 at Pittsburgh 23).
Washington notes: Washington advanced to the Conference Championship game for seventh time since 1970 (5-1 record) and for the first time since the 1991 season. The Commanders became the sixth team since 2009 and the third team in the past four seasons (2021 – Cincinnati and San Francisco) to make the Conference Championship game after finishing in last or tied for last place in their division the season before.
The Commanders, who selected quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, are the fourth team in the common-draft era to make a top two selection in the NFL Draft and make the Conference Championship in the same season, joining the 2019 San Francisco 49ers (Nick Bosa), 2006 New Orleans Saints (Reggie Bush) and 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars (Kevin Hardy).
Philadelphia notes: For the first time in franchise history, the Eagles will host a Wild Card, Divisional and Championship game in the same season. Philadelphia has a 4-4 record in Conference Championship games since 1970, including wins in each of their past two appearances (2017 and 2022).
Nick Sirianni: Including the postseason, Sirianni has won 52 games since being hired as Philadelphia’s head coach in 2021 and is one of two head coaches with at least 50 wins in his first four seasons, including the playoffs, along with George Seifert (57 wins). With a win, Sirianni can join Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin as the only head coaches to make the Super Bowl in two of his first four seasons.
Saquon Barkley: In the Divisional playoffs, Barkley totaled 232 scrimmage yards (205 rushing, 27 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns, the second-most scrimmage yards in a playoff game by a running back in the Super Bowl era, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (244 scrimmage yards on Jan. 4, 1986). Including the playoffs, Barkley has the third-most rushing yards (2,329) and fourth-most scrimmage yards (2,638) by a player in a season in NFL history.