NFL Reactions: Conference Championship Games Recap- Saquon Barkley leads Eagles to Super Bowl 59

There is nothing like conference championship Sunday. The anticipation of seeing which teams will be in the Super Bowl raises the excitement level to incredible levels. With three games left in the season, it was a letdown that the early game was a blowout. Fortunately, we saw an amazing game to end the day. Let's hope the Super Bowl is a great game in two weeks when we see the Kansas City Chiefs go for a three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles. As you know, this is a rematch of Super Bowl 57, when the Chiefs won 38-35. 

Commanders at Eagles

The Commanders had a wonderful playoff run. Fans of the team should be thrilled with the season that Washington had. That said, I realized after the Wild-Card round (after five blowouts in six games) that this was the season of the 'haves' and the 'have nots.' The 'haves' were the top three AFC teams and the Eagles. I had the Lions as a 'one and done' in my Rotowire playoff article. I caught a lot of heat for that. The main reason I ranked Detroit so low was due to the defensive injuries the team suffered. Anyway, I realized the other teams in the playoffs were 'have nots'. Those teams were able to beat up on each other in the beginning of the playoffs. I didn't think those squads had much of a chance against the big boys. Although I thought Washington may cover the spread this week, I didn't give them much of a chance to win against the Eagles.

Obviously, I have a lot to say about the Eagles. Before getting to that, Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts deserve massive shout outs. Each of them scored three rushing touchdowns. I can't remember seeing anything like that in a playoff game. With the NFL usually being a pass-heavy league, it's refreshing to see this type of performance. Now onto my other reactions. For most of the second half of the season, the Eagles focused on being a run-heavy offense. In this game, it was great to see balance. Defenses have to play Philly much differently when worried about all of the team's weapons instead of just worrying about Saquon Barkley. The trio of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert combined for 121 yards and a TD while Barkley rushed for 85 in the first half. That quartet of players was equally effective after halftime. That said, Washington did not have a good defense. As a result, stopping the Eagles with that balanced offense created a major problem for the Commanders. Even though the Eagles had a couple of short-field situations in the first half, the team either scored a touchdown or had a field-goal attempt on all five drives. Despite leading 27-15 at the half, a missed field goal by Jake Elliott and a 'tush push' that came up short on a two-point play cost the Eagles five possible points. Philadelphia may not have the luxury of making such mistakes in the Super Bowl. Still, the onslaught continued as Philly scored four more touchdowns after intermission. With the Eagles playing near full capacity on offense, the shaky Commanders defense was overmatched. It's a good thing for Philly they figured out the offense because in the Super Bowl, they'll face a much-better defense. A concern I have is that Hurts often seems unwilling to let some passes 'rip' when a receiver isn't wide open early in the play. Also, blitzed caused issues for Hurts on numerous occasions. In addition, the passing attack can be inefficient at times. This offense can have limitations, and those may be challenged in the Super Bowl. Still, the Eagles were the best team in the NFC and they convincingly earned their berth to play for the title.

In the opening rounds of the playoffs, the Commanders played mostly mistake-free football. First-half fumbles from Dyami Brown and Jeremy McNichols (kickoff return) led to 14 Eagles' points. Late in the first half, a personal foul on third down in the red zone by Mike Sainristil led to the Eagles scoring a touchdown instead of a field goal. As a result, the team trailed by 12 at halftime. Another fumble by Austin Ekeler led to a fourth-quarter touchdown by the Eagles that extended Washington's deficit to 18 points. At that point, the dream season was over. Regardless, the Commanders earned their spot in this game. That said, this was not an elite team. In the offseason, this team will need to address the offensive line and defense. Still, the rookie season that Jayden Daniels had was one of the best we've ever seen. Hopefully, the quarterback doesn't have the same second-year fate that C.J. Stroud saw in 2024. With Daniels being one of the best dual-threat QBs in the league, I expect him to continue his ascent next year.

Bills at Chiefs

The Chiefs did it again. This time, the organization will be trying to produce the first three-peat in Super Bowl history. Kansas City has now played in seven straight AFC title games, winning five of those. This time, I don't think the fans can blame the outcome on the referees. The Chiefs beat the Bills fair and square. We won't see any rules changes due to this contest. In terms of the Chiefs, I can nitpick some of Andy Reid's approach on offense in this game. But why? The coach has Kansas City back in the Super Bowl. No matter what Reid has done in the past, the coach clearly knows what it takes to win on the biggest stages. Also, Steve Spagnuolo had his defense come up big (as usual), when needed. The team dialed up blitzes on Buffalo's last drive leading to the Bills turning the ball over on downs. Kansas City also clamped down on just enough of the fourth-quarter rushing attempts of the Bills to turn the tide. Of those plays, the biggest was when Josh Allen was stopped on a fourth-and-one late in the game. The stop allowed the Chiefs to eventually pull out the win. Offensively, Mahomes simply didn't make any big mistakes. The star hasn't thrown an interception this postseason. For this team, not giving opponents extra chances seems to make the biggest difference. Onto the Super Bowl to face the Eagles.

Bills' fans suffered through their fourth loss to the Chiefs over the last five postseasons. Even though the margin of victory was three points, I didn't like that Buffalo went for a pair of (unsuccessful) two-point conversions. Had Tyler Bass made one (or two) of the potential extra-point opportunities, it could have changed the flow of the fourth quarter. When the Chiefs scored a TD and two-point play to tie the game at 29, the Bills may still have had a lead. Maybe it didn't matter, but I feel like the Bills coached this game as if it were a regular-season contest. Sure, the team loaded up the heavy personnel and ran successfully for most of the game. However, when the game was hanging in the balance, it was the Kansas City defense that made the plays against the run. I know that Josh Allen has not fared well going head-to-head against Mahomes in the playoffs. Still, I think I'd rather go down with the ball being mostly in Allen's hands than with the running backs. There is certainly concern as to whether the Bills will be able to break through with a Super Bowl appearance during the next few years with Allen at QB. The team still has to deal with Mahomes. Also, the Ravens may eventually overcome their playoff woes and become a team that's better than the Bills. On a final note, I was not happy to see Christian Benford on the field. I am neither a doctor, nor am I in the Bills' headquarters. However, after Benford suffered a concussion last week, he had two limited practices before not practicing on Friday. I scoured the media Sunday morning to check Benford's status to find no updates. It sounds like the cornerback may have been cleared shortly before kickoff. During the game, Benford didn't appear to take a brutal hit, but he was carted off with another concussion. If the team rushed their player through the protocol, only to have a second head injury in seven days, that would be unacceptable. The young man's health is all that matters. Please let me be wrong, and let me learn that Benford cleared the protocol with flying colors.