Baltimore Sun

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Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs for a 78-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Rams in the NFC divisional playoff Jan. 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been a revelation this season, guiding the Commanders to an upset of the top-seeded Lions. Seth Wenig/ap

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NFC: Commanders (14-5) at Eagles (16-3)

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Fox | BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 6

Series record: Washington leads 90-85-5, including a win in the longtime NFC East Division rivals’ only previous playoff meeting in January 1991.

Last meeting: Jayden Daniels threw for five touchdown passes as the Commanders beat the Eagles 36-33 on Dec. 22 at Washington to end the Eagles’ winning streak at 10 games.

Last week: Commanders defeated Detroit 45-31; Eagles beat the Rams 28-22.

Eagles players to watch: RB Saquon Barkley. Barkley finished with a club-record 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season, 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. The Eagles’ star running back was held out of the team’s meaningless regular-season finale against the Giants as a precaution by coach Nick Sirianni. Barkley ran for 119 yards in his return to the field against the Packers in the opening round of the playoffs before following it up with a franchise playoff record of 205 rushing yards against the Rams on Sunday.

Commanders player to watch: Daniels. The rookie quarterback lit up the Eagles defense in the previous matchup in late December, accounting for 339 yards between nine carries and 24 completions. The No. 2 overall pick out of LSU passed for 299 yards and two TDs and ran for 51 yards in the win at Detroit on Saturday night.

Key matchup: The Commanders’ defense against Barkley. The Commanders were 30th in the regular season defending the run, allowing an average of 137.5 yards per game. That doesn’t bode well for stopping Barkley. In the regular season, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000-plus yards, helping the Eagles average 179.3 yards on the ground, good for second in the league. And he has continued rolling in the playoffs, breaking Steve van Buren’s franchise record for rushing yards in a playoff game by running all over the Rams. The second of Barkley’s two rushing TDs against the Rams, a 78-yard scamper through the snow, instantly became one of the highlights of the season and one of the best plays in recent Eagles history.

Series notes: Mark Rypien passed for 206 yards and tossed touchdown passes to Gary Clark and Art Monk in the only playoff matchup between the teams, a 20-6 win by Washington in the wild-card round at Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 1991. ... Washington is 5-1 in franchise history in the NFC title game. ... The Eagles are hosting their fifth NFC title game at Lincoln Financial Field since it opened in 2003. They most recently played it at home two years ago when they beat San Francisco.

Stats & stuff: Only five current Commanders were alive the previous time the organization reached the NFC title game 33 years ago: Wagner, LB Nick Bellore, TE Zach Ertz, OL Cornelius Lucas and P Tress Way. … The wild-card win at Tampa Bay was Washington’s first in the playoffs in 19 years. … Washington forced five turnovers against Detroit, including a pair of interceptions by rookie CB Mike Sainristil. S Quan Martin had a 40-yard interception return for a TD. The Commanders also committed zero turnovers against the Lions. … The Commanders ranked 30th in the regular season in rushing defense and allowed 105 yards and two TDs on the ground to the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs last week. … Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combined to rush for 124 yards and two TDs against the Lions. ... The Eagles have won 14 of 15 overall and 25 of their past 30 at home, including the playoffs. … Hurts threw for 131 yards and rushed for 36 in the playoff-opening win over the Packers and passed for 128 yards and ran for 70 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown, against the Rams, who sacked him seven times. ... DT Jalen Carter had a stellar game against the Rams, with a forced fumble, two sacks and five tackles. … WR A.J. Brown had 1,079 receiving yards in the regular season but has made just three catches for 24 yards in the Eagles’ two playoff wins. … K Jake Elliott missed a pair of extra points against the Rams after missing one against the Packers the previous week.

The pick: Barkley has 296 yards rushing and four TDs against the Commanders this season, including a 68-yard TD run in the Eagles’ loss. Hurts injured his knee last week in the snow against the Rams. If his mobility is limited, that’ll be a major advantage for the Commanders. The Commanders lost right guard Sam Cosmi in their win over the Lions. They’ll have to find a way to contain Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was a dominant force vs. the Rams. EAGLES 26-23