Who are the 10 best players in Commanders-Eagles NFC Championship Game?
2025-01-25
Category: sports

The Philadelphia Eagles host the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) in what is a highly anticipated battle between two NFC East teams. Philadelphia and Washington split their season series, with both teams winning on their respective home turf. Washington leads the all-time series (90-86-6) and won their only previous playoff matchup in the 1990 NFL season. Here are the top 10 players in this year's NFC Championship Game. 10. LB Bobby Wagner  Wagner, a six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, was one of a flurry of Washington free-agent pickups who has been everything the franchise could've asked for. The 34-year-old linebacker totaled 132 combined tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in the regular season, while logging eight combined tackles in both Washington's wild-card round victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and divisional-round win over the Detroit Lions. Wagner registered a 91.0 pass rush grade (first among linebackers), 89.9 overall grade (third) and 90.8 run defense grade (third) this season, per Pro Football Focus. Wagner, who has registered 100-plus combined tackles in each of his 13 seasons, ranks fourth in NFL history with 1,838 combined tackles and 10th with 1,071 solo tackles. 9. LB Zack Baun  After primarily serving as a depth linebacker for the first four years of his career (2020-23), Baun is in the midst of a breakout season in what's his first with the Eagles. In the regular season (he was rested in Week 18), Baun totaled 151 combined tackles, five forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. Prior to this season, Baun had 88 career combined tackles and zero forced fumbles. Baun boasts a 91.7 coverage grade (first among linebackers) and a 90.1 overall grade (second) this season, according to PFF, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. In the Eagles' two wins this postseason (home victories over the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams), Baun totaled 14 combined tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery. 8. WR Terry McLaurin  A two-time Pro Bowler, McClaurin has been a rock for Washington across his six-year career. He totaled 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and both a career-high and franchise-high 13 touchdowns this season. In the Commanders' two postseason wins, he totaled a combined 11 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns. McLaurin, who has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in all but one of his six seasons, has averaged 77 receptions for 1,063 yards and six touchdowns per season. He's already sixth in Washington history with 6,379 career receiving yards and eighth with 38 receiving touchdowns. 7. DT Jalen Carter  Carter is a force on Philadelphia's defensive front. After racking up six sacks and two forced fumbles — including a 42-yard scoop-and-score — in his rookie season (2023), Carter earned Pro Bowl honors this season, which saw him total 42 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and six passes defended. Carter boasts an 81.5 pass rush grade (seventh among defensive linemen) and a 74.1 overall grade (22nd), per PFF. This postseason, Carter has totaled two sacks, one forced fumble, seven combined tackles and two passes defended — including a crucial, third-down sack in the divisional round, which pushed back the Rams' offense and later helped the Eagles' defense get off the field and seal the victory. 6. QB Jalen Hurts  Hurts became Philadelphia's full-time quarterback in 2021 and quickly grew into the heart and soul of the team, highlighted by leading it to Super Bowl LVII. One of the best dual-threats in the league, Hurts has averaged 3,402 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 94.8 passer rating per season since 2021, while completing 65.4% of his passes. As a rusher, Hurts has averaged 695 yards and 13 touchdowns per season since 2021; he's already second in Eagles history with 55 rushing scores. A two-time Pro Bowler, Hurts got the engine started for Philly in last week's divisional round with a 44-yard rushing touchdown on just the sixth play of the game. The Eagles have a combined 46-20 regular-season record and 4-3 postseason record with Hurts under center (2020-present).&nbsp; 5. OT Jordan Mailata  Mailata has been a linchpin for the Eagles, serving as their primary left tackle for the better part of the past five seasons (2020-24). The 6-foot-8, 365-pound offensive tackle, who served as Hurts' blind side in the Eagles' run to Super Bowl LVII, is having a terrific 2024 campaign. Mailata sports a 95.8 overall grade (first among offensive tackles), a 94.9 run blocking grade (first) and a 91.7 pass blocking grade (second) this season, according to PFF. 4. OT Lane Johnson  Johnson has spent his entire 12-year NFL career with the Eagles (2013-24), serving as their primary right tackle during his stint with the team and starting on both their Super Bowl LII-winning front and their 2022 NFC-champion front. A two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, the 34-year-old Johnson boasts an 88.1 pass blocking grade (sixth among offensive tackles), an 85.4 overall grade (seventh) and an 80.0 run blocking grade (12th) this season, per PFF. 3. WR A.J. Brown  The Eagles acquired Brown in 2022 to be their No. 1 wide receiver, and he has lived up to that billing. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, totaled 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns this season; he missed three games due to a hamstring injury and another due to a knee injury/rest. Brown has averaged 87 receptions for 1,344 yards and eight touchdowns per season in his three years in Philadelphia (2022-24). Brown recorded a career-high 1,496 receiving yards in 2022, his first season with the Eagles, and a career-high 106 receptions in 2023. Two of his three Pro Bowl nods have come with the Eagles (2022-23); Brown spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans. 2. QB Jayden Daniels  Daniels is having a rookie season for the ages. In the regular season, Daniels totaled 3,568 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 100.1 passer rating, while completing 69.0% of his passes. Meanwhile, he rushed for 891 yards and six touchdowns. In the postseason, Daniels has totaled 567 passing yards, 87 rushing yards, four passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 116.2 passer rating, while completing 69.7% of his passes. Daniels' postseason passing yards and touchdown total lead the NFL. Washington was 4-13 last season. It went 12-5 this season, won a playoff game for the first time in 19 years and is playing in the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years with Daniels leading the way. 1. RB Saquon Barkley  Barkley's debut season with the Eagles has been a historic one. Rushing for an NFL-high 2,005 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns on a career-high 5.8 yards per carry, Barkley became just the ninth player in league history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. Barkley, a one-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler, has rushed for 1,000-plus yards in four of his seven seasons in the NFL and logged double-digit rushing scores in three seasons. In his rookie season with the New York Giants (2018), Barkley registered 91 receptions for 721 yards and four touchdowns. After rushing for 119 yards in the wild-card round, Barkley rushed for an astonishing 205 yards and two touchdowns in the divisional round last week. Barkley's two scores were 62- and 78-yard runs. 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