Commanders Super Bowl Hopes Stay Alive

Heading into last Saturday’s Divisional Round matchup, the odds heavily favored Detroit over Washington. However, due to the pure strength and greatness of Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, they were able to oust the Lions in a high-scoring 45-31 win.

Although Washington was down 7-3 in the first quarter, they quickly turned it around, scoring 28 in the second quarter, compared to Detroit’s 14 in the same frame. This opened the floodgates for the Commanders as they had a 10-point lead going into halftime, which they later extended with another two touchdowns in the second half.

The game, full of back-and-forth action, saw a considerable amount of the Lions’ trickery as well as strong rushing plays by the Commanders’ running backs and a poised performance by Daniels. In spite of Jahmyr Gibbs earning 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Amon-Ra St. Brown receiving 8 passes for 137 yards, and even Sam LaPorta’s one-handed touchdown grab, the Commanders remained collected and strong on defense overall. They locked down Lions quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense, forcing five turnovers, including two interceptions, a pick-six, and recoveries of a fumble and onside kick. Some of the other keys to the Commanders’ success last week were Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown, and Zach Ertz, who collectively put up two touchdowns and 213 yards. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels put up 350 combined passing and rushing yards, and converted three of four fourth-down attempts, playing with confidence as he has done throughout the season.

Washington stunned Detroit and will play Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon for a ticket to Super Bowl LIX.

Washington has a 1-1 record versus Philadelphia this season, with the Commanders winning the most recent matchup 36-33. In the most recent matchup, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts exited in the 1st quarter with a concussion, which is why many Philadelphia fans place an asterisk next to this contest. Regardless of Hurts, QB Jayden Daniels carved up the Eagles’ top-ranked defense, passing for a season-high five touchdowns and adding 81 yards on the ground. Daniels gave his absolute all, and it was just enough to push past the Eagles. The Commanders will need another stellar performance from Daniels in order to advance to the Super Bowl, with the entire team making plays, similar to last week. Below are the top three keys to victory for the Washington Commanders. 

#1 Contain Saquon Barkley

The Eagles have a superhuman at running back, and no one in the NFL can stop him. Saquon Barkley averages 142 yards per game, which is good enough for first among all skill players by a margin of almost 20 yards. Just last week against the Rams, he ran for 205 yards, with two rushing touchdowns of 62 and 78 yards respectively. However, Washington has been able to gameplan and somewhat contain him in the two previous matchups. In Week 16 against Washington, Barkley had 109 yards in the first quarter, and just 41 yards in the rest of the game. This forced the Eagles to put the ball in the air, which allowed Washington to play the way their defense wanted to, instead of conforming to stacking the box. This same strategy is what Washington will need to do in order to get stops and give the offense time to build rhythm and gain a lead. 

#2 Maintain a fast-paced offense

Similar to their offense, the Eagles have multiple game wreckers on defense, specifically their multitude of stars on their defensive line. Jalen Carter singlehandedly ends drives and will be double-teamed consistently on Sunday. His one weakness though, same with most bigger defensive linemen, is that he has to sub out repeatedly during drives, especially when teams run a faster-paced offense. A common strategy against dominant defensive linemen is to run no-huddle and keep them off the field. Luckily for the Commanders, they run one of the most fast-paced offenses in the league, regularly not huddling and instead using hand signals to get on the line quicker. While Philadelphia is preparing for this, Washington may have to kick it into overdrive in order to take advantage of a second-unit defensive line. This would not only open up the run game but also give Daniels more time to find an open receiver.  

#3 Dominate time of possession

This is a strategy that Washington utilized against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and against the Detroit Lions and is one of the main reasons they were able to win both times. Long drives not only suck the soul out of a defense but also take away any momentum the opposing offense built the drive before. Having a higher time of possession allows the offense to impose their will, and gives the defense time to rest. Most importantly though, it forces Philadelphia to most likely play from behind, and therefore shift away from their run game. If Washington wants to control this game, they will first have to control the clock, which will allow them to control their destiny. This game will need every Commander to fire on all cylinders, and play nearly a flawless game. If they do pull it off, it will be the team’s first trip to the Superbowl since 1991, with an opportunity to give the city of Washington, D.C. a memory they won’t soon forget. 

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