Commanders vs Eagles Predictions: Can Washington exceed expectations again?
The NFC Championship game pits the Washington Commanders against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night (20:00, live on Sky Sports Main Event).
The Commanders shocked the NFL world with their Divisional Round win over the top-seeded Detroit Lions, while Philly saw off the threat of the Los Angeles Rams to make it to this stage. Read on for my Commanders vs Eagles prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.
Team News
Jalen Hurts injured his knee in Philly's victory over the Rams, but he participated in practice on Thursday. A.J. Brown is dealing with an illness as well as a knee injury but he also practiced on Thursday.
Britain Covey is still working his way back from a neck injury, while Dallas Goedert, Fred Johnson and Cam Jurgens look set to miss out on Sunday.
As for the Commanders, Sam Cosmi, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last week's win over the Detroit Lions, while Jeff Driskel, Daron Payne and Bobby Wagner all missed Thursday's practice.
The Eagles are 1/3 on the moneyline, giving them an implied win probability of 75%, while the Commanders can be backed to cause another upset at 12/5
The spread is currently set at 6.5, with Philly 20/21 to cover, while it's 20/23 for Washington to do the same.
Commanders +6.5 @ 20/23
After shock victories over Tampa Bay and Detroit, but I genuinely think there's more value in siding with the Commanders to exceed expectations once more rather than an Eagles blowout.
When these teams met in Philadelphia back on November 15, the Eagles were a 3.5-point favorites in that contest, and they're expected to win by a bigger margin on Sunday, but that's not how I think it'll play out.
Granted, Washington will probably struggle to stop the Eagles' elite rushing attack, which is arguably the best in the NFL, as the Rams did in the Divisional Round match-up. However, LA were still able to cover the spread despite giving up over 250 yards.
Philly just about scraped past the Rams, and it's clear they're not playing their best stuff at the minute, mainly thanks to the ongoing struggles of Jalen Hurts since he returned from a concussion.
The Commanders have plenty of momentum on their side, and certainly have nothing to lose here. Jayden Daniels produced a five-touchdown performance when these sides met in Week 16 of the regular season (a 36-33 win for Washington) and if he can produce big plays again, I think Washington can cover here.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Saquon Barkley to score anytime @ 4/9
A fairly obvious pick this one, as reflected in the price, but Saquon Barkley will take some stopping on Sunday.
Barkley has had a stellar debut campaign in the City of Brotherly Love, and the former New York Giant recorded over 2,000 rushing yards in the regular season, averaging 125.3 per game.
The running back scored two touchdowns in the win over the Rams last week, and also found the end zone twice in the aforementioned victory over Sunday's opponents back on November 15, as well as the defeat in Week 16.
Even if Hurts hasn't been at his best running the Philly offence, Barkley can still produce explosive plays, and I'm expecting him to impact this game regardless of the result.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
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