Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley's strong start to Sunday's NFC Championship Game earned him praise from a Philadelphia Eagles legend.

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce was amazed by Barkley's 60-yard rushing touchdown on Philadelphia's first play from scrimmage, calling for the running back to receive MVP honors.

The 27-year-old continued to dominate on the ground to open the game, finding the end zone again in the first quarter to give the Eagles an early 14-3 lead.

One of Philadelphia's NFC East rivals also couldn't contain their amazement, as Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons called the running back the "best player in the NFL."

Barkley is in the midst of an incredible first year with the Eagles, as he was named an MVP finalist on Thursday. He was the only non-quarterback to be nominated for the award.

The three-time Pro Bowl running back picked up a league-leading 2,005 rush yards in 16 regular-season games, becoming the ninth player in NFL history to reach the 2,000-yard threshold in a single season.

Barkley remained efficient despite the heavy workload, averaging a career-high 5.8 yards per carry. He scored 15 total touchdowns while also operating as an option in the Eagles' passing attack, racking up 33 catches for 278 yards.

The former Penn State standout has continued to excel in the playoffs, rushing for 324 yards and two touchdowns in two postseason games entering Sunday's contest.

As for Kelce, he retired in March 2024 after spending all 13 years of his career in Philadelphia. He earned seven Pro Bowl nods and won a Super Bowl with the team during the 2017 season.

As Barkley attempts to help the Eagles compete for a Lombardi Trophy once again, Kelce believes that he deserves to be named MVP.

It took the Philadelphia Eagles all but one play to get Saquon Barkley going.

On Philadelphia's first offensive play of the game against the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship, the star running back exploded for a 60-yard touchdown run.

Barkley's former New York Giants teammate, defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux, had a hilarious response to the quick touchdown on social media.

Barkley had a historic regular season, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 345 carries in his first year with the Eagles. His rushing yards total fell just 100 yards shy of the single-season record.

Barkley, playing in just the second postseason of his career, hasn't taken his foot off the gas in the playoffs. He had 119 rushing yards in Philadelphia's wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers before racking up 205 yards and two touchdowns in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams.

Based on how he started the day on Sunday, it seems Barkley is on his way to another big game against the Commanders.

Thibodeaux and the Giants sorely missed Barkley this season as they went 3-14, marking their fewest wins since 2017.

Ultimately, general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants front office weren't willing to pay Barkley what the Eagles were. After Barkley joined Philadelphia this offseason, he revealed on social media that New York never even made him an offer.

It's safe to say Barkley was well worth the three-year, $37.75 million contract the Eagles gave him this offseason, as he's gotten them to within just one game of the Super Bowl.

Veteran cornerback Darius Slay said Friday that while he wants to play one more NFL season, he does not expect it to be as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to Ashlyn Sullivan of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Slay said he is "preparing" for Sunday's NFC Championship Game to be his final home game in an Eagles uniform.

Slay added that he is "85 percent" leaning toward playing one more season, but "understands it most likely won't be with the Eagles."

The 34-year-old Slay also noted that he wants to make his 13th NFL season his last in 2025, and that he "looks forward to watching Eagles games from a box" in the near future.

Slay has played the past five seasons in Philadelphia since a 2020 trade from the Detroit Lions, and he has enjoyed enormous success, securing three of his six career Pro Bowl selections as a member of the Eagles.

While it was initially reported during the 2023 offseason that Slay was going to be released, he instead signed a two-year, $42 million contract extension with the Eagles, locking him in through the 2025 season.

Per Spotrac, Slay is set to account for $13.78 million against the salary cap next season, which could prompt the Eagles to release or trade him.

While a pre-June 1 cut or trade would result in $22.75 million in dead cap and an $8.97 million hit against the cap, designating him as a post-June 1 cut or trade would give the Eagles $4.324 million in cap savings in 2025.

After being named to three straight Pro Bowls from 2021 to 2023, Slay took a bit of a step back this season, as he failed to record an interception for the first time since his rookie season in 2013.

Still, he recorded 49 tackles, 13 passes defended and one forced fumble, and started all 14 regular-season games he appeared in.

Rookie first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell has established himself as the Eagles' clear No. 1 corner this season, while rookie second-round pick Cooper DeJean has locked down the nickel corner spot.

Cutting or trading Slay would leave the Eagles with a hole at the No. 2 corner spot, but they could potentially fill it with a much cheaper option in free agency.

Although Slay's time in Philly may be nearing its conclusion, he still has a couple of huge goals to potentially accomplish.

With a win over the NFC East rival Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, Slay will advance to his second Super Bowl since joining the Eagles.

He would then have a chance to win the first Super Bowl title of his career against either the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will have a little extra protection for the NFC Championship.

Hurts made it through the Divisional Round victory over the Los Angeles Rams but dealt with a left knee injury. Ahead of the conference championship game against the Washington Commanders, Hurts told reporters that his knee is "progressing" but that he "anticipates" wearing a knee brace for the game.

Hurts was listed as having fully participated in Friday's practice and did not have a game status on the Eagles' injury report.

Hurts finished the 28-22 victory over the Rams with 128 passing yards and 70 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. However, he had 71 yards prior to suffering the injury in the third quarter and his only rushing attempt was a kneel down at the end of the game.

Hurts threw for 2,903 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions during the regular season while adding 630 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Losing his dynamic rushing game would be a big blow to the Eagles offense, although an increased workload for running back Saquon Barkley also could work to the team's benefit.

The Eagles are in the NFC Championship for the second time in the last three seasons and are aiming to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in as many years as well. The Eagles split the regular season series with the Commanders.

Philadelphia will hope Hurts continues to progress ahead of the playoff matchup and that the defense can contain Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

One NFL executive doesn't believe the Philadelphia Eagles can beat the Washington Commanders in Sunday's NFC Championship Game on the strength of Jalen Hurts' arm.

However, he has faith that the Eagles' run game, featuring Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, could get the job done.

"I don't think Jalen can beat them throwing the ball," the executive told Jeff Howe of The Athletic. "But if (Barkley and Hurts) are both going in the running game, they're really, really hard to beat. If Washington can stop (Barkley), they have a chance."

The executive was part of an anonymous panel of NFL coaches and front office personnel to predict the winner of Sunday's conference championship games. Nine experts chose the Eagles to win, while three picked the Commanders.

One coach certainly favors the Eagles in this one.

"(The Eagles are) a much more complete team," the coach told Howe. "If the QB takes care of it and avoids taking seven sacks, including a safety, I like their chances of winning big."

Philadelphia and Washington have played twice this season, splitting a pair of games. Hurts suffered a concussion in the first quarter of the Commanders' 36-33 road win on Dec. 22, when Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes.

On Nov. 14, Hurts went 18-of-28 for 221 yards in a 26-18 home win. Barkley accounted for 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns in that one.

In the playoffs, the Eagles' run game has been the difference offensively. Barkley ran for 119 yards in a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round while Hurts threw for 131 yards and two scores. And then on a snowy day in Philadelphia, the Eagles accounted for 285 total rushing yards and three scores (Barkley went for 205 and two, while Hurts had 70 and one). Hurts threw for 128 yards on 15-of-20 passing.

Obviously, it's clear what's working for the Eagles right now. Philadelphia could certainly get the pass game going, especially with a star trio of pass-catchers in wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. But the Eagles also may not have to necessarily given how strong the running game has been.

Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

With the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles upgrading their longstanding division rivalry to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, fans are taking extra steps to increase the intensity between the two cities.

An image is circulating on social media showing the iconic Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia decked out in Washington gear. The culprit also put a sign in front of the statue that reads: "Yo Adrian, HTTC"

Since we don't know exactly who put the merchandise on Rocky, we can't say with certainty it was a Commanders fan who did this.

Perhaps there's a bitter Dallas Cowboys fan who is feeling left out, purchased a Washington blanket, scarf, jacket and jersey, then planted it on the statue. If that is what happened, it's an ingenious plan that would make any Scooby-Doo villain proud.

One other potential option is an Eagles fan did this in an attempt at reverse psychology. The last two times the NFC Championship Game has been played in Philadelphia, apparel from the opposing teams also wound up on the Rocky statue.

That proved to be a bad omen for the visiting team both times. The Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the 2017 NFC Championship Game. The 2022 San Francisco 49ers had an even worse fate because they lost 31-7 in a game when they didn't have a quarterback who could throw the football for basically the entire second half.

Lest anyone think this is merely a silly superstition, Travis Kelce urged Kansas City Chiefs fans to avoid putting anything on the Rocky statue leading up to Super Bowl 58. The Chiefs wound up beating the Eagles 38-35.

Congratulations to whomever did this for cursing the Commanders leading up to their first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since winning Super Bowl 26.

The Washington Commanders are prepared to get physical with Jalen Hurts if the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback plans to break the pocket and run the ball during Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the teams.

"We've had a number of these [running quarterbacks] that we've had to prepare for. The one thing is, if he's going to run the ball—the coordinator makes the decision for him to run the ball—we're going to treat him like a running back," Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. told reporters Thursday. "And we're going to hit him that way. That's their decision if they want to get him hit the way that he gets hit. If they don't, they'll keep him in the pocket."

Hurts may not run as much as normal against the Commanders, but it won't have anything to do with a bit of bluster from a defensive coordinator.

The Eagles' quarterback injured his knee during last weekend's 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams and was clearly hobbled during the late stages of that game, limiting his mobility. While Hurts has been practicing this week and is seemingly in line to play on Sunday—he was a full participant at Thursday's practice—it remains to be seen whether he'll be at 100 percent.

"He's tough. He's gritty. He wants to be out there with us at all times," Philly left tackle Jordan Mailata told reporters on Thursday. "Nothing but respect for him. He embraces adversity. He's a lot more energetic this week. He's fired up."

Right tackle Lane Johnson offered a positive update on Hurts as well:

Hurts led the Eagles to a 26-18 win over the Commanders in November and had them on their way to a second victory in December before he suffered a concussion in the first quarter. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game and his absence slowed down an Eagles offense that scored touchdowns on its first two drives of that game. In turn, the Commanders could focus on slowing down Saquon Barkley, playing a part in Washington's resulting 36-33 win (the brilliance of Jayden Daniels also factored heavily into the final result).

Hurts' running ability not only forces defense to remain disciplined against the read-option and RPO actions the Eagles run, opening up big lanes for Barkley, but also serves as solid backup plan in the passing game when his initial reads are covered. Without him available—or at less than 100 percent—Philly's offense becomes less dynamic.

Either way, the Washington defense has struggled against this Eagles offense, giving up 772 yards and 59 points in the two games between the teams. And those scoring numbers could have been worse—the Eagles settled for nine field goals, making six of them, and played without Hurts for three quarters in the second meeting.

So Whitt will have his work cut out for him, with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.