Commanders-Eagles on Championship Sunday: What We Learned in Philadelphia's 55-23 win

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• REWATCH: Commanders-Eagles on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Battista: 7 immediate thoughts following Eagles' win over WAS
• READ: Saquon keys Eagles' historic day: 'That's how you get to a Super Bowl'
• READ: Commanders lament four-turnover collapse in loss to Eagles

1. Saquon Barkley, Eagles run away from Washington and into Super Bowl. The season of Saquon continues. It took a single snap from scrimmage for Barkley to put his stamp on the NFC Championship Game. The running back took a pitch, zoomed to the edge, raced downfield, spun out of tackles, and weaved his way 60 yards to pay dirt. The race was on. Barkley petrified the Commanders defense, averaging 7.9 yards per tote. The back generated 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries. It wasn't just his totes that made a difference. The attention paid to Barkley helped open the entire offense. Philly had its most balanced performance in weeks. Jalen Hurts scored with his legs and made plays down the field when needed. Looking fine on a banged-up knee, Hurts equaled Barkley's three rushing TDs, and the 246 yards passing were his best output since Week 14. Hurts repeatedly made the right reads and dropped dimes when needed. On a massive fourth-and-5 in the first half, with the Commanders threatening to keep it close, the QB put a deep shot to A.J. Brown on the money. It was an onions throw for the QB. The Eagles made Washington pay for every turnover and miscue, gobbling up touchdowns like cheesesteaks. Philly's 55 points were the second-most in a playoff game in club history -- behind 58 in the 1995 Wild Card Round -- and the most ever by any team in a conference title game. When the run and pass are married as they were Sunday, and they avoid turnovers, the Eagles offense is a steamrolling force. They're rolling right to New Orleans where they will face the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.
2. Turnovers and penalties doom Commanders. Washington earned its way to the championship game by forcing turnovers, including five last week in Detroit. On Sunday, the script flipped. Fumbles cost the Commanders dearly. Dyami Brown had the ball punched out in the first quarter. Jeremy McNichols had a kickoff return taken away. And Austin Ekeler had a third-quarter fumble that squelched any Commanders comeback. Jayden Daniels later tossed a prayer interception late. Philly turned the turnovers into 28 points. That's your ballgame. Ill-timed penalties also burned Washington. Marshon Lattimore was called for defensive pass interference on a third down in the end zone in the first half, which led to a touchdown. Mike Sainristil was called for a late hit on a potential third-down stop. The Commanders were flagged eight times, many in scoring range. Dan Quinn's club isn't at a place in its rebuild where it can overcome the errors that plagued it. It was a Cinderella run for Washington, but the glass slipper broke in Philly. 
3. Jayden Daniels finishes sensational season with another stellar performance but can't overcome errors. The rookie phenom showed his mettle, giving Washington a chance to keep the game close early. Daniels' poise stood out as he connected on several big third and fourth downs on the opening drive. Nothing pestered this rookie. However, stalled field-goal drives and the trove of turnovers ultimately proved too much for even the best rookie QB to overcome. Daniels missed a few throws and tossed a late interception, but given the circumstances -- against the NFL's top defense on the road -- it was still impressive. Vic Fangio's defense has befuddled much more seasoned signal-callers this season. Daniels finished with 255 yards passing, a TD and an INT, completing 29 of 48 attempts while taking three sacks. The quarterback also led the Commanders with 48 rushing yards on six carries and an impressive juking touchdown. If not for Daniels' ability to keep drives alive, the blowout would have commenced much earlier. A dream season fell short of the Super Bowl, but Daniels once again proved he's got the goods. The franchise has arrived. Now it's on Washington to continue to build around the QB to take the next step.
4. Zack Baun, Eagles defense once again shines. The All-Pro linebacker was a flying force for the Eagles, stuffing the stat sheet. On the Commanders' second drive, Baun flew into the play and punched the ball away from Dyami Brown, setting up the Eagles to generate a two-score lead. The forced fumble changed the tenor of the contest. Baun gobbled up 12 total tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and later recovered another fumble. He's been a beast in the middle of Vic Fangio's defense all season and shined on the biggest stage. Philly's defense showed why it's the top unit in the NFL. While the Eagles might not have forced many punts, the turnovers forced were game-changers. Early Philly also stood tall, holding Washington to field goals. Jayden Daniels is going to make plays, but in the biggest moments, Philly's defense got stops, whether it was a Peanut Punch, a fourth-down sack or Quinyon Mitchell's acrobatic INT to ice the contest. 
5. Philly plays through banged-up O-line. The Eagles' offensive line entered the game injured, with Cam Jurgens not starting due to a back issue. Then Landon Dickerson, who shifted from guard to center, suffered a knee injury. Dickerson gutted through the end of the first half but couldn't continue. Jurgens entered at halftime and battled through his injury. With Tyler Steen starting at guard, the Eagles' offensive line wasn't at full force but played effectively, opening lanes on the ground and giving Hurts enough time. Philly allowed just eight pressures on 28 attempts and two sacks, per Next Gen Stats. Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, the health of the big horses up front will be tracked for the next two weeks.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Commanders-Eagles (via NFL Pro): Saquon Barkley totaled 118 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in the Eagles' NFC Championship Game win over the Commanders, generating +72 rushing yards over expected. Barkley has now generated +172 RYOE this postseason, the most by any running back in a single playoff run since 2018. Barkley was much more effective on runs outside the tackles, totaling 112 of his yards and all three touchdowns on 10 such carries, compared to 6 yards on five carries between the tackles.

NFL Research: Philadelphia's seven rushing touchdowns tied for most in a playoff game ever with the 1940 Chicago Bears in a 73-0 win over Washington.