Why your team won, lost: NFL conference championship round

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes


Philadelphia Eagles 55, Washington Commanders 23

WHY THE EAGLES WON 

A historic day on the ground: The Eagles offense enters the record books for its performance in the conference championship. Philadelphia scored a conference championship record 55 points and a postseason record seven rushing touchdowns. Saquon Barkley led the way with 15 carries for 118 yards and three scores, earning an 87.8 rushing grade, while Jalen Hurts added three touchdowns of his own. Will Shipley added the final score, scoring the first touchdown of his career. 

Saquon Barkley: Career rushing statistics
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Jalen Hurts in a clean pocket: This performance might have been Jalen Hurts’ best of the season, and he excelled behind the best offensive line in the NFL. Hurts was kept clean on 64.5% of his dropbacks, and completed 17 of 20 pass attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown, earning a 92.9 grade. There was an emphasis on Hurts getting the ball out fast, as his average time to throw was 2.22 seconds. He added two big-time throws on clean dropbacks. 

The Eagles’ defense flies: The Eagles are likely the most talented team in the NFL from top-to-bottom, and their star-studded defense was on show against the Commanders. Five Eagles defenders earned 80.0-plus grades, and that doesn’t include Jalen Carter, who earned eight quarterback pressures, and Zack Baun, who forced one of the Commanders three fumbles. Baun and Oren Burks were excellent at the second level, combining for 20 tackles and 10 stops. This defense is a juggernaut, and they manhandled an offense that has been scoring points all season.

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WHY THE COMMANDERS LOST

Turnovers, turnovers and more turnovers: The Commanders turned the ball over four times against the Eagles, and those four turnovers resulted in the Eagles scoring 28 points. The game was out of sight by the fourth turnover, but the Commanders turned the ball over twice in the first half when the game was still close, and both turnovers resulted in touchdowns. The Eagles were dominant throughout, but handing points to them with loose ball-handling was key in allowing them to flex their muscles. 

Defense beaten by chunk plays: Saquon Barkley set the tone for the Eagles on their first offensive play of the game, scoring a 60-yard rushing touchdown and giving the Eagles an early lead. Chunk plays beat the Commanders throughout the game. The Eagles had 12 explosive plays (five rushing, seven passing), accruing 307 yards in the process. The Commanders just couldn’t slow down the Eagles. 

Interior offensive line struggles without Sam Cosmi: Sam Cosmi, the Commanders’ best offensive lineman, tore his ACL against the Detroit Lions, and he was missed on Sunday. The Eagles defensive line won up front, as the Commanders offensive line allowed 20 total pressures and two sacks. The majority of the pressures came from the interior, as Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz and Cosmi’s replacement Trent Scott allowed 13 total pressures and a sack. Allegretti earned a 10.1 pass-blocking grade.


Kansas City Chiefs 32, Buffalo Bills 29

WHY THE CHIEFS WON

Patrick Mahomes shows off the wheels: Patrick Mahomes had a season-high 11 carries against the Bills, and his biggest plays with the ball in his hands came at the right time. Mahomes scored two rushing touchdowns in the game, including a 10-yard rush in the fourth quarter to score the game-winning touchdown. Mahomes had three rushes of 10 yards or more, earning a 69.6 grade, and five of his rushes went for a first down.

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The Chiefs’ excellent offensive line: The Chiefs were excellent up front on both sides of the ball, but the job the offensive line did protecting Mahomes should be commended. Mahomes was pressured on just 28.6% of his dropbacks and earned a 91.9 grade when kept clean. The line allowed just nine total pressures and a sack. Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey earned 89.3 and 84.0 grade respectively, as both linemen allowed zero pressures.

Chris Jones‘ dominance: On the other side of the ball, Chris Jones wreaked havoc on the Bills’ offensive line. Jones played 63 total snaps and earned a 90.6 grade. His pass-rushing was predictably the force multiplier, as Jones had a game-high eight quarterback pressures, earning a 91.9 pass-rushing grade. He was able to consistently win one-on-one and get in Allen’s face. 

WHY THE BILLS LOST

Josh Allen struggles under pressure: The Chiefs defense made life hard for Allen, pressuring him on 43.2% of his dropbacks. Early on, Allen drifted back into his tendency of being loose with the football and putting it in harm’s way when pressured. He recorded two early turnover-worthy plays under pressure, and Allen completed just four of 13 pass attempts for 54 yards and a touchdown in those moments. He responded with a touchdown, but his average time to throw of 3.64 seconds points toward the Chiefs defense getting him flustered and forcing him to hold onto the ball. 

Bills’ defense struggles to contain yards after the catch: The Bills defense struggled against the Chiefs’ RPOs early on, and the Chiefs’ offense was able to rack up some explosive plays in the passing game. A lot of those plays came from the receivers making plays, as the Bills defense allowed 141 yards after the catch, 7.8 yards after the catch per reception.  

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Missed tackles against the run: The Chiefs scored three rushing touchdowns in the game, as Mahomes rushed for two while Kareem Hunt added the game’s first score. Hunt was a nightmare to bring down, forcing seven missed tackles against the run and rushing for 64 yards. In total, the Bills defense had nine missed tackles against the run, and their inability to wrap up Hunt led to big conversions.

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