Saquon Barkley had a trip to the Super Bowl in mind when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent this past offseason.

On Sunday, Barkley’s hope turned into reality. He and Jalen Hurts rushed for three touchdowns apiece, and the Eagles pulled away for a 55-23 win over the visiting Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.

“That’s why I came here,” Barkley said. “It’s one of the first conversations I had with (Eagles executive) Howie (Roseman). That’s a conversation I had with my family.

“I came to Philly to be a part of games like this, and none better than a game when you can advance to the Super Bowl.”

Barkley rushed for 118 yards and Hurts threw for 246 yards and a TD for Philadelphia, which advanced to play in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Eagles, who await the winner of the AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, scored eight touchdowns and reached the Super Bowl for the fifth time in team history and the second time in three seasons.

Jayden Daniels threw for 255 yards and had one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown to lead Washington, which defied the odds to win 12 games in the regular season and two road games in the playoffs. Terry McLaurin caught the Commanders’ lone touchdown pass, and Zach Ertz finished with 11 catches for 104 yards.

Washington committed four turnovers compared to zero for Philadelphia.

Barkley scored back-to-back touchdowns to give the Eagles a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter. He broke free for a 60-yard rushing touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play from scrimmage, and he zipped in for a 4-yard score with 3:43 to go in the opening quarter.

Asked to describe his first touchdown, Barkley credited the blockers in front of him.

“I got one-on-one, made a guy miss,” said Barkley, who reached the Super Bowl for the first time in his career. “That’s the way you start a championship game.”

The Commanders pulled within 14-12 about midway through the second quarter. Zane Gonzalez made a 46-yard kick for his second field goal of the afternoon, and McLaurin broke a tackle on his way to a 36-yard touchdown catch with 7:05 remaining in the first half.

The Eagles pulled ahead 27-12 after scoring two touchdowns in 65 seconds. Hurts lurched forward for a 1-yard score with 1:44 left in the half, and after the Commanders fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return, Philadelphia took advantage, as Hurts found A.J. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown.

Brown praised Hurts for playing well despite having a sore knee that dogged him throughout the week.

“He’s a warrior,” Brown said of Hurts in a postgame interview with NFL Network. “He didn’t slow down at practice at all. He’s been testing it out. We were not worried about that.”

Gonzalez cut the Commanders’ deficit to 27-15 with a 42-yard field goal just before halftime.

Hurts put Philadelphia on top 34-15 with 8:58 left in the third quarter. He took a snap out of the shotgun and weaved through traffic for a 9-yard score.

Daniels brought Washington within 34-23 on the next possession. He scored on a 10-yard run, then passed to Olamide Zaccheaus for a two-point conversion.

Hurts’ third rushing touchdown made it 41-23 with 12:24 to play in the fourth. Washington was issued multiple penalties for encroachment while trying to stop the “Brotherly Shove,” and ultimately Hurts and the Eagles got their way, as teammates pushed the quarterback across the goal line yet again.

Barkley scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run with 7:58 remaining.

Rookie Will Shipley finished the scoring with a 2-yard rushing TD with 3:03 to go, two plays after ripping off a 57-yard run. The Eagles finished with 229 yards on the ground.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he was proud of his players for making it to the precipice of the Super Bowl.

“It ended one game short, but I told the players I really wanted them to savor this time in the locker room with their teammates,” Quinn said. “The locker room is never the same year to year. They’ve really created something very unique here and very special.

“I just wanted them to recognize the brotherhood they created together. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about missed opportunities, but that wasn’t for tonight with them.”

Daniels thanked his veteran teammates for helping him and other rookies this season.

“The vets did a tremendous job of bringing us in and helping us out,” Daniels said. “We all just meshed. We got to this point, but at the end of the day, we lost.

“It (stinks), but we’ll move on from this.”

–Field Level Media