The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles clinched an easy 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, then won a thrilling 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams to extend their playoff run.
The Commanders are rewriting history with their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, leading the way. Washington defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round and faced the No.1 seed, Detroit Lions, in the Divisional Round. Daniels and Co. pulled off a massive upset against the Lions in a scoring fest.
Let’s examine the voices you can expect to hear as the Commanders suit up for their first NFC Championship game since 1991.
Announcers for Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders
- Lead Play-by-Play Announcer: Kevin Burkhardt
- Color Commentators: Tom Brady
- Sideline Reporters: Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
Burkhardt will be the lead play-by-play announcer for the NFC Championship Game between Washington and Philadelphia. Burkhardt has become one of the headliners of NFL broadcasting as the top play-by-play announcer for Fox.
After graduating from William Patterson University, he worked for several local stations in New Jersey. His first eight years were spent with WGHT, where his roles included covering high school football.
Burkhardt also worked for Jukebox Radio, where he had the opportunity to broadcast New Jersey Jackals minor league baseball games for the network. In 2007, he made the switch to baseball as the New York Mets field reporter at SportsNet New York (SNY).
Alongside working at SNY, Burkhardt called NFL games nationally for Compass Media. He called the Dallas Cowboys games for the network before joining Fox Sports as an NFL play-by-play announcer in 2013.
In addition to his NFL and MLB work, Burkhardt is a play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports’ college basketball coverage.
Brady will join Burkhardt as the color analyst for this high-octane NFC game. The seven-time Super Bowl champion made a triumphant return to the football world, taking on the role of broadcaster earlier this season. The former quarterback is being paid handsomely to do so after signing a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox.
Andrews has been with FOX since 2012, after eight years at ESPN. At Fox, she has been part of the broadcast team for four Super Bowls, multiple World Series and MLB All-Star games.
Rinaldi joined FOX in 2021 after almost two decades at ESPN. He has won 16 Sports Emmy Awards and seven Edward R. Murrow Awards in his career, as he has covered most of the biggest events in sports. Rinaldi has covered the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympics, the Daytona 500, the Masters, Wimbledon, and the College Football National Championship.
Eagles vs. Commanders Game Preview
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Date: Jan. 26, Sunday
- Channel: Fox/Fox Deportes
With one more win, Daniels can become the first rookie quarterback to start in the Super Bowl. Daniels will be the sixth rookie QB to start in the Conference Championship Round; the prior five went 0-5 and performed disastrously.
Including the playoffs, Daniels ranks first in EPA per dropback when blitzed (0.36). While still effective against standard pass rushes, his EPA per dropback drops to 0.10 (13th) in those situations.
During this playoff run, Daniels became the first rookie QB in NFL history to record 275 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in a playoff win, the first rookie to beat a No. 1 seed since Joe Flacco in 2008, and the third rookie QB to win two road playoff games (joining Flacco and Mark Sanchez).
Now, Daniels will face an Eagles defense that blitzes at the second-lowest rate of any team this season, including playoffs. During their two regular-season matchups, Daniels punished the Eagles’ blitz, producing an incredible 1.03 EPA (Expected Points Added) per dropback and 14.5 yards per attempt when blitzed.
Philadelphia only blitzed him on 14 of his 84 dropbacks (17%) in those games. Against their non-blitz pass rush, Daniels was far less effective, averaging a modest -0.02 EPA per dropback.
Saquon Barkley had significant success against Washington. In their two matchups, Barkley rushed for 451 yards and four touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.4 yards per carry.
However, the Commanders found a way to limit Barkley in Week 16 after Jalen Hurts left the game in the first quarter, forcing Kenny Pickett to step in. Over the final three quarters, Barkley managed just 41 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Before Hurts’ injury, Barkley had been averaging over 7.7 yards per carry against Washington.
If Hurts is limited by his left leg injury, the Commanders could focus on loading up against Barkley to contain the Eagles’ rushing attack. By committing additional resources to stop Barkley, they might aim to force Hurts to rely more on his passing game, testing his mobility and effectiveness with the injury.
The Eagles have leaned heavily on Barkley and Hurts’ rushing abilities to generate offense in the playoffs. Through two games, 70.9% of their total yards have come on the ground.
The Commanders will play in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. Only the Browns, who last appeared in a Conference Championship Game in 1989, endured a longer drought.
Washington went 4-13 (.235) last year, marking the fourth-worst win percentage in the season prior to making a Conference Championship appearance, trailing only the 2017 Jaguars (0.188), 2006 Saints (0.188), and 1967 Oilers (0.214).
The Eagles lost two games in September and have lost one game since — at Washington in Week 16 after Hurts exited early with a concussion. In that loss, Philadelphia became the first team to score 21 points in the first quarter in a losing effort since the 2019 Texans (during the Divisional Round on the road against the Chiefs).
PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives the Eagles a 61.8% chance of winning this game while the Commanders have 38.2% odds.
