JAN 30, 2025 | SPORTS | By Miles Katzen
With the Super Bowl almost a week away, the NFL postseason closes on Sunday, Feb. 9. This past weekend, the underdog Washington Commanders lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship, while the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills for the fourth time in the past five postseasons. If you didn’t have a chance to watch, here’s what went down.
The Washington Commanders, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia entered the game as six-point favorites behind their lethal rushing attack of running back and MVP finalist Saquon Barkley and dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts. Still, the Commanders exhibited more resilience than any other NFL team, upsetting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard round and the first-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round.
The Commanders and Eagles met twice in the regular season, with the Eagles taking a Week 11 matchup 26-18 and the Commanders responding with a 36-33 Week 16 victory despite trailing by 13 before the fourth quarter.
Daniels, along with new head coach Dan Quinn, led the biggest turnaround of the 2024 NFL season. Washington finished 2023 with a record of 3-14, while their 2024 squad finished the regular season 12-5.
The Eagles needed no such turnaround. Since 2022, when they were the Super Bowl runners-up, they have been one of the NFL’s strongest teams, finishing the 2024 season 13-4 and the 2023 season 11-6. Free agent running back Saquon Barkley was one the team’s best players, finishing the season as the ninth player to record 2,000 rushing yards in a single season.
The Commanders started with the ball, authoritatively driving down the field, but coming up shy of the endzone. Kicker Zane Gonzalez drilled a 34-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead, but it didn’t hold.
After a strong kickoff return to the 40-yard line, Barkley took the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage for a 60-yard touchdown, taking the lead 7-3. The Eagles forced a fumble on the Commanders’ next drive, and Barkley capped off the resulting drive with another touchdown, this time from just four yards out.
The second quarter would start with another Commander’s field goal, followed by a missed field goal from Eagles kicker Jake Elliot. Washington capitalized on this mistake with a 36-yard touchdown reception from star receiver Terry McLaurin, but a missed 2-point conversion left the score at 14-12, Eagles. An Eagles touchdown and another failed two-point conversion widened the lead to 20-12. Philadelphia forced another fumble on the following kickoff. Hurts connected with receiver A.J. Brown on a four-yard pass to go up 27-12.
A Zane Gonzalez 42-yard field goal brought the score to 27-15 going into the half. With the Eagles receiving to start the half, the game was close to getting out of hand for the Commanders.
The third quarter saw each team punch in another touchdown, with a successful two-point conversion by the Commanders making the score 34-23. The Commanders would drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but a third forced fumble by the Eagles would spell disaster for Washington. From then on, the Eagles scored three unanswered touchdowns to win 55-23.
While the final score signified a blowout, the game was competitive through three quarters. The Eagles punched their ticket to the Super Bowl with a dominating offensive and defensive performance, outgaining the Commanders by more than 100 yards and finishing with a positive-four turnover differential. Their seven rushing touchdowns tied the NFL postseason record set by the 1940 Chicago Bears
While the day’s first game was an upstart team against a perennial winner, the same could not be said for Sunday’s nightcap.
The Buffalo Bills traveled to Arrowhead Stadium to face the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff grudge match between two of the best teams in the NFL. There is no rivalry in football right now that is quite as hot as the Chiefs and the Bills, with both teams employing generational quarterback talents in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, respectively.
The Chiefs and Bills met in Week 11 during the regular season, a showdown the Bills won 30-21. Even still, the 15-2 Chiefs entered as narrow betting favorites over the 13-4 Bills. The second-seeded Bills walloped the Denver Broncos in the wildcard round, 31-7, before winning narrowly over the third-seeded Ravens in the divisional round, 27-25. Meanwhile, the first-seeded Chiefs enjoyed a first-round bye before comfortably beating the Texans in the divisional round 23-14.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and opted to kick off first, quickly holding the Bills to a three-and-out drive. The Bills punt landed the Chiefs at their own 10-yard line, but a strong drive from the home team was capped off with a 12-yard Kareem Hunt rushing touchdown. A 53-yard field goal by Bills kicker Tyler Bass was the only other score of the first quarter, which ended with a score of 7-3 in favor of Kansas City.
The Bills responded early in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown rush from James Cook, taking a 10-7 lead. Kansas City scored a quick touchdown of their own on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes. The Chiefs got the ball back after a strong defensive stand, and capped off another strong drive with a touchdown rush from Mahomes, making the score 21-10. The Bills would answer with a touchdown of their own, but a missed 2-point conversion left the score 21-16 going into the half.
After stopping Kansas City to open up the second half, the Bills answered with another James Cook rushing touchdown, but missed their second 2-point conversion of the day, taking a 22-21 lead. On the ensuing drive, Mahomes rushed for his second touchdown of the day, and a successful 2-point conversion resulted in a 29-22 Chiefs lead. The Bills drove down the field, only to be faced with a 4th-and-goal from the seven-yard line. They scored on that down and kicked the extra point to tie the game at 29.
The Chiefs would not be able to score another touchdown in the game, settling for a 35-yard Harrison Butker Field goal. Their defense held strong, though, forcing a 4th-and-10 with the Bills season on the line. Josh Allen would heave up a prayer to tight end Dalton Kincaid, but it would fall through the sophomore’s hands, turning the ball over to Kansas City, and solidifying the fourth consecutive playoff win by the Chiefs over the Bills.
With this win, the Chiefs become the first team to ever make it to the Super Bowl after consecutive Super Bowl victories and hope to achieve the first-ever three-peat in NFL history. Philadelphia and Kansas City met in 2023 in Super Bowl LVII, with Kansas City coming out on top 38-35. The Eagles hope to avenge that loss and spoil the Chiefs’ historic aspirations.
The Super Bowl is set for Sunday, Feb. 9 in New Orleans, La.