Eagles becoming heavier favorites plays right into Commanders narrative

The Vegas odds are leaning toward the Philadelphia Eagles. After their win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, the Eagles were listed as -4.5 point favorites over the Washington Commanders. Now? They are 5.5 point favorites against Washington. And that’s exactly what the Commanders want. The more you call them underdogs, the more it adds to their narrative. 

They were doubted against the Detroit Lions and they went into the Motor City and stunned the No. 1 seed in the NFC. And they pretty much dominated them from start to finish. 

The Commanders shouldn’t be considered underdogs, despite what Vegas thinks. This team might be the most dangerous team left in the playoffs. Keep doubting them if you want, but do it at your own peril. 

The Washington Commanders are underdogs on paper against the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of NFC Championship Game

The Commanders have a really good chance to knock off the Eagles and somehow land in the Super Bowl just a season after finishing with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. And the way they knocked off the Lions on the road makes them less of an underdog going into Philadelphia. 

This will be the third game between the two teams. They split the regular season meetings with the Commanders winning the second matchup. The Eagles won at Lincoln Financial Field 26-18. 

It can’t be stated enough: This isn’t the same Commanders team since that first meeting. They finished the year on a five-game win streak and have looked like a team virtually unstoppable. 

The biggest x-factor in the game is how the Commanders defend Saquon Barkley. He’s been the NFL’s most explosive player and is a Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson away from being crowned the MVP this year. Including the playoffs, he’s rushed for more than 100 yards in every game except five of them. He has nine games with 140 or more rushing yards. In two playoff games, he’s run for 324 yards with two touchdowns. 

If I’m the Commanders, I’m selling out to stop the run. Jalen Hurts isn’t going to torch the secondary for the win. While Washington hasn’t had a great pass defense, it will be good enough to contain DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. 

What they can’t do is let Barkley take off like he has plenty of times this season. Jayden Daniels hasn’t looked like an ordinary rookie this year. I am not worried in the slightest about how he looks in the biggest game of the season. 

He’s going to continue to make the necessary plays to keep the drive alive and win the game. The Eagles secondary and pass rush won’t be easy. But he was able to beat them once.

The Commanders aren’t normal underdogs. If you’re a sports bettor, take the Commanders to cover because they are legit. They love being the underdogs. It fueled them against Detroit and it’s gonna fuel them against a familiar, division foe.