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NFL I Playoffs

Eagles and Commanders face rare divisional rivalry in a Conference Championship game

The NFC title game will be played this Sunday between two divisional rivals of the East, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

The NFC title game will be played this Sunday between two divisional rivals of the East, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
SCOTT TAETSCHAFP

This weekend, two rivals from the NFL’s NFC East division will face each other in the Conference Championship for a chance to play in Super Bowl LIX this year.

The Washington Commanders pulled off an upset win on the road over the top seed Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round on Saturday, while the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in their game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. That means the Commanders and Eagles will play against each other this Sunday in the NFC title game.

How often have divisional rivals played each other in a Conference Championship?

When two divisional rivals play each other, there is always an added layer of significance and drama. Playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl just adds even more energy and excitement to the game.

It’s in fact quite rare to see two divisional rivals face each other in a Conference Championship. This will be just the fifth time an intra-divisional conference title game has occurred since the NFL’s realignment in 2002. The most recent was in the 2021-22 season when the Los Angeles Rams played the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game. Before that, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC in 2008, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in the NFC in 2010, and the Niners and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC in 2013.

Interestingly, the winner of those games went on to win the Super Bowl in all four instances. Dating all the way back to 1985, there have been nine division rivals who met in the conference title game.

In the regular season, the Commanders and Eagles split their wins. In their first meeting in Week 11, the Eagles came away with the 26-18 victory. In the second, in Week 17, the Commanders took the 36-33 victory.

If the Commanders win in the NFC title game this weekend, it will be the first time a No. 6 seed has made a Super Bowl appearance since the 2010 Packers.

The Eagles are the slight favorites to win over the Commanders, but Washington has now pulled off two road upsets in a row, and with division rivalries, anything can happen.

The NFC Conference Championship game between the Eagles and Commanders kicks off on Sunday, January 26 at 3 p.m. ET. You can follow along with all our live text coverage right here on AS USA.

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