The Philadelphia Eagles were given a special opportunity Saturday— a chance to host the NFC Championship game.

After the Washington Commanders upset the Detroit Lions, the Eagles needed to defeat the Los Angeles Rams to not only keep their season alive, but also ensure a third straight playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles did just that.

The Eagles beat the Rams 28-22 in snowy conditions in the NFC Divisional round.

Was it a pretty win? No! Was it stressful (per usual with this team)? Yes!

However, the fact is that the Eagles will host the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday.

The Eagles have made the conference title game for the second time in three years and the third time in the last eight seasons.

But, man, did they not make it easy.

The Eagles opened the game with a six-play, 76-yard scoring drive. Jalen Hurts rushed for a 44-yard touchdown, which excited fans (me included).

That fast start was exactly what the Eagles needed.

Hurts went 3 for 3 on that drive, the offense was moving. It all seemed to be going well

However , whatever joy came out of that, it was quickly taken away when Jake Elliott missed the extra-point attempt.

Are you kidding me?

At that moment, I knew this game was not going to be easy.

Listen, Elliott made all three of his field goals, and in very snowy conditions. They were very clutch points to have, so let’s give him all the credit in the world for making those kicks.

But he missed two extra points, including after Saquon Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown run with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left in the game to take a 28-15 lead. Really, that lead should’ve been 30-15…. So, those two missed extra points were a huge difference in this game.

The Rams trailed 28-22 and were driving down the field. They got the ball with 2:23 remaining, and were at the Eagles’ 13-yard line.

Thank goodness for Jalen Carter. He made a crucial sack on third-and-2, forcing Matthew Stafford and company to convert a fourth-and-11.

That was the game.

But those two points left on the board by Elliott were almost the difference. Had the Rams got a TD, they would have been forced to go for two points.

Elliott has struggled all year, and the Eagles should think of moving on. It’s been enough. Off that, there is not much the Eagles can do right now. They (hopefully) have two more games, so they have to ride with Elliott.

Jalen Hurts also didn’t have the greatest of games. He took some some bad sacks, including on the last drive before halftime. The Eagles were in field-goal range with 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Hurts took a sack that lost eight yards, pushing them out of field-goal range.

Now, the Eagles had a timeout to use, but Nick Sirianni didn’t use it until three seconds were left on the clock. Hurts was sacked again after the timeout to end the half, but why not call the timeout after the sack and save about 20 seconds and try to get back in Elliott’s range? That didn’t make any sense to me.

As much as Hurts had a bad game, and in horrible conditions, may I add, I believe the play calls didn’t helped.

For instance, when the Eagles were up 28-22 with 2:49 left, why wouldn’t they run with Barkley on second-and-7? They made Hurts drop back and he was sacked for a 12-yard loss.

The Eagles faced a third-and-19, and the used a timeout. But why not run on second down and maybe get a few yards? Maybe it could’ve been third-and-4 or third-and-3. Then try to pass to get the first down and seal the game. Instead, the Eagles gave the ball right back to the Rams with a chance to win.

Just not great play calling by Sirianni and Kellen Moore.

But many other things went wrong besides bad decisions.

Dropped passes.

Missed opportunities.

Dumb penalties.

But what kept the Eagles alive?

Like all season, it was Barkley

Where would the Eagles be without him? Not in the NFC Championship Game, that’s for sure.

The Eagles overcame adversity Sunday, and it was great to see. But Barkley, and the defense, were the difference. The Eagles are better than they were this game, but they found a way to win. That’s all that matters.

Still, Barkley was amazing… again!

Barkley rushed 26 times for a franchise postseason-record 205 yards.

His first TD of 62 yards was simply amazing. The Eagles had punted on their previous drive, so making the score 13-7 provided some sigh of relief. Barkley continually makes big plays. The Eagles would not be where they are without him. Period.

I wish he scored early in the fourth quarter, but he was just short of the goal line. But I’m more upset with what happened next.

The Eagles could have scored, but an untimely Lane Johnson penalty forced an Elliott field goal. That was another opportunity blown.

The Rams were then held to a field goal on the ensuing drive, thanks to a massive tackle by C.J. Gardner-Johnson on third-and-2. He wrapped up Kyren Williams!! That proved to be a difference in this game, in my opinion.

The Rams were at the Eagles’ 11-yard line. His tackle was arguably one of the biggest plays in the game. It saved a 13-10 lead from becoming a 14-13 deficit.

But, to be honest, the passing game held back the Eagles from building a larger lead.

Hurts was not great. That’s is not easy for me to say. I defend him when I can. I just can’t right now He went 15 for 20 with 128 yards and no touchdowns.

But he didn’t necessarily have a lot of help, either.

A.J. Brown dropped two passes, including what could have been a 35-yard gain down to the 2-yard-line just before halftime.

Late in the third quarter, Hurts made a great completion to Dallas Goedert, which should have gave them the ball inside the Rams’ 4-yard line, but a penalty negated it.

Hurts was sacked again on the next play, and the drive led to another FG by Elliott.

Hurts wasn’t great in this game, but penalties on the passes he did complete did not help.

Hurts appeared to have injured himself in this game, and weather conditions did not help the passing game. Still, this offense has too many talented people for the passing offense to be this lackluster.

Many people tend to balance the quarterback when things go south. Hurts wasn’t great, but the defense did not make stops on the last two drives. Some passes were dropped. Penalties negated completions.

Hurts had a bad game, but was it all him? Should he be the main person to blame?

What about bad play calls?

The game was far from perfect.

I’m not defending Hurts, I’m just pointing out that it’s a team sport and many elements can determine a win or loss.

The bottom line is Hurts has to be better. The passing game has to be better. Hurts can’t be taking these sacks, especially on that safety. He had Barkley open in the flat. It was a bang-bang play, and the line let the defender get through. I just wish Hurts reacted faster.

Washington will not be an “easy win.” The Commanders are a good team, and I think Jayden Daniels will be a dangerous threat for years to come, making winning the NFC East a challenge.

That’s why the Eagles need to win now.

This is their chance.

But things are going to be difficult. I knew losing Nakobe Dean would be an issue. Oren Burks played well, and had six tackles. But is he Dean? We will see next week. Right now, I saw some plays he left out there that Dean would have made.

Quinyon Mitchell left the game early with a shoulder injury. That’s a huge loss if he’s held out the rest of the season.

Isaiah Rodgers was his replacement, and he was beat a few times. He did recover a fumble that Jalen Carter forced, but he’s not Mitchell.

That’s two big pieces of defense gone, assuming Mitchell is out.

It’s just not a great situation.

Nolan Smith made an impact Sunday. He sacked Stafford, forcing a fumble inside the Rams’ 40-yard-line that Zack Baun recovered. It led to a big field goal.

In these two playoff games, Smith’s got three sacks, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and two QB hits.  Hopefully he keep playing with dominance

The defense as a whole, though, is winning games for the Eagles, along with Barkley.

Even though things got dicey down the stretch, the defense got that job done. Vic Fangio does a great job. No doubt about it.

But they have a big task next Sunday.

Last game against Washington, the defense gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Daniels is so dynamic. He can make anything happen. The Eagles are in trouble if they let him control the game and do what he did in Week 16.

The Eagles have to be prepared on defense. Offensively, well, the Commanders defense isn’t great. Hopefully the Eagles offense, especially the passing game, will finally have its break out game and get back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.