Scary Terry: McLaurin to Challenge Eagles Defense in Explosive Passing Game
The Jayden Daniels hype train has dominated the headlines entering the NFC Championship Game. Look no further than Vic Fangio offering up that the second-overall pick is probably the best rookie he’s ever seen at the quarterback position.
However, the Washington Commanders will also lean on a player with a longer history of matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles defense.
Terry McLaurin has a knack for big games against his NFC East rival. His role in Washington’s offense creating explosive plays against the NFL’s top defense will be a major factor in deciding who represents the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.
Terry McLaurin
McLaurin logged his fifth straight season with over 1000 receiving yards in 2024, and he’s a legitimate choice for the subjective title of the most underrated player in the NFL.
Eagles fans remember the notorious NFL Draft hiccups of Howie Roseman in 2019 and 2020. Choosing J.J. Arcega-Whiteside over D.K. Metcalf and Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson will always follow Roseman no matter how many playoff games Lincoln Financial Field hosts.
A division opponent gets lost in the “what if” conversation, however. Washington used the 76th pick in 2019 to land McLaurin 19 spots after Arcega-Whiteside.
Scary Terry came out with a bang on opening day of his rookie season with five catches for 125 yards and a touchdown while the heavily-favored Eagles avoided a devastating upset against Washington.
He also notched a pair of 100+ yard performances against the Eagles in 2022 and later played a key role in Sam Howell’s two inexplicable career efforts in two Washington losses in 2023.
McLaurin has caught 64 balls for 917 yards and five touchdowns in 12 career games against the Eagles. The 1299-yard season pace exceeds his 1092-yard season pace against all other opponents.
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Rookie first-rounder Quinyon Mitchell held McLaurin to one reception for 10 yards on only two targets in a Week 11 victory at the Linc this season, however.
Have the Eagles solved their problematic matchup against a division opponent? Not so fast.
McLaurin burned Mitchell early in their second career showdown in Week 16 for a 32-yard touchdown on a beautiful catch on a perfect back shoulder throw from Jayden Daniels.
Washington escaped the dogfight with an impressive 36-33 win. McLaurin finished with five receptions for 60 yards.
Explosive Pass Plays
The Eagles finished with the top defense in the NFL in DVOA and total yards in 2024. They also allowed the fewest pass plays of 20+ yards with 35, averaging roughly two per game.
The unit mastered one of the central points of the Vic Fangio scheme by eliminating their opponents’ ability to create explosive plays.
However, they failed to achieve that goal in Week 16 in Washington and in the NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams.
Daniels followed up the long touchdown pass to McLaurin with a 51-yard completion to Dyami Brown and a stunning 49-yard touchdown to Olamide Zaccheaus. The Eagles allowed only five other pass plays of 40+ yards during the regular season.
Matthew Stafford completed five passes of 20+ yards in the snowy Philadelphia conditions, including a 37-yard pass to Puka Nacua on the final drive that made the hearts of Eagles fans collectively drop.
Washington, meanwhile, showed their explosive offensive ability in an upset win over the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.
McLaurin turned on the jets for a 58-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Although the play developed from a screen pass, Jayden Daniels looks for his favorite weapon downfield more often.
Among 23 NFL players who eclipsed 1000 receiving yards in 2024, only Calvin Ridley (15.3) averaged more air yards per target than Terry McLaurin (13.7), according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
NFC Championship Game Matchup
Quinyon Mitchell should return after missing most of the Divisional Round with a shoulder injury. Although McLaurin certainly got the best of Mitchell on one play, the sticky cornerback has shown enough maturity to suggest he’ll rebound at the most difficult position in football.
Fangio will undoubtedly respect McLaurin and Washington’s other weapons allocating coverage to prevent explosive pass plays in the NFC Championship Game. He’ll also recognize some fluky plays on the Week 16 film.
Zaccheaus’ touchdown came on a blown coverage after Darius Slay had left the field early looking to avoid a penalty for 12 men on the field. Simple communication should help the Eagles avoid another mishap against their former teammate with a trip to Super Bowl LIX on the line.
Daniels deserves credit for his performance in a wild win. He also benefited from 13 offensive possessions, which exceeds the NFL average, in a game when the Eagles failed to play complementary football with effective ball control after Jalen Hurts left the game with an injury.
Washington turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions on poor decisions by Daniels.
The Eagles finished sixth in the league during the regular season with 26 takeaways, and they’ve forced six turnovers in two playoff games.
While they’ll have their hands full with a red hot rookie quarterback and a scary wide receiver with a history against them, they have the necessary firepower on the top defense in the NFL to advance to their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Any other outcome would be a major disappointment.
