As the Washington Commanders prepared to get the ball back with 1:44 left in the second quarter, down just eight points, there was a chance they could tie things up and go into halftime with some momentum.

Jeremy McNichols secured the ball at the Commanders' 5-yard line and returned it to the 22 before colliding with Will Shipley before the ball popped out of his grasp. After a scramble between the two teams, the Eagles were given possession at the Commanders' 24-yard line.

One minute later, Jalen Hurts ran 17 yards to the end zone on a second-and-3 to put the Eagles up 27-12.

The Commanders, who had outperformed expectations since September, finally saw their season end in the NFC Championship with a 55-23 loss. As impressive as the Eagles were with their 459 yards, 122 of which came from running back Saquon Barkley, the Commanders didn't help their cause with four turnovers. Three of those giveaways occurred on their six of the 50.

It was familiar territory for the Commanders, who turned over the ball five times in their dramatic 36-33 win over the Eagles in Week 16. In that game, Washington overcame that with an impressive five-touchdown performance from Jayden Daniels, who tossed a touchdown to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left.

However, the difference in the third matchup between the two teams was that Philadelphia managed to capitalize on Washington's mistakes. Twenty-one of the Eagles' points came on drives immediately following turnovers.

The Commanders had survived and advanced to the postseason by playing perfect or close to it. They needed to do the same against the Eagles, and there were times when they managed to do so. Daniels had clutch moments that kept the chains moving; the defense came up with a much-needed stop to begin the second half; and they kept to their identity by going for it on fourth down six times.

Those moments did not come as consistently against the Eagles' No. 1 defense as they did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. Eventually, the deficit became too much for even the Commanders, who had made a habit of pulling out miraculous moments for the past two months.

The game started the way the Commanders hoped it would. They controlled the ball for almost half the first quarter on the opening drive that lasted 18 plays. They converted two fourth downs and got down to the Eagles' 16-yard line before being stopped short. They sent out Zane Gonzalez for a 34-yard field goal and took a three-point lead.

On the next play, though, Washington was given its first reminder of why the Eagles are so potent. Barkley took a toss to the left, broke a tackle and ran it 60 yards to the end zone to give Philadelphia a 7-3 lead.

Four plays later, the Eagles had the ball again at the Commanders' 48-yard line. Zach Baun popped the ball out of Dyami Brown's hands, and Reed Blankenship fell on it. Hurts connected on passes of 20 and 11 yards to DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, respectively, and Barkley ran it in again from the 4-yard line.

Washington mustered a response with another long drive and got to the Eagles' 28-yard line thanks to a 24-yard strike from Daniels to Dyami Brown. After three straight incompletions, they had to settle for another field goal. Later in the quarter, Frankie Luvu sacked Hurts for nine yards, which led to a missed 54-yard attempt from Elliott. Washington took advantage of the field position and scored its first touchdown of the night on a 36-yard catch-and-run.

But the Commanders' defense still struggled to contain Hurts and Barkley. The Eagles methodically moved down the field and converted a fourth down with a 31-yard reception by A.J. Brown. A pass interference call on Marshon Lattimore moved the ball to the 1-yard line, and Hurts finished the drive with a run into the end zone.

That's when McNichols fumbled the kickoff -- the second turnover that directly led to points for Philadelphia and put Washington down 15 points. Daniels and the Commanders managed to get into field goal range and close out the second half with a 42-yard field goal to make the score 27-15 at halftime.

The Commanders put together strong second halves against the Buccaneers and Lions, and it looked like things would begin to go that way for a third straight week. The Commanders forced a three-and-out thanks to a seven-yard sack from Dorance Armstrong, but Washington's offense did little with their ensuing possession and moved backward three yards.

From there, the Eagles began to pick up momentum once again. They only needed four plays to score on a 58-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard run by Hurts. Washington responded with an eight-yard drive that included a 10-yard run by Daniels for the end zone. The defense forced another punt from the Eagles, but it was negated by a fumble from Austin Ekeler. Philadelphia turned the takeaway into points five plays later with another run by Hurts.

Washington's next three drives ended with it giving the ball back to the Eagles. They turned it over on downs twice, and Quinyon Mitchell intercepted an end zone pass from Daniels to McLaurin. The Eagles scored two more times over the course of eight offensive plays to close out the game. Barkley notched his third touchdown with a four-yard run, while Shipley powered forward for a two-yard score with three minutes on the clock.