The Philadelphia Eagles ran the Washington Commanders ragged to win 55-23 and reach their second Super Bowl in three years.

Washington made a surprise run to the brink of their first Super Bowl since 1992 but their dream died as they could not cope with Philly’s devastating run game.

The Eagles came in to Sunday’s NFC Championship game as slight favourites to win Super Bowl 59 and took charge with this season’s rushing leader Saquon Barkley scoring twice in the first quarter.

Philly led 27-15 at half-time, before Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with three rushing touchdowns apiece.

Barkley had 118 rushing yards, with the Eagles having a total of 229 as they claimed the highest-ever score in the Conference Championships.

A touchdown from Jayden Daniels, aiming to become the first rookie quarterback to reach a Super Bowl, helped Washington cut the score to 34-23 in the third quarter.

But the Commanders’ hopes were hindered by four turnovers, with Philly punishing each one with a touchdown.

The Eagles will make their fifth Super Bowl appearance in New Orleans on Sunday, 9 February, and it could be a rematch of two years ago, when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs aim to continue their quest for a third straight Super Bowl win as they host the Buffalo Bills later in the AFC Championship game.

Much of the pre-game talk was about whether Washington could stop Barkley, who finished the regular season with 2,005 rushing yards – the eighth most all-time.

He then had 324 from Philly’s first two games of the post-season and, after Washington opened the scoring with a field goal, Barkley took his team’s first play all the way to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown.

After Washington’s first fumble, Barkley punched in another score, although the Commanders spurned the chance to draw level as they failed to make a two-point conversion after a field goal and a Terry McLaurin touchdown.

Philly, the second seeds in the NFC Conference, stretched their lead with touchdowns by Hurts and AJ Brown, before Hurts ran in a nine-yard score in the third quarter.

Daniels hit straight back by running in a 10-yard touchdown and making the two-point conversion, but Washington’s hopes ended with an Austin Ekeler fumble as it resulted in Hurts’ third touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter.

Barkley and Will Shipley then punched in late scores to get the party started in Philly.