What to know for the NFL's conference championships

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The matchup for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans will be decided on Sunday in the NFL's conference championship games. Here are the backstories you need to know for both of them:

NFC: Washington Commanders (14-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (16-3) — 3 p.m. ET

There have been a lot of changes in Washington lately, including on the football field. The perennially lousy Commanders are suddenly a success, going from the second-worst team in the NFL last year to the brink of the Super Bowl.

New ownership and new head coach Dan Quinn certainly helped, but the real engine behind Washington's turnaround is Jayden Daniels, the sensational rookie quarterback drafted No. 2 overall by the Commanders last spring out of LSU. Daniels, 24, showed poise and a polished dual-threat skill set beyond his years, throwing 25 touchdown passes in the regular season while rushing for six TDS and nearly 900 yards — just a shade behind reigning MVP Lamar Jackson for the league lead among quarterbacks.

After beating Tampa Bay on the road in his first NFL playoff game, Daniels took out the top-seeded Detroit Lions last week in a 45-31 shocker where he threw for 299 yards and two TDs and added 51 rushing yards against Detroit's injury-riddled defence. A tougher foe awaits Sunday in Philadelphia, which has the league's top-rated defence along with its most ornery fans.

Besides D and anger (and cheesesteaks) Philly is powered by sublime running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards this season (just 100 shy of Eric Dickerson's longstanding record) and scored 15 total TDs. He also may have invented