Eagles Set a Historic Championship Record Under Shipley’s Leadership

Published by Shivani Bhore on

The Philadelphia Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LIX on Sunday thanks in large part to a former Clemson standout.

In Philadelphia’s dominant 55-23 victory over the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game, Will Shipley, who was taken by the Eagles in the fourth round (127th overall) of the previous NFL Draft, made a significant impact with a long kickoff return and caused a fumble during a Washington kickoff return.

The Eagles also set a new NFC Championship Game record with 55 points after Shipley scored a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He had 165 all-purpose yards at the end of the game.

The Eagles were in a good position on the field after Shipley returned the next kickoff for 35 yards after Washington had made a field goal on their first drive. After receiving the ball on the right hash, the former Clemson athlete—who was well-known for his spectacular kick returns during his undergraduate career—ducked two defenders and made his way to the 40-yard line.

Running back Saquon Barkley scored the game’s first touchdown on the next play after sprinting 60 yards.

Shipley kept up his impressive contributions in the second quarter. He caused a fumble during the Commanders’ next kick return after the Eagles scored a touchdown, taking a 20–12 lead just before halftime.

The loose ball was recovered by the Eagles at the 24-yard line in Washington. With 57 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Jalen Hurts made a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown seven plays later, extending the Eagles’ advantage to 27–12.

Shipley entered the game offensively and took advantage of the chance to tote the ball later in the fourth quarter, when the Eagles were well in control. He ran for 77 yards on four carries, including a 57-yard gain on his second try. He added a 16-yard run on the drive, and this outstanding run set up his own 2-yard touchdown.

Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., a former teammate of Shipley’s at Clemson, also played with the Eagles.

Over the course of the regular season, Shipley played in six games and gained 30 touches for 82 yards.

Shipley had 2,747 running yards and 31 touchdowns on 526 tries during his time at Clemson. In addition, he contributed to 1,526 offensive snaps across 36 games, including 27 starts in 2021–2023, and recorded 602 receiving yards and two scores from 85 grabs.

Shipley also made one pass attempt that ended in a two-yard score and was credited with 34 kickoff returns, for a total of 904 yards at an average of 26.6 yards per return.

Shipley has already positioned himself in the top 10 in Clemson’s history in terms of kickoff return yards (904), all-purpose yards (4,253), 100-yard rushing games (10), total touchdowns (33), and rushing touchdowns (31). With 2,747 total rushing yards, he is ranked 11th as well.