This NFC Championship game going to be really interesting because the last time these teams met [on 22 December], the Washington Commanders won 36-33 right at the end, but the Philadelphia Eagles lost quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion.

It was almost a similar narrative for Washington when they won in Detroit last week. The Commanders have no pressure on them, they were not supposed to be here, so they’re playing with house money right now, whereas the Eagles, they feel that pressure, they feel like they’ve got to win now. They lost in the Super Bowl two years ago, so how many times opportunities are you going to get?

I think Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels can truly pick apart the Eagles’ defence. He’s been phenomenal. He doesn’t play like a rookie, he plays like a seasoned veteran. He looks so comfortable, so poised, so assertive. He never seems fazed and shows such precision with the ball. You can add his athleticism – he’s quick, he’s evasive.

The Commanders had more turnovers last time they met, so they need to take care of the football on offence, and shut down the run on defence. The Eagles did a great job of marching the ball downfield in that game, with Saquon Barkley rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

His breakaway speed, his vision, his physicality, his athleticism – there’s so many different ways that Barkley can hurt you. But if you’re going to say ‘we’re just not going to let this guy ruin our day’, I think you have to sell out to stop the run.

I’d send extra pressure or get more people to stack the box, more people on the line of scrimmage, and then hope that Hurts is forced to throw the ball, because what we’ve seen from him lately, he’s not really been firing on all cylinders.

Defensively, if the Commanders are fearless like were against the Lions and can stop the run, I would say this is a Washington win, which is shocking really.