Welcome to the NFC Championship Game and a third meeting of the season against the Washington Commanders. These are teams that know each other so well, have ultimate respect for each other, and understand the stakes. The storylines? More than we can list. The matchups? Every one of them matters. Let's dive into the game (3 PM, FOX) and preview what to watch when the Eagles host Washington at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday …

1. Giveaways, takeaways, turnover margin

You are probably tired of hearing this, but it matters: The teams that have won the turnover margin in the NFL playoffs this postseason are 7-0. Philadelphia has taken the football away six times in the wins over Green Bay and Los Angeles, with zero giveaways. That's huge. The Eagles are 22-1 in their last 23 games when they've won the turnover battle, with the loss to Washington in Week 16 the exception. Washington has also not turned the football over and in the win over Detroit last week, the Commanders had 5 takeaways to fuel the upset victory. Washington had a plus-1 in turnover margin in the Wild Card victory at Tampa Bay. So, yeah, a reminder: This statistic matters maybe more than any in the game.

2. Defense against QB Jayden Daniels

Excluding kneeldowns, Jayden Daniels has led Washington on 11 scoring drives in the 16 playoff possessions the offense has had. The Commanders have punted only one time and haven't given the football away. They've turned the football over on downs three times and have a missed field goal and all of those possessions ended inside the opponents' 30-yard line, so this is the bottom line: Daniels has driven Washington into scoring position 93.8 percent of the time in these playoff games. Amazing. What do the Eagles do to slow him down? They have to plan to play all four downs, that's for sure. Washington converted 3 of 4 times in Detroit on fourth down to keep drives going and they will do it again here. Daniels hurt the Eagles with his mobility in the loss in Week 16, so the defense is well aware of the danger there. Philadelphia needs to create some negative plays, must win at the line of scrimmage with Washington right guard Sam Cosmi injured and out for this game. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, and Moro Ojomo must win here, collapse the pocket, and squeeze Daniels – don't give him running lanes and don't allow him to get to the edges.

Winning in the secondary is obviously huge against receivers Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Jamison Crowder. Tight end Zach Ertz has been a very strong part of the offense. Running back Austin Ekeler is a factor both as a runner and pass catcher and Brian Robinson Jr. is a quality player.

3. Eagles offense: What is the approach against Washington?

Washington ranks 30th in the NFL in run defense. The Commanders allowed 521 yards of total offense to the Lions last week, 201 on the ground. There is no doubt that Washington will focus on running back Saquon Barkley, as does every defense. Can the Commanders come in and try to cover the receivers on the outside one-on-one and load the box against the run and Barkley? Possibly. Washington will mix it up and the Commanders will be physical and play hard and fly to the football. That's what they do and they do it well. The Eagles need to show some explosiveness with quarterback Jalen Hurts both as a runner and a passer. Hurts had a strong week of practice, so that is extremely encouraging. Still no definitive word on center Cam Jurgens, who is questionable for the game with a back injury after practicing on a limited basis on Friday. Getting the pass catchers involved will be important and, yes, Barkley is going to get plenty of touches. Philadelphia is fueled by its offensive line, which is looking to play its best game of the season on Sunday.

4. Winning hidden yardage and special teams in general

This means special teams. In every phase of the kicking game. In their loss at Washington, kickoff return man Luke McCaffrey averaged 30.7 yards on kickoff returns, with a long of 47 yards. Placekicker Jake Elliott made all three of his field goal attempts in the snow on Sunday. Every point matters here. Special teams plays can turn a game around. We've already seen that when the Eagles opened against Green Bay with a takeaway on the opening kickoff.

5. The first quarter will set a game tone

The atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field will be electric, off the chain, incredible. To keep it that way, the Eagles need to come out with energy and production, right? Washington is a good offensive team early in games – the Commanders scored 109 points in the first quarter during the regular season, second-most in the NFL. We saw Philadelphia jump out against Washington in Landover, Md. with a huge defensive stop and then a touchdown, and then a takeaway and a touchdown, and then the offense struggled without Hurts. Jumping out early would be so, so big and it would make Daniels play from behind. Now, he and the Commanders did it in December, but let's consider that an outlier until proven otherwise.

6. Handling the moment

Every single player says, "It's just another game," and that is true to a degree. You don't make more of the moment than what it is. And what it is, is a chance to go to the Super Bowl, and that means there is a ton of pressure on every player. How will a young quarterback like Daniels, as a rookie, handle this experience? The Eagles have a lot of players from the roster that won the NFC title two seasons ago, so this should be an advantage for Philadelphia. Then again, Washington has nothing to lose and could play very loose football. Big moment. The stakes are so high. Emotions will be high. Discipline in every way is critical.