Fittingly, the two best teams of the conference meet in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, January 29.
With kickoff set for 3 pm ET, the Philadelphia Eagles will play host as the -143 favourites on the money line to advance to Super Bowl LVII, having just demolished the New York Giants 38-7.
For the San Francisco 49ers, a tougher-than-expected 19-12 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys puts them on a 12-game winning streak to tie the single-season record for the franchise.
It’s a clash of elite defences and elite offences in the 49ers vs Eagles game, and while the NFL odds are siding with the home team, there’s set to be plenty of action on both sides of the ball to thrill neutral fans and bettors alike.
49ers vs Eagles NFC Championship Odds (Jan. 29)
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Money Line: 49ers +120, Eagles -143
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Totals: Over 45.5 -118, Under 4.5.5 -105
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Spread: +3.5 49ers -137, -3.5 Eagles +115
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Christian McCaffrey Rushing Yards: Over 60.5 -120
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A.J. Brown Receiving Yards: Over 68.5 -120
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DeVonta Smith Receiving Yards: Over 65.5 -120
Which Team Will Win the 2023 NFC Championship?
Coming into the NFC Championship game, the odds and many stats lean in favour of the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the San Francisco 49ers at home.
Unlike what’s nearly a rivalry game in the AFC Conference game, there isn’t a lot of useful recent history in head-to-head games between these two, but both teams have won at this stage in the last six years.
This week’s injury reports came back very positive for the Eagles, with Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown avoiding the practice report.
In San Francisco, after a tremendously physical duel with the Cowboys, they’re feeling a little banged up. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell, Charles Omenihu, and Ambry Thomas either sat out or were limited on Wednesday.
Still, there doesn’t seem to be the inkling that either star skill player will miss the NFC Championship game: particularly for the back, this will be key.
The Eagles are susceptible to the run game – conceding 4.6 yards per carry to rank ninth-worst – and the 49ers will want to keep Hurts and his world-class receivers off the field as much as possible.
Combining this with Brock Purdy likely being under pressure from the sack-happy Eagles, regardless of the quarterback’s incredible run to this game, McCaffrey looks to be handed the rock a lot.
The 49ers boast a menacing defence that’s particularly potent against tight ends and rushing plays. Luckily for the Eagles, Hurts has A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, both of whom are prone to ripping off huge plays.
For the Eagles, this matches up well against the 49ers’ cornerbacks, who have looked susceptible to the star receivers of the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys down the lines in the playoffs.
In the trenches, the two size-up quite evenly on both sides of the ball, but if Haason Reddick is on top form, Mike McGlinchey could struggle to contain him after Micah Parsons leaked through for a QB hit last time out.
Score, celly, score, celly, score, celly@Budlight | #Budlightcelly pic.twitter.com/vgBToZcWlO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 22, 2023
49ers vs Eagles Picks and Predictions
The San Francisco 49ers are a formidable unit, and Kyle Shanahan will certainly be cooking up some ways to limit the Eagles’ chance on offence. Still, Philadelphia is the favourite at -143, with good reason.
Playing at home and having the right tools to unpick the 49ers downfield looks to give the edge to the Eagles, as does having Hurts over Purdy under centre.
On the spread, the Eagles could finish with a high margin, but it’s important not to overlook the quality of this San Francisco side, so Eagles -3.5 on the spread at odds of +115 gets the pick here.
With the sheer volume of skill on the field and the quality of the offensive lines, there looks to be plenty of points put up on the board in the NFC Championship game, landing our pick on the totals line of over 45.5 at -118.
Against the Giants, the Eagles capitalized on Dallas Goedert finding buckets of space, but against the 49ers, Hurts will be eyeing up Brown and Smith.
Which one he’ll favour is tough to call at this stage, especially as both are prone to ripping off monster gains. So, it’s dealer’s choice on our picks of Brown to get over 68.5 receiving yards or Smith to get over 65.5 yards through the air with both at -120.
The ground game looks to be the focus for the 49ers to make the most of Philly’s more obvious defensive weakness, which leads to our pick of McCaffrey getting over 60.5 rushing yards at -120.
With Purdy as the team’s shot-caller, McCaffrey has been somewhat limited in the passing game – especially when compared to his Carolina Panthers days – so it should be on rushing plays that he amasses the yards.
📍Paydirt @CMC_22
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2023
📺 #DALvsSF on @NFLonFOX
📱 NFL+ https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/MeidRvFISA
The NFC Championship game has the makings of an entertaining afternoon in Philly with plenty of betting opportunities.
While the 49ers vs Eagles betting picks and predictions mostly side with the home team, the football fairytale of Brock Purdy getting to the Super Bowl has a lot of momentum.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 26th January 2023
