No rookie quarterback has ever reached the Super Bowl. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is one win away from making historical past, and he’d accomplish that as a seventh-round rookie most individuals paid no thoughts to on the ultimate day of the draft. Still, regardless of the outstanding story, bettors appear to suppose historical past gained’t be made this yr. According to OddsChecker US, 62.3 % of bets have been positioned on Philadelphia to stroll away with the victory in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Why guess the Eagles?
On the floor, it looks as if a straightforward resolution to again Philadelphia. The Eagles are the favorites. They are at dwelling, and this is only one week after Philly dominated the Giants 38-7, whereas San Francisco struggled to drag out a seven-point win over the Dallas Cowboys. Purdy, specifically, didn’t look too spectacular in that recreation. Despite the Cowboys’ greatest edge-rusher Micah Parsons being held in verify all through many of the recreation, Purdy did make some questionable selections. Bailed out by a dropped Trevon Diggs interception and different missteps by the Cowboys’ protection, Purdy appeared susceptible regardless of having by no means misplaced a recreation in his NFL profession. Against a staff as full because the Eagles, these errors will come again to hang-out the 49ers.
That stated, the 49ers do have some benefits. They solely have one win on the season as an underdog — Week 4 in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams — and that victory got here in opposition to a staff that may wind up being one of many worst within the league. Yes, they had been wholesome on the time; nboth Cooper Kupp nor Matthew Stafford had succumbed to season-ending harm by that time. However, even when the staff was at its greatest, they underwhelmed. However, this lone win as an underdog solely got here as a result of the 49ers had been staff. They weren’t the underdog fairly often. Meanwhile, the Eagles have two losses on the season as favorites at dwelling, in opposition to each the Commanders and Saints. Whereas San Fran has gained 12 in a row, Philadelphia has misplaced two of its final 4. However, I’m keen to miss the Cowboys video games attributable to Jalen Hurts’ harm.
Regardless, the Eagles have been overwhelmed at dwelling somewhat lately. They have appeared mortal. The 49ers, regardless of not taking part in the identical stage of competitors down the ultimate stretch of the season, haven’t. Purdy hasn’t confirmed able to main an offense in opposition to a stellar cross rush. The Cowboys had been supposed to place Purdy to the take a look at in that regard final week, however they recorded completely zero hurries, solely two quarterback knockdowns, and simply two sacks — good for 4 whole pressures all through the sport. The Eagles recorded probably the most sacks within the NFL (70) — 15 greater than the next-best staff, Kansas City (55). While some folks don’t imagine that quantity is consultant of the energy of the Eagles’ cross rush as an entire…
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I’m not going to penalize Philadelphia for such great accomplishments throughout various games. In truth, I want the Eagles to pressure Purdy. I want them to continually bring the heat and force Purdy to make fast decisions and test the Eagles’ elite secondary. As a 49ers fan, I want to know what Purdy needs to improve upon for next year or if he’s already capable of handling such an incredible defense.
My thoughts
I like the Eagles in this matchup. Although the 49ers match up rather well, Philly’s offense is too scary to stand against. The Niners’ biggest loss of the season was Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, 44-23. Any offense that can actually consistently put up points against the 49ers’ defense should have an easy time keeping San Fran at bay, and the Eagles have one of the best offenses in the NFL. This game could come down to how well 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans put together for this recreation. We’ve seen elite offenses get taken down a peg in these playoffs already when Cincinnati embarrassed Buffalo within the Divisional Round. I’m not placing a dominant win out by the 49ers of the query, but when a blowout win had been to occur, I’d assume it got here from Philadelphia.