Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers: Preview, odds, predictions, more

The winner of the NFC comes down to just one game as MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, and the Philadelphia Eagles will play host to rookie sensation Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers (15-4) @ Philadelphia Eagles (15-3)

Game Details:

Location: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA
Time: Sunday, January 29th at 3:00 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX

Betting Stats

Spread: PHI -2.5
Moneyline: PHI (-145), SF (-105)
Over/Under: 46.5

Preview:

These two teams have been the talk of the NFC all season. The Eagles began the season as the NFL’s most impressive team and arguably maintained that title up until the injury Jalen Hurts suffered against the Chicago Bears.

Meanwhile, the 49ers were a trendy pre-season pick before quarterback Trey Lance went down with a season-ending injury. They turned to Jimmy Garropolo before he too went down with a season-ending injury that forced the team to roll with rookie 7th-round pick Brock Purdy. Yet, here they are in the NFC Championship game.

Against the New York Giants in the Divisional Round, Philadelphia was able to prove that, despite the shakey end to their season, they were deserving of their spot as the top seed in the NFC. Jalen Hurts wasn’t completely recovered from his shoulder injury, but his ability to power through and play solid football just makes this Philadelphia team that much more formidable. Now, the Eagles face an even more daunting task than in the Divisional Round with the best defense in the NFL coming to town.

However, the one true weakness of San Francisco could be a huge benefit to the Eagles. Including the playoffs, the 49ers are 19th in the NFL in success rate against quarterback runs, but they really struggle when defending quarterback scrambles, ranking 26th in the league. That could be a real issue for them with Jalen Hurts on the other side.

Despite the Eagles being the betting favorite, many of the NFL talking heads in the national media believe the San Francisco 49ers can advance to the Super Bowl. Brock Purdy has been a great story, rising above expectations as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but it goes beyond that. From top to bottom, on both sides of the ball, the San Francisco 49ers are a star-studded team.

With players such as Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and, of course, George Kittle on offense and players like Fred Warner, Arik Armstead, and superstar Nick Bosa on defense, the 49ers bring one of the most complete teams to the table. Even with Purdy under center, San Francisco is still moving the ball. They have 49 drives where they have been at least 70 yards away from the end zone, and they average 2.67 points per drive on those, which is the best mark in the NFL.

Can he put enough points on the board to keep up with Hurts and Philadelphia?