Incredible matchups and storylines on deck for the AFC and NFC Championship games this Sunday. We love an underdog story as much as anyone, but there's something to be said about getting the four hottest teams in the league to square up for the for the right to fight for the Lombardi. Let's jump on in to those games.
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)- Sunday 1/29 @ 3:00 PM
Crazy competitive matchup here between two elite rosters. The top defenses in the NFL will each have their hands full against two of the deepest, most dangerous offensive units the league has to offer. Something's got to give.
My gut tells me that Mr. Purdy is going to be the one giving. The rookie has risen from Mr. Irrelevant to America's darling in just a matter of weeks. He's been efficient, smart and effective for the Niners, helping his world-class weapons to shine. But he's shown some cracks in the armor over the last two weeks. A couple more lackadaisical plays than we were used to seeing, a little bit of stagnation on offense...he hasn't been playing bad, it just hasn't fully passed the eye test compared to where he was at.
But he's been winning, the most important part. Kyle Shanahan's going to have a great game plan in place for him Sunday that should help him get the ball out quick against a fierce pass rush. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk will need to create after the catch if this offense is going to get chunk plays by the pass. George Kittle and Christian McCaffery's names will be called a bunch as well. The Eagles run defense has shown some iffiness at times, but with Jordan Davis at the nose guard, it won't be an easy assignment.
On the Philadelphia side of things, it was nice seeing Jalen Hurts back in action last week. Their offense is as loaded as any with their dynamic quarterback at 100%. They ran all over the Giants, but will have much tougher sledding against San Francisco's loaded front seven. Definitely anticipating Hurts to lead them in rushing.
He'll have more appealing options in the passing game against a middle-of-the-pack secondary. AJ Brown was relatively quiet in his first playoff game with the Eagles, but should be a key piece against a defense that's been gashed by DK Metcalf and Ceedee Lamb in the last two weeks. Devonta Smith should be in line for some good looks as well. Fred Warner matching up on Dallas Goedert will provide some really good battles.
Awesome game here, Lincoln Financial's gonna be rockin'! Gimme the Eagles and the cover. AJ Brown anytime touchdown too, feels like a lock.
Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) at Kansas City Chiefs- Sunday 1/29 @ 6:30 PM
This game would be so much better if Patrick Mahomes was 100%, but best believe he'll be leaving it all on the field Arrowhead Sunday evening.
Cincinnati defeated the Chiefs three times in 2022, more than the rest of the league combined. The defense is playing sharp, Joe Burrow's hitting his throws and the running game even got going last week. Patchwork offensive line or not, this team's clicking on all cylinders right now.
They moved the ball with ease in the first matchup, by ground and air, and that was with Samaje Perine as the lead back. Burrow was super efficient and Jamarr Chase was way more open than he should've been. As an avid Bengals unenthusiast, I unfortunately believe they'll have no problem doing it again. They just can't let Chris Jones and Frank Clark wreak havoc in the backfield.
You need a quarterback to keep up in a playoff shootout? Mahomes, fully healthy or not, is a pretty safe bet. He'll be looking Travis Kelce's way early and often as a safety blanket and red zone threat; expect him to continue his touchdown streak. Juju Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney will also be involved underneath-- and it wouldn't surprise me if we saw a gadget play to the latter.
Isiah Pacheco getting a healthy workload will be important to try and keep the Bengals' pass rush honest. He had fourteen carries in their week thirteen tussle, which should be his floor for carries here. Tough to run against Cincy though, DJ Reader's a stud.
All of that being said...I think I'm leaning on Joe and the boy's getting it done out in Kansas City. Cincinnati's just seemed to have their number and, per the eye test, are just playing a bit better. The over/under at 48.5 feels like a trap too. Something tells me this game's a lower scoring slugfest.
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@Choppinglines
*This is not gambling advice, just our opinions. Consider at your own risk
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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