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NFL

49ers vs Eagles NFC Championship odds and predictions: Who is the favorite?

The Eagles have been the team to beat all season, but the 49ers late run has surprised many NFL pundits. We take a look at the picks and predictions.

Update:
The Eagles have been the team to beat all season, but the 49ers late run has surprised many NFL pundits. We take a look at the picks and predictions.
THEARON W. HENDERSONAFP

The NFL is all drama, if nothing else, and the San Francisco 49ers are a huge part in playing it out this season.

Dropping your starting quarterback for a rookie, then re-signing your veteran as a backup, on a fraction of his old contract, is the stuff of machiavellian playwriting already. But then having both of those go down to injury, only to bring in a lightly-regarded number three rookie, a player who nobody had any hopes for at all, and then watch as he becomes the hottest player in the NFL? That’s drama.

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Play all of this out against a backdrop of an NFL where the Eagles jumped out to a 8-0 record before dropping an unlikely loss to the Washington Commanders. They continued on to 13-1 before losing to the Cowboys and Saints in consecutive weeks and finishing strong against the Giants, headed into the playoffs as the team to beat.

With most expecting the Cowboys to take advantage of a talented but youthful 49ers and the Eagles looking like they may have lost some of their mojo, this NFC Championship Game has taken pundits by surprise.

49ers vs Eagles odds

TEAMMoneylineSpreadTotal
Philadelphia Eagles-145-2.5
(-115)
o46
(-110)
San Francisco 49ers+122+2.5
(-105)
u46
(-110)

Keys to the Game

Philadelphia is the third-ranked team in the NFL by total offense through the season, and if anything seem to have ratcheted that up a notch for the playoffs. Jalen Hurts in particular is a touchdown scoring machine.

On the other side of the ball, the 49ers have struck gold when they picked up Christian McCaffery at mid-season, since the former Panther has been finding the end zone with regularity.

Anyone expecting young Brock Purdy to fold under pressure has been sorely disappointed, with the ex-Iowa State play caller has shown poise and confidence that belies his inexperience. Add to that mix the possible return of Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers will be a team that should have no trouble putting up big numbers.

With the scoring likely to be high in this game, the key will be the defense, and with both of these teams having top-five stopping power, it is almost certain to come down to a single drive that stalls. Look for both teams to put up over 20 points and the win by a field goal or less.

Our prediction: San Francisco 21 - 24 Philadelphia