Photo Courtesy: All-Pro Reels
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
San Francisco 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday – January 29 – 2:00 p.m.
TV: FOX
Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
Records Before the Game
San Francisco 49ers (13-4, 5-3 Away)
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, 7-2 Home)
When you’re a die-hard Cowboys fan, it’s hard watching the NFC Championship game when your team isn’t playing in it. Sure, the Cowboys had plenty of chances to get into this game, but the 2 best teams in the NFC are playing in this year’s championship game. Two things stand out for me in this game. First off, the Eagles are representing the NFC East and secondly, I can’t stand the 49ers! Now that I got that off my chest. The NFC East was considered the weakest conference and was the whipping post for the NFL for several seasons. This game will bring another Super Bowl Championship to the NFC. Last year the Los Angeles Rams took the title and this year it will be one of these two teams. Let’s take a look at this year’s NFC Championship game in Philadelphia.
What’s on the Menu
We all know that in order to watch a game of this magnitude you will need the following: Wings (flavor doesn’t matter), nachos (with meat), chips, soft drinks or beer (it’s your party, you chose). While serving game time snacks you will need to put them in a warmer, eating cold football snacks sucks especially when your team is losing.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have played 3 different quarterbacks this season and still made it tom the NFC championship game. How did that happen? Well allow me to share the secret. The 49ers offensive coordinator and head coach Kyle Shanahan understands his players. Shanahan reminds me of former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson. He understands talent and uses the talent to their strengths not a scheme. Understanding personnel is key for a franchise to play at a high level. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has won 6 straight games and kept the team afloat. Keep an eye on him in this game. When pressured, as evidenced last week; he wasn’t as productive. The 49ers will make up for this by leaning heavily on the legs of RB Christian McCaffrey and utility man Debo Samuel. Once Purdy gets in a groove he’ll start looking for TE George Kittle to make some big plays. After that Purdy will start targeting WR Brandon Aiyuk for huge gains. The 49ers defense is a salty group and aggressive. The d-line will have to keep an eye on QB Jalen Hurts and his run/pass option plays. They could get burned. If there is any concern on defense, it will be with the secondary getting burned over the top.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philly’s young signal caller Jalen Hurts is one of the best young talents in the league. The Eagles offense is driven by his arm and legs. The offense can score and move the chains through the air and on the ground. RB Miles Sanders is a legit toting the rock. He is shifty and can power through the d-line when needed. He can is a pass catching threat out of the back field. The Eagles have a pair of great receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They will test the 49ers young secondary. When in a bind, expect Hurts to seek out the services of TE Dallas Goedert. He’ll be an asset in moving the chains and in the red zone. The Eagles offense is averaging 28.1 points per game while the defense is only giving up 7.0 points per game. When they say, “Defense wins championships!” this is exactly who they were talking about. The defense is physical, stingy and swarming! The defense will be the x-factor for the Eagles heading to the Super Bowl.
Prediction
ESPN has the Eagles with a 65.3% chance of winning at home and taking the Super Bowl this year. The over/under is 45, so take the over. I expect a shoot out with the game being undecided until the final minute. I’m taking Philly by 9!
Final Score
Eagles – 39
49ers – 30
