It’s official. We only have three NFL games left to watch and bet on until next season.
Two of them happen today, when the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles face-off in the NFC Championship Game, and the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
We have plenty of NFL betting content for you, but here’s our best bets for today’s two championship games.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles prediction and pick
The Eagles needed a BYE week to get healthy, and that’s exactly what they got. Against the Giants on last weekend, they looked fresh and as good as they had looked all season. Now, they’re ready to take on the 49ers.
Everyone talks about how good the 49ers defense is, but make no mistake about it, the Eagles defense has been just as good, if not better, than San Francisco’s.
The Eagles defense leads the NFL in opponent yards per play (4.8), opponent yards per pass attempt (5.4), and sack percentage (11.4%).
So, the question comes down to, which offense will be able to get the job done? I’m willing to bet it’s going to be the Eagles.
Brock Purdy finally faced a good defense in the Cowboys last week, and he had his worst performance of the season, recording an 87.4% quarterback rating and throwing for zero touchdowns.
Now, he needs to take on an even better defense with the best pass rush in the NFL. The Eagles are going to get in his face, and I think it’ll prove to be too much to handle.
People also underestimate the Eagles pass offense. They rank first in the league in yards per pass attempt at 8.1, and they should be able to exploit the weakness of the 49ers defense, which is their secondary.
I’ll back the Eagles to win and cover and advance to Super Bowl 57.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs prediction and pick
Don’t let Joe Burrow scare you. The Bengals have statistically been an extremely average football team this season, and I think the Chiefs are about to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 57.
For example, the Bengals rank 14th in the NFL in yards per play, and their defense ranks 16th in opponent yards per play. The Chiefs are first and ninth in those two metrics.
This obviously brings up the health of Patrick Mahomes. Can we bet on him despite the injury news? I say yes.
I believe the current betting line is based on Mahomes’ play being limited by his ankle. If he hadn’t suffered this injury, the line would be much more in the Chiefs’ favor. If we’re able to bet it at the current line, and Mahomes looks close to his normal self on Sunday, then we’re holding a valuable betting slip.
Despite their impressive win over the Bills, I’m not fully sold on the Bengals. Their metrics don’t hold up to public perception.
Give me the Chiefs to win and cover this spread on Sunday.
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
