The NFC Championship Is Going To Be A Street Fight!

Michael Zagaris. Getty Images.

I honestly cannot remember a better NFL Final 4 than this one! And it all starts tomorrow in the NFC Championship at 3pm ET when the 49ers take on the Eagles in Philly followed up by an AFC Title rematch between Joe Burrow's Bengals and Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs.

Here are the current lines on the Barstool Sportsbook.

Let's break down the NFC Title Game and make some picks!

The 49ers have won 12 IN A ROW and are still a 3 point underdog on the road in Philly! That is how good the Eagles looked last week in the 38-7 thrashing of the Giants.

San Francisco has the #1 Defense in the NFL. Their front seven especially is super elite led by DE Nick Bosa & LB Fred Warner. Can they stop the powerful Eagles running game and make the Eagles beat them through the air? 

The Eagles offense is both dynamic and balanced. With a strong OL, Hurts dual threat ability, a deep running back core & elite weapons in WRs AJ Brown Devonta Smith & TE Dallas Goedert, they can beat a defense in what feels like an infinite amount of ways.

On the other side of the ball, the 49ers also have a TON of weapons with RB Christian McCaffrey, WRs Deebo Samuel & Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle. And NO ONE is doubting the elite play calling ability of Kyle Shanahan. But is rookie QB Brock Purdy ready to lead the 49ers to an NFC Championship on the road in the most hostile environment in sports?

Here Are My Plays for the game.

Under 46.5

Four of the last five San Francisco playoff games have FLOWN under the total.

2021

23-17 at Dallas

13-10 at Green Bay

17-20 at LA Rams

2022

41-23 Seattle

19-12 Dallas

What does this tell me? Well the 49ers are going to try to make this another physical low scoring game to protect their rookie QB. They are going to run the ball a ton to shorten the game as well. This is their identity and they are very comfortable in these type games.

I am slamming this Under and it is my top play.

SF (+3)

Honestly, this feels like a 3 point game either way so I am taking the points. I have nothing but respect for the Philly home field edge. But the the 49ers are wired to go win on the road in the playoffs. Hell, they almost won 3 in a row on road last year to make the Super Bowl. They will not be scared of the Linc. Purdy must protect the football!

Over 77.5 Deebo Samuel Rush/Rec Yards

Both Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Deebo Samuel (ankle) are nursing injuries this week but I am more worried about McCaffrey after his struggles against Dallas. McCaffrey misssed practice Wednesday while Deebo was limited. That tells me they are being cautious with Deebo but he should be fine. And the bigger the game, the more Kyle Shanahan will go to him. I expect him to get 3-5 carries as well as being featured heavily in the passing game, That is good enough for me to take his over.

I do not like any TD props on the Barstool Sportsbook in this game as I feel it will be lower scoring.

Final Score: San Francisco 20 Philly 17

NFL Playoff Record 10-8

Back with the AFC Championship Preview soon.