NFC Championship
(2) San Francisco 49ers at (1) Philadelphia Eagles
49ers: 12. That’s where the winning streak stands at this moment. They got hot, kept the momentum going and haven’t looked back since then. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from them. They were in a division with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks were much better than people anticipated to be in 2022. The Rams were one of the bigger disappointments in the league and the Seahawks squeaked in and made the playoffs while the 49ers won the NFC West and clinched the two seed in the postseason. Last week when I was on the “NerdZone”, one of the hosts said this team reminds me a lot of the 2001 New England Patriots and that isn’t a bad comparison at all. In my opinion, they remind me more of the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers and the similarities there. Both have rookie Quarterbacks that won each game they started, there’s strong running games and the defenses are stingy and physical. While Sunday wasn’t pretty against the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco still was able to handle business. Give the Dallas defense credit because they contained the running game and the passing game was able to record those limited explosive passes against them. Once again, that defense stepped up and rose to the occasion to show why they are still the best unit in the league. It amazes me how they can get home with just four and play off the receivers in coverage. On Sunday, they will look to get back to the Super Bowl under Kyle Shanahan for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Eagles: After losing their first regular season game in November, they went on a tear and were ripping through their opponents. To some, they were “peaking” a bit too soon. I just saw a team that was handling business and winning football games if you ask me. Jalen Hurts goes down, they lose the two games he missed. He comes back for the season finale, and they just get by the Giants to win the NFC East for the first time since 2017, win their 14th game which is a franchise record and clinch the top seed in the NFC Playoffs. How would they come out against a Giants team that just upset the Minnesota Vikings the week before? Saturday night was the best I’ve seen the Philadelphia Eagles probably all year. First, you see the difference that Jalen Hurts makes when he’s on that field for his offense. He is an MVP candidate for a reason, and they just flow differently with him on the field. What propelled the Eagles to a victory on Saturday night was the running game and the Offensive Line winning the trenches up front against a strong Defensive Line of the Giants. They were bullies up front and they were able to get that push and open lanes for a ground attack that recorded 268 yards rushing. They built the lead up early and never looked back. I also love what I saw on the defensive side of things for this Philly team. This is a group that has fun together overall and it shows when they’re winning. With a win on Sunday, they will get back to the Super Bowl for the second time in six seasons.
49ers X-Factor: Elijah Mitchell– Most of the 49er offenses as of late have always had a strong tandem of Running Backs. That’s been the case once again with Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. His field vision immediately stands out to me. So many Running Backs today get to where the lane is supposed to be, he goes and finds it. Elijah is a quicker version of DeMarco Murray to me. He finds that alley, then bursts through. I see a back that trusts his blockers each time he has the ball in his hands.
Eagles X-Factor: Fletcher Cox– He’s one of the enforcers for this Eagles defense. What people fail to realize is that Fletcher is so powerful and quick to be a man his size. He’s that Defensive Tackle with the violent hands I always mention and those come in handy for him when he’s shedding blocks. Another underrated aspect of Fletcher’s game is the ability to move from sideline to sideline as a Defensive Tackle. He’s a magnet to the football in the screen game, gets after the Quarterback and shuts down the run.
Final Thoughts: When I was asked who the biggest threat was to the Eagles in the NFC, I didn’t hesitate, and I immediately said it’s the San Francisco 49ers and I could see the NFC coming down to these two. Well, here we are! The top two seeds in the NFC with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. When I look at the 49ers offense, they are electric when given the opportunity and Brock has nice weapons at his disposal such as George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. The key matchup in this game will be this 49er defensive line against the Eagles O-Line. This is what will determine the game in my eyes. The Eagles will come up with a game plan to move Jalen and allow him to throw the ball on the run more. Remember, the Niners can get home with four and drop everyone back in coverage. I look for Fred Warner to be that spy against Jalen. This will be the toughest defense either of these offenses will have seen and this game will also come down to who can affect the opposing Quarterback throughout the game. Look for the Niners to establish that ground game against a Philly defense that’s been questionable against the run at times. For the Eagles, they must throw the ball because the Niners can be had in the secondary. This will also come down to who takes care of the ball more consistently.
Prediction: 49ers 26, Eagles 23
