(Photo: NJ.com)

NFC Game Of The Week

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

49ers: Last Thursday night was just another day at the office for them. Their philosophy is simple. Get off to that quick start and most importantly, establish the nature of physicality in your favor and they do that better than any other team in the league today. My thing with them is they want to set that physical tone early and normally when they do that, the opposing team has such a hard time recovering or they don’t get it together until the third or fourth quarter when it’s too late. This is why I always say that to beat them, you have to punch them in the mouth early on and as I’ve been known to say, “the bully doesn’t like to be bullied”. Everything is clicking right now for the San Francisco 49ers. They are getting quality, yet consistent play from Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey is still doing Christian McCaffrey things, the receivers are all stepping up to make plays and look how the defense made life miserable for Geno Smith and the Seahawks on Thanksgiving night. That little episode of them struggling after the 5-0 start is in the rearview mirror and they’re focused on one thing which is the stretch run and that includes first winning the division which is theirs to lose at this point because Seattle has been struggling as of late, the Rams are hanging in there and the Cardinals, well they are the Cardinals. Now, does everyone see the difference that being healthy makes? Everyone is back for them and this couldn’t have come at a better time. This will be a tough out once again come playoff time. This Sunday, they will make a trip to the city where their season ended in January.

Eagles: Their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday was the best NFL game I’ve had the privilege of watching and previewing. It was everything that classic games are made of.  They did it. You’ve seen me say this consistently throughout the year and I will say it once again. The good football teams in this business find ways to win football games and this has been their theme all season long which is surviving and winning. After needing overtime to beat the Bills last weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles became the first team in the league to win ten games and at this moment, the road to the Super Bowl once again looks to be traveling through Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia. Here’s what’s crazy though. I think the Eagles are bored and they’ve yet to put it into full gear and play their best football. I suppose you can say this is the appetizer of what we’ve seen so far through the first 11 games of the year from them. I remember all the talk about they had an easy schedule last year and they should’ve won 14 games and you’re absolutely right, they did have an easy way through the regular season for sure. This year, it’s been tougher and look where we are. Through 11 games last year, they were 10-1 and it’s the same record once again. This is still the team you must take down in the NFC if you want to get anywhere come playoff time and after his performance last weekend against Buffalo, I think Jalen Hurts has reasserted himself back in the conversion for the league MVP. Nobody ever said winning had to be pretty. You just have to win and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. They have done just that. It’s another big game for them Sunday when the 49ers come to town.

49ers X-Factor: Chase Young– You acquired him for games of this magnitude. He’s had such a strong impact on this San Francisco defense which was already great before him and they are doing damage with him. Chase is what Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to be in terms of being that complete defense end. I’m talking about the guy that can stop the run and rush the passer and be effective in both aspects. This will be Chase’s third time facing the Eagles this year. He’s already seen them twice with the Commanders earlier in the season.

Eagles X-Factor: Kevin Byard– He’s so underrated. I respect his game so much and what he brings to the table. Kevin is a guy that can play in the box, play the run as well as the pass and is effective in both. He is one of the best Safeties in the game as he plays with range, communication and anticipation. If you don’t circle in on him, he will find a way to the ball and force a turnover. He’s that smart of a football player. Kevin can disguise what he’ll do in coverage. He’ll come off as he is about to play back, then makes his read and makes his play on the football.

Final Thoughts: When these two last met, it was back in January for the NFC Championship. Brock Purdy unfortunately got hurt and everything favored the Eagles after he went down. All these months later, here we are and both enter in first place in their divisions and a combined record of 18-4. Brock has come a long way since that elbow injury. That was his rookie season last year and now, he’s more comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s system. Brock now leads the league in completion percentage, passer rating and yards per pass attempt. The key to the 49ers success is starting early and they will look to do just that on the road in a very hostile environment. Also, the 49ers passing attack should be in great shape as they will face an Eagles defense which is ranked 29th against the pass. On the other side, the Eagles will attack the weak point of the 49ers defense which is their secondary. One major key in this game is who wins on first and second down. If the Eagles can pound the football with the running game, that will help neutralize the 49ers pass rush. For the Niners to get to Hurts, the secondary which can be shaky as I mentioned must limit both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. I’m picking the 49ers to get their revenge on Sunday.

Prediction: 49ers 28, Eagles 24