Here are Richard Witt’s predictions for the NFC and AFC Championship games on Sunday:
EAGLES (-2-5) over 49ers; Over 46.5
The bend-but-don’t break Eagles have yielded just 183 yards passing per game this season — close to 40 yards below the overall NFL average. Taken another way, the Philadelphia defense has yielded just 3.4 yards per carry on the ground — the best figure by any of the four remaining championship contenders.
Given their emphasis on their own ground game, the Eagles are primed to deliver a proficient, organized first half, to garner an optimum chance to open up against this 49ers foe with yet another hard-hitting defensive effort, buttressed by their capable defensive specialists.
The Eagles continue to maintain a meaningful level of favoritism over the 49ers, despite questions about the optimal mobility prospects related to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ throwing shoulder.
Rookie 49ers QB Brock Purdy has been repeatedly up to some testing situations during his brief career, though he’s blessed with the presence of multiple talented receivers in San Fran’s quest to keep the ball away from the Eagles. These circumstances, however, could prove challenging, given Purdy’s limited NFL history.
This is a clash which circumstantially maximizes the degree to which the Eagles might assume clear command from the outset, riding their defense to a comfortable victory. The core of the Eagles’ defense could solidify precisely that caliber of result.
We’re unlikely to be shaken from our positive Eagles rubber-stamp, barring a considerable brace of unexpected injury news.
It’s going to take a world of additional adverse evidence for us to be shaken off our previous hearty endorsements of Hurts and his ideal suitability for this quarterback assignment for the Birds. Hurts has proven himself to be a fearless competitor, and his toughness is a snug fit for the ideal overall character profile.
Philadelphia’s offensive line has surely made a number of middle-of-the-road running backs into football-toting specialists who will take a world of beating. The early profile on Philadelphia’s eagerness for pigskin combat figures to gratify our sustained confidence.
Eagles, 27-21
Bengals (+1) over CHIEFS; Over 48
The Bengals’ relentless rise to the top of the AFC hierarchy last year in QB Joe Burrow’s second season has been a revelation. The fact the Bengals spent some time earlier this week favored on the road against Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, before settling into a slim underdog role, is a considerable endorsement of Burrow’s abilities.
He has executed his various tasks with considerable elan, and displays solid concentration. Burrow has performed with a level of maturity beyond his years during these early stages of his professional career.
The Chiefs’ broad history and ever-dangerous offensive capabilities have propelled many NFL contests into frantic track meets. Mahomes is a flashy signal caller, and Kansas City’s wide-open style can make for some extreme results.
We’re optimistic about Cincinnati’s chances to make further positive impressions on the sporting public. They’re facing a golden opportunity to strut their best defensive stuff against Mahomes — and the rest of the offense-minded Chiefs, who face multiple issues in terms of successfully capitalizing on their best form, as they bump heads against the resourceful Cincinnati defense.
The Bengals have defeated the Chiefs each of the three times Burrows and Mahomes have clashed, though all the games were close. We’d be surprised if this were all that different.
Once we were first exposed to Burrow, we were dumbstruck regarding his ideal suitability for this situation, assignment and most-likely-to-succeed capabilities. Burrow’s attitude and capabilities are beyond ideal, so long as he can avoid a sidelining injury, we’ll be beyond shocked if the Bengals don’t take out the Chiefs with extreme prejudice.
We will again note the Chiefs are not nearly as consistent in sustaining their optimal gridiron form. It is no accident — or surprise — that Burrow has been most-instrumental in each of Cincinnati’s trio of narrow wins over Kansas City.
We’re also not afraid about adverse, colder weather posing marked problems on offense for the Cincy offense. We’re fairly confident that Mahomes is not going to be happy about a firmer-than-usual playing surface.
Bengals, 34-27