The lines are from covers.com and the home teams are in CAPs.
San Francisco +2.5 over PHILADELPHIA
The Eagles didn’t meet much resistance against the Giants last week so it’s hard to tell how they’ll react to solid foe in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts wasn’t tested much so it’s hard to judge how strong his shoulder is and how comfortable he will be against a physical unit like the 49ers defence. Linebacker Fred Warner is the type of player that is going to cause a lot of headaches for Hurts and the Eagles offence while in the trenches, we should see a fairly even battle. On the other side of the ball, Brock Purdy passed his test against the Cowboys, but will have to do it again – this time in hostile territory. It’s a good thing that head coach Kyle Shanahan is as good as it gets when scheming around his multiple weapons. Between Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, there’s just too much for the Eagles to worry about. The Cinderella story of Mr. Irrelevant leading his team to the Super Bowl shockingly continues.
Cincinnati +1 over KANSAS CITY
It’s hard to ignore the history between these two teams and the fact that Joe Burrow is a pristine 3-0 against the Chiefs in his career – including last year’s AFC title game and a matchup earlier this season. The other factor that can’t be overlooked is Patrick Mahomes’ ankle. Even though he wasn’t wearing a walking boot and took part in practice this week, that limb will not be at 100% on Sunday and should greatly limit his mobility, in the pocket and out of it. Cincinnati’s defence may not have the star power, but is incredibly well-coordinated and should have an easier time if Mahomes is stuck in the pocket. The Bengals have dealt with injuries on the offensive line quite well and Burrow has demonstrated growth in the pocket and has become much better at avoiding sacks. While Chris Jones will cause some havoc, Burrow can rely on his bevy of weapons – Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon, to name a few – while getting the ball out quickly. The Bengals have a ton of swagger coming in and should walk out of “Burrowhead” Stadium as AFC champs for the second year in a row.
Last week: 2-2
Playoffs: 5-5
This season: 131-133-7
