NFL Pick: Eagles -2.5 (-115) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
They are charging Super Bowl prices in Philadelphia for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and Eagles.
Can the top seeded Eagles finish the job and advance to the actual Super Bowl?
Let’s take a closer look at the NFL odds to find the values we need at top-rated sportsbooks to keep cashing our NFL picks!
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 29, 2023 – 03:00 PM EST at Lincoln Financial Field
The Eagles are hosting the game for the first time in five years, and all available tickets sold out within minutes, leaving fans scrambling to find a way to attend. At midweek, the cheapest get-in price for the game was $565 on the resale market.
The Eagles are the top seed in the NFC after a 14-3 regular season. Philly lost two of three to end the regular season but rebounded with a resounding 38-7 win over the Giants in the Divisional round.
The Niners won the West going away with a 13-5 record and finished the regular season on a 10-game winning streak.
They then blew out the Seahawks in the Wild Card round and topped the Cowboys 19-12 last weekend to advance to one step away from the Super Bowl.
Favored Eagles
Philly was installed as the favorite for the game and currently sits at -2.5 on the point spread.
Quarterback and MVP finalist Jalen Hurts played through a shoulder injury last week, but he didn’t look like it affected him.
Despite throwing for a modest 154 yards—with the team focusing on eating the clock with the run as the blowout grew out of hand—Hurts had two touchdowns and more importantly for people watching for signs of a shoulder problem, he ran nine times for 34 yards.
"He seemed like the old Jalen to me," running back Miles Sanders said. "I'm not going to lie."
Key Wide Receiver Banged Up
The newest injury concern for the Eagles is star receiver A.J. Brown.
He was seen limping on the sideline late in the win over the Giants, and coach Nick Sirianni admitted, ““He was going through a little something with his body that was hurting him … He was hurting in that game. So that’s why he wasn’t in the game (in the fourth quarter).”
Brown had just 22 yards receiving, his second worst game of the season, in the playoff win. The Eagles will need him to contribute on Sunday. Brown made his second career Pro Bowl this season, his first with the Eagles, after catching 88 passes for more than 1,400 yards and 11 scores.
The team didn’t give any specifics on his lower body injury, but Sirianni said, “We feel like he’ll be ready to go this week.”
Underdog 49ers
The Niners have injury concerns of their own heading into the game. San Francisco is already on their third-string quarterback after expected starter Trey Lance went down at the start of the season and backup Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a late-season foot injury.
Rookie Brock Purdy, the last pick in the NFL Draft, has excelled running the offense in Garoppolo’s absence.
According to the original timetable of Garoppolo’s injury, he could have been ready to return for last week’s game. That led to the question of whether he might be back for the NFC title game.
“I don’t think so,” coach Kyle Shanahan said about the possibility of his former QB coming back this week. “I think he gets X-rayed (Tuesday) to see how things are going. I believe so. But, same as last week, I’d be very surprised if he was out there this week.”
No QB Controversy, But Questions Remain
Given Purdy’s success, it’s also unlikely that Shanahan would put Garoppolo back in the starting position immediately.
While the quarterback controversy is at bay for another week, there was plenty of off-field drama to go around. Defensive end Charles Omenihu was arrested on misdemeanor domestic violence charges early in the week. His status for the game is clearly up in the air.
Both of San Francisco’s running backs also have cloudy statuses, but that’s due to on-field issues.
Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell are both day-to-day after getting hurt in the win over Dallas. McCaffrey has an injured calf, and Mitchell has a groin problem.
The Pick
The Eagles showed last week that they can win running the ball, and clearly, Hurts and Brown give Philadelphia a potent passing attack as well.
There are too many weapons for San Francisco to keep under wraps.
Shanahan’s system has worked well with Purdy at the helm so far, but beating the Eagles may be too tall a task.
Remember, fans from the Bay Area or the City of Brotherly Love who are looking to make a wager on this game should be sure to check out our top-rated California or Pennsylvania betting sites.
NFL Pick: Eagles -2.5 (-115) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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