National media outlet unified in prediction for Eagles vs 49ers matchup
If you've listened to the national media very much this week, you probably haven't heard a lot of discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles' matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. It feels like most of the attention this week has centered around the Cincinnati Bengals' showdown with the Kansas […]
If you've listened to the national media very much this week, you probably haven't heard a lot of discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles' matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
It feels like most of the attention this week has centered around the Cincinnati Bengals' showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes' ankle has dominated the discussion).
However, the Eagles and the 49ers are playing a game on Sunday that's just as important as the Bengals/Chiefs matchup.
A couple of ESPN writers made their picks this week for the NFC Championship game.
And they're unified in their predictions.
Seth Walder and Eric Moody both predicted for ESPN this week that Philadelphia will beat San Francisco on Sunday.
Walder has the Eagles winning 24-16 while Moody has Philly winning 27-24.
Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick has 17.5 sacks in his first season with the Eagles, including 1.5 in last week's divisional-round win over the Giants. With Reddick's first-step quickness and ability to bend and cut the corner, Philadelphia can scheme more one-on-ones while also using stunts to wrap him inside. His 27.6% pass rush win rate ranked second in the NFL to Dallas' Micah Parsons this season.
The Eagles didn't face much of a challenge in the divisional round of the playoffs against the New York Giants. Philly's 38-7 win against the Giants — in which the Eagles led 28-0 at halftime — felt like the NFL version of Georgia's 65-7 win against TCU in the College Football Playoff championship game from earlier this month.
Playing the 49ers will be a more challenging task for the Eagles. San Francisco's defense is no joke. But Philly should still prevail. They're the better team and they have the better quarterback. And if there's one thing I've learned from a lifetime of watching the NFL playoffs, it's that the better quarterback usually comes out on the winning side.
Featured image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
