The following are Richard Witt’s predictions for Sunday’s NFC and AFC Championship games:
EAGLES (-2-5) over 49ers; Over 46.5
The resilient Eagles have allowed only 183 passing yards a game this season, nearly 40 yards less than the NFL average. The Philadelphia defense has allowed only 3.4 yards per carry on the ground, which is the best mark among the four remaining championship contenders.
Given their emphasis on their own ground game, the Eagles are poised to offer a competent, well-organized first half in order to give themselves the best possible chance to open against the 49ers with another hard-hitting defensive effort, bolstered by their competent defensive specialists.
Despite concerns regarding the throwing shoulder of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ mobility, the Eagles continue to hold a significant advantage over the 49ers.
In his brief career, rookie 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has often faced challenging situations, but he is aided by the availability of numerous good receivers in San Francisco’s effort to keep the ball away from the Eagles. However, considering Purdy’s minimal NFL experience, these situations could prove difficult.
This is a matchup in which the Eagles will have the best opportunity to establish early dominance, riding their defense to an easy victory. The nucleus of the Eagles’ defense could secure a result of this magnitude.
Unless a significant number of unanticipated injury reports emerge, we are unlikely to change our favorable Eagles prediction.
It will take a mountain of further negative data to sway us from our earlier enthusiastic support of Hurts and his great appropriateness for this quarterback position with the Birds. Hurts has demonstrated that he is a brave competitor, and his toughness fits perfectly with the ideal overall personality profile.
Undoubtedly, Philadelphia’s offensive line has transformed a handful of average running backs into football-wielding specialists who can withstand a lot of punishment. The early profile of Philadelphia’s desire for pigskin fighting figurines satisfies our unwavering faith.
Eagles, 27-21
Bengals (+1) over CHIEFS; Over 48
The Bengals’ steady ascent to the top of the AFC hierarchy in Joe Burrow’s second season at quarterback was a revelation. Burrow’s abilities are substantiated by the fact that the Bengals were initially favored on the road against Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs before settling into a slight underdog role earlier this week.
He has executed his numerous responsibilities with excellent dexterity and a high level of attention. In these early phases of his professional career, Burrow has demonstrated a level of maturity that exceeds his years.
The Chiefs’ extensive history and ever-evolving offensive prowess have transformed numerous NFL matchups into frenetic sprints. Mahomes is a showy quarterback, and Kansas City’s wide-open approach can produce explosive outcomes.
We are optimistic that Cincinnati will continue to impress the sporting public favorably. They have a wonderful opportunity to showcase their defensive prowess against Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense-oriented Kansas City Chiefs, who face several obstacles in capitalizing on their best form against the inventive Cincinnati defense.
The Bengals have defeated the Chiefs each of the three times that Burrows and Mahomes have faced off against one another, albeit in close contests. We would be astonished if this were very dissimilar.
As soon as we were introduced to Burrow, we were astounded by his ideal aptitude for this circumstance, assignment, and success-probability. Assuming Burrow avoids a sidelined injury, we’ll be astonished if the Bengals don’t annihilate the Chiefs with tremendous prejudice, given his attitude and ability.
The Chiefs are not nearly as consistent as the Patriots in maintaining their best football shape. It is not a fluke nor a surprise that Burrow has been the most significant player in each of Cincinnati’s three close victories over Kansas City.
We’re also unconcerned about unpleasant, colder weather causing significant offensive challenges for the Cincinnati offense. We are fairly certain that Mahomes will not appreciate a firmer-than-usual playing field.
Bengals, 34-27
»Predictions for the NFL conference championships: the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals«