The San Francisco 49ers (15-4) are the hottest team in the NFL, as the team in red and gold is on a 12-game winning streak.
They face the Philadelphia Eagles (15-3), the No. 1 seed in the conference and the team that made it the longest this season undefeated, in the NFC Championship Game at 3 p.m. Sunday (FOX and FOX Sports App).
So how should you wager on this powerhouse matchup? I have you covered, with three reasons to bet on the 49ers — with odds via FOX Bet.
Brock Purdy faces his biggest test against Eagles defense and crowd
Brock Purdy faces his biggest challenge yet: the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (3 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX and FOX Sports App)
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Lethal offensive versatility
Jalen Hurts is probably the NFL MVP this season.
But the Niners’ offense is scarier.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has the full arsenal at his disposal with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk all healthy at the right time. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has weapons and protection, the two most important factors for a youngster to thrive.
You literally can’t stop all the playmakers. Overcommit to McCaffrey, and Kittle is wide-open down the middle. Bracket Samuel and risk leaving Aiyuk alone in man coverage. It’s a very difficult offense to stop. And San Francisco utilizes so many different formations that defenses don’t know what’s coming next.
Don’t ignore Robbie Gould, either. He’s an automatic three points.
Niners are no strangers to this stage
Sustained success is the norm in San Francisco.
This is the Niners’ third NFC Championship Game in four seasons, and the only reason they didn’t make a deep run in 2020 is that the team was decimated by injuries. When healthy, they have proven to be the cream of the crop in a top-heavy conference.
There’s no ignoring Philadelphia’s potential, but this current Eagles core hasn’t won jack yet. They also blitzed through arguably the easiest schedule in the league, and you could argue the signature win came against overrated Dallas (26-17 on Oct. 16).
Meh.
I’ll take the team with the proven playoff pedigree.
Defense wins championships
San Francisco’s defense is the best in football.
There’s a superstar at every level [Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Talanoa Hufanga], and all three players can take over a game.
The Niners allowed the fewest points per game this season [16.3], and their super stingy front seven held opponents under 80 rushing yards per contest. They’re extremely physical up front and let’s not forget that linebacker Dre Greenlaw and tackle Javon Kinlaw both recently returned to the fold.
I can’t wait to watch the chess match between defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Hurts. Ryans has done exceptional work with San Francisco’s linebackers over the last five seasons, and I expect that very talented group to keep Hurts from having a monster game on the ground.
If the Niners take away Hurts’ legs, they’ll be off to Arizona.
PICK: 49ers (+2.5 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 2.5 points (or win outright)
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He’ll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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