NFL Championship Game Picks: Strongest picks in the final week of playoffs

Jan 28, 2023 - 6:05 PM

The best of the best take center stage this weekend. Who will cash in their ticket Glendale, Arizona and who will be sent back packing? Here are my betting picks for this weekend.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes and company will have their hands full holding off a Bengals team that just made the pre-season Super Bowl favorites look like they did not belong in the conversation. The Bengals defense smothered Josh Allen’s offense allowing just 10 points and held the athletic standout QB to just a 68.1 rating. The Bengals enter the game with a chip on their shoulder after losing to the Los Angeles Rams last year on the big stage. The best thing going for them is that they have been in this exact spot before. They defeated the Chiefs in the Conference Championship last year 27-24 in overtime.

Kansas City is coming of a tough win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that saw Patrick Mahomes on the sidelines nursing what was later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain. The injury could hamper his ability to move in the pocket but Andy Reid will likely be able to gameplan around those restrictions. The Chiefs defense stepped up in a big way with their QB limited in the Divisional Round by intercepting Trevor Lawrence late in the fourth quarter.

My Pick: With the spread being simply a 50/50 pick on who wins, my sights are on the over in this one at 48 points.

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles silenced many of their critics after embarrassing the New York Giants on national television to a tune of 38-7. After nursing an injury in the latter part of the season Jalen Hurtz looks dangerous once again and is supported by a equally devastating run game. Kenneth Gainwell was the team’s lead rusher with 112 yards on the ground, but Mile Sanders was close with 90 yards. The team as a whole ran for an outrageous 268 yards. Their defense is no-joke either and held Daniel Jones and his offense to just seven points while sacking him five times along the way.

Unfortunately for Philly they won’t be lining up against the Giants defense a second time. They will be facing the best defense in the league in hopes of cashing in their Super Bowl ticket. The San Francisco 49ers look at time unbeatable as the Brock Purdy’s Cinderella story continues to flood the headlines. Against the Dallas Cowboys last week the Nick Bosa lead-defense kept Dak Prescott and his high-octane offense to just 12 points while intercepting him twice. Purdy did not have to do much to secure the win and posted just a 87.4 rating but was able to play clean football against a top-5 defense. The Eagles will have their hands full as they attempt to stop the duo of Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel even with a blueprint on how to do it after the Cowboys defense held them to pedestrian numbers last weekend.

My pick: As much as it pains me to say it, if my money is on this game I am taking the 49ers to cover the spread and earn their ticket into the Super Bowl. While the two teams matchup well on paper, San Fran’s defense has been other-worldly all season long.

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