Sadly, the Dallas Cowboys will not be playing this weekend. The Cowboys decades long drought in the NFC Championship game was prolonged when the San Francisco 49ers knocked them out of the playoffs last weekend. But, the NFL goes on and this weekend the AFC and NFC Championship games will be played.
In the AFC game, the Kansas City Chiefs are now favored by 1.5 points over the Cincinnati Bengals according to DraftKings Sportsbook. That line has moved around a bit based on the health of Patrick Mahomes, but now favors the Chiefs. In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles are favored by 2.5 points over the San Francisco 49ers.
We went ahead and made our picks for the weekend’s games through Tallysight, and offer some context after that.
Let us know who you are picking and why in the comments.
Dave Halprin: Ugh. I really hate the idea of doing this, but I have to pick the Eagles in this game. They are at home, and they have just been rolling all season. The 49ers have too, but the Eagles feel like the more complete team and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will be the difference. Eagles 27 – 49ers 20.
The Bengals and Chiefs game is a tricky one. It all depends on Patrick Mahomes’ ankle. He seems to be progressing well, so I’m taking the Chiefs. Chiefs 31 – Bengals 27.
Tom Ryle: It pains me no end, but I think the Eagles make it back to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys stayed close with the 49ers despite the offense sputtering and then nearly shutting down. And Philly has the home field. Give me the dirty birds 34-23.
As for the Bengals-Chiefs, I will make it simple and go with Patrick Mahomes despite his injury to go back to the big game. KC wins 27-17.
RJ Ochoa: The NFC Championship Game is going to suck to watch. I’m a little bit past the point of rooting against the Niners for the purposes of keeping them from passing Dallas, plus it’s the Eagles. Emotion aside I really believe that San Francisco is too talented. Kyle Shanahan seems to always find a way. Give me San Fran by a thin margin, 31-29.
As far as the AFC is concerned it is really hard to bet against the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow is seemingly not rattled by anything and the Patrick Mahomes injury feels impossible to ignore. Give me Cincinnati making their second straight Super Bowl. Who would have ever thought? Bengals 34-27 over the Chiefs.
David Howman: The Eagles are in a good spot right now, as Brock Purdy looked human against a great Dallas defense last week and the Eagles are just as good, if not better. That said, Philly has been susceptible to the run all year, and Kyle Shanahan has plenty of ways to exploit that weakness. Plus, that 49ers defense is no joke. I think San Fran wins this 21-20.I haven’t believed in the Bengals all year and I’m not about to change my tune. They’re definitely a good team and when Joe Burrow is hot, there’s little to stand in their way. The Patrick Mahomes injury complicates things, but I do believe KC has a good enough staff to compensate for any limitations the MVP may have. I see the Chiefs winning 34-25.
Matt Holleran: This AFC Championship rematches figures to be a good one. Even with a banged up Patrick Mahomes, I still see the Chiefs having much more success on offense against the Bengals defense than the Bills did last week. I see this being a high-scoring game that comes down to who has the ball last. Mahomes and Burrow duel it out but the Chiefs prevail on a late-game touchdown. Give me the Chiefs, 27-23.
While I certainly wish the Cowboys were playing in this game, I think this NFC Championship matchup is between the true two best teams in the conference. We saw Brock Purdy look uncomfortable a bit last week against the Cowboys, and I see that continuing this Sunday. The Eagles’ defense forces Purdy into some early-game turnovers and their offense takes advantage. Philly dominates from the opening kick and heads into the Super Bowl on a high note. Give me the Eagles, 30-17.
Brian Martin: This NFC Championship matchup is one that I believe heavily favors the Eagles. Their OL is good enough to combat the 49ers talented defensive front and their receiving weapons (AJ Brown and Devonta Smith) should be able to pick apart San Francisco’s questionable secondary. Philadelphia’s defense also probably has the slight advantage over SF’s offense as well. Give me the Eagles, 27-17.
While the Cincinnati Bengals may be one of the most confident teams remaining in the playoffs right now, it will be no easy task for them to upset the Kansas City Chiefs at home. Even on a bum ankle Patrick Mahomes is far too talented to take lightly and defensively Chris Jones is probably licking his lips to go up against the Bengals’ makeshift OL. I’ll take the Chiefs, 31-27.
