It’s a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, and perhaps the two leading contenders to come out of the NFC this season. The Philadelphia Eagles remain with the league’s best record despite one close game after another. Can the San Francisco 49ers take them down in Philly? Let’s check out and break down this huge matchup.
49ers vs. Eagles Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: 49ers -3
- Moneyline: 49ers (-148), Eagles (+124)
- Over/Under: 48
- Game time: 4:25 pm ET
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field
- Channel: FOX
49ers vs. Eagles Prediction
When the schedule was announced before the season, this was already the glamour matchup of Week 13. And now that we have arrived at this weekend, nothing has happened to change the designation of this contest.
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These are the top two seeds in the NFC — Eagles (first) and 49ers (second).
Both teams have MVP candidates — Christian McCaffrey and Jalen Hurts.
Both teams have top-five rushers — McCaffrey (first) and D’Andre Swift (fourth).
And both teams have top-five rushing defenses — 49ers (second), Eagles (third).
This could be viewed as another opportunity for Hurts to show what a big-game player he continues to be for the Eagles. Last week, Hurts was responsible for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in the Eagles’ dramatic overtime win over the Buffalo Bills.
Along with his 18 touchdown passes, Hurts also has 11 touchdown runs, almost twice as many as the rest of the Eagles combined (six). His 29 total touchdowns are second to Buffalo’s Josh Allen (32).
But now he will face a 49ers’ team that is No. 1 in scoring defense (15.5 PPG) and No. 5 in total defense (295.3 YPG).
On the other side, look for McCaffrey, the NFL’s leading rusher (939 yards) to continue his march toward 2,000 scrimmage yards. He is currently on pace to finish with 2,052 yards from scrimmage. Only two players — Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk — have had 2,000 scrimmage yards for two different teams.
For the 49ers, defensive tackle Arik Armstead (foot) did not participate in practice this week and is listed as questionable. The belief is that he will try and play.
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (foreman) is listed as doubtful and could miss his third straight game, while on the defensive side of the ball linebacker Zach Cunningham (hamstring), defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (groin), and safety Justin Evans (knee) all missed practice this week. Cunningham and Evans are listed as out, with Cox listed as questionable.
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The Eagles have been dominating teams outside the NFC East, as they are 6-1-1 vs. the spread against non-divisional opponents. This will be San Francisco’s seventh road game of the season, and it has been the betting favorite in all seven games. However, the 49ers are just 3-3 vs. the spread as a road favorite.
Will the string of close wins for the Eagles finally catch up with them this week? Or is this a game where, if it’s tight, the Eagles know how to pull out a win?
While these two teams appear on paper to be about as tight as matchups can get, there are a couple of numbers that may separate these ball clubs.
Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers are 1-30 when trailing by more than three points entering the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are 5-0 when trailing at halftime this season. The rest of the NFL in this situation is 35-129 combined.
And if you are a believer in the importance of rest, keep in mind that the 49ers have not played since Thanksgiving, while the Eagles not only played in overtime last Sunday against the Bills, but the Philadelphia defense was on the field for 92 plays, the most by any team in the NFL this season.
With all that said, I’ll be more than happy to take the team at home with the league’s best record against a West Coast team traveling eastward. And, I get points too.
Best Bet: Eagles +3 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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