Few thoughts on 49ers, why the Eagles enter as slim favorites
In the first round, the Eagles played like they have something to prove.
In the next round, they’ll actually get to prove it.
Pay no attention to Brock Purdy’s draft status or the relative ease with which the Eagles advanced to the NFC championship game. Against the 49ers, they will face a team that poses a significant test ... maybe the first one they’ve faced all season.
This is about matchups more than anything. What you saw from the 49ers in their 19-12 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night was a team that has the personnel in the right places and the scheme to match. On the defensive side, they are suffocating the run and unbelievably quick to the ball. On the offensive side, they possess one of the few offensive lines and rushing attacks that stacks up to the one the Eagles themselves possess. They have a coach who is determined not to let his quarterback beat himself. And they have big-play threats at three critical positions.
That shouldn’t sound overblown. If it does, it’s only because the Eagles’ schedule during the Nick Sirianni era has numbed us to what the run-up to a real football game is supposed to sound like. Just look at the betting line. The Eagles opened up as a 1.5-point favorite, their lowest odds with Jalen Hurts under center since last year’s playoff loss to the Buccaneers. Nobody is saying that the 49ers are a juggernaut, or that you should cancel those Phoenix flight alerts. But they are a real team, and that’s something that the Eagles have not faced in quite some time.
In a lot of ways, this is a compliment to the Eagles. The intriguing thing about this matchup is how similarly constructed the two teams are. Both offenses are built on a foundation of rocksolid offensive lines and coaches who are the best in their class at scheming the running game. Each team possesses one of the better blocking and more physical tight ends in the league. And each enjoys a portfolio of talent in the backfield that allows for tremendous creative and strategic freedom.