IF Vegas oddsmakers are correct—and there’s a reason those casinos are huge and luxurious—then football fans are in for a treat this weekend.
The National Football League’s (NFL) conference championship weekend is here: The Philadelphia Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers for the National Football Conference (NFC) title while the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals in the American Football Conference (AFC). Both games are Sunday.
The gambling odds are tight for both games, though both home teams have a slight edge. The Eagles are a 2 1/2-point favorite while the Chiefs are favored by 1 1/2 points, according to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
The winners will meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
All four teams have legitimate reasons for confidence Sunday:
—Let’s start with the Chiefs. Kansas City has arguably the top quarterback in the sport with Patrick Mahomes under center. He’s battling a high ankle sprain that he suffered during last week’s win against the Jaguars, but the All-Pro selection went through a full week of practice to prepare for the Bengals.
“It’s about being a competitor,” Mahomes said this week. “You want to be out there, especially in these games.”
Mahomes gets a lot of the publicity, but he also has help. Tight end Travis Kelce is among the game’s elite while defensive tackle Chris Jones had 15 1/2 sacks this season.
—Now we move to the Bengals, who are coming to Kansas City with loads of hard-earned confidence. The two teams are playing for the fourth time in under 400 days and Cincinnati won the previous three meetings—all by three points.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has been at his best against Mahomes, including his comeback win in last year’s AFC title game. He’s coming off a season in which he set Bengals records for completions (414), pass attempts (606) and touchdown passes (35).
The Bengals haven’t lost since Halloween, winning 10 straight.
— Over in the NFC, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have had a dream season. Hurts is having a breakout, MVP-caliber year and its hard to top the pass-catching duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who both easily topped 1,000 yards receiving. Linebacker Haason Reddick leads the defense with 16 sacks.
Also, the game is in Philadelphia. That’s a place where fans can get a little—what’s the polite word—enthusiastic?
Hurts is battling a sore throwing shoulder, but it didn’t seem to be a problem in last week’s dominant win against the Giants.
“I’ve felt better, but it doesn’t really matter,” Hurts said. “I’ve got to get it done.”
— And finally, the 49ers. They have won 12 straight games, including seven in a row since rookie Brock Purdy, a seventh-round draft pick, took over at quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
Purdy is set for perhaps his toughest test yet Sunday, when he faces an Eagles defense that led the NFL with 70 sacks and must deal with an imposing road environment. But Purdy isn’t easily rattled and the 49ers have a loaded roster that includes running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive end Nick Bosa.
Image credits: AP
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