NFC/AFC Championship Sunday

What a wild couple of games on Championship Sunday. Jalen Hurts led a talented Eagles squad to a dismantling of the 49ers, winning the NFC Championship Game 31 to 7. The result likely would have been much different had Brock Purdy not gotten injured in the first quarter, which left San Francisco with fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson as their only healthy option signal caller. Still, the Eagles’ offense continued its dominant run to the Big Game under Jalen Hurts, as they put up 31 against this vaunted San Francisco defense.

The AFC Championship Game saw a much closer contest, as Harrison Butker put one through the uprights with just seconds left on the clock to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. Kansas City beat Cincinnati 23-20, but the game was not without controversy. There were several “questionable” calls throughout the game, which may have swayed the result (depending on which teams’ fan base you ask). Patrick Mahomes punches his ticket to his third Super Bowl in five years, and Andy Reid (KC Head Coach) gets to face the team that fired him back in the day in Philadelphia.

Let’s look at both games a little more closely. Check the SB Intel Game Pages for the latest moneylines, spreads, totals and alt lines, while also following the line movement. You can quickly find the best lines for each of the games using our Game Boards, free for everyone through Super Bowl Sunday.

• NFC Conference Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles 31, San Francisco 49ers 7 – the Eagles cover the spread of -2.5 and the game goes under the total of 46.

The Eagles are going back to the Super Bowl! This game was over by halftime, due in large part to the San Francisco offense being unable to get much going on after Brock Purdy’s elbow injury. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on their opening drive with a Miles Sanders touchdown run. This was set up by a ridiculous one-handed catch by DeVonta Smith on fourth-and-3. This wasn’t a catch, the replays showed, however, but the Eagles hurried to the line and got a play off before San Fran could challenge.

The 49ers’ day went downhill after Eagles’ linebacker Haason Reddick stripped the ball from Brock Purdy on the subsequent drive. Purdy ended up with a torn ligament in his elbow, and, while he would return to the game after backup Josh Johnson was ruled out with a concussion, it was clear he was unable to grip the ball properly and wasn’t able to muster anything beyond a few yards.

San Francisco did tie the game briefly on a 23-yard Christian McCaffrey run in the second quarter. McCaffrey bounced off several Philadelphia would-be tacklers and showed the speed and elusiveness that has made him one of the best running backs in the game. That would be it in the scoring department for San Francisco, however, and the Eagles would go on to score two more times before the half, taking a 21-7 lead.

The Eagles offense ramped down in the second half, scoring only 10 more points and pulling several starters in the fourth quarter. But the damage was done, as without a healthy quarterback, San Francisco couldn’t move the ball at all. They were limited to just 164 total yards and couldn’t reach the red zone. The game surely would have unfolded differently had Purdy never gotten injured. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see that game. Some will lambast the Eagles for having a cake walk schedule to reach the Super Bowl, but you can’t blame a team for their schedule, and must celebrate the dominating wins they’ve had along the way. They’ll face the winner of the AFC Championship, which was…

• AFC Conference Championship Game: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20 – the Chiefs cover the spread of -1.5 and the game goes under the total of 48.

Depending on which fan base you ask, the Chiefs either got the benefit of several controversial calls or the Bengals did. One thing is certain, there were plenty of questionable calls, and the fans will be looking for answers. Beyond that, both teams came into this game with plenty of bulletin board material. The Bengals were being disrespected in the media even after beating Josh Allen and the Bills the week before. Chiefs were going up against their own personal demon, as they had lost the only three times they played the Bengals’ Joe Mixon. Injuries to Mahomes and the Bengals’ offensive line dominated the headlines leading into the game.

When all was said and done, the Chiefs answered the call and punched their ticket to the big game on the backs of some spectacular Mahomes plays and the leg of Harrison Butker. This was truly the nail biter of a game we were hoping for. Both teams struggled to get much going on offense at start – the teams traded field goals and it was just 6-3 KC mid-way through the second quarter. But the Chiefs broke the touchdown drought with a beautiful 14-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kelce. The Chiefs had fourth-and-1 on the Bengals’ 14-yard line and opted to go for it, with Kelce getting open in the end zone to put the Chiefs up by 10.

The Bengals tried to answer with a touchdown drive of their own. They got the ball with two minutes left in the half, and Burrow made some great throws, including a couple of key passes to wide receiver Tee Higgins, to get the Bengals down to the Chiefs’ 5-yard line. But the Bengals couldn’t punch it in and had to settle for another Evan McPherson field goal.

The second half started the drama up again, as Joe Burrow connected with Tee Higgins for a 27-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, tying the game at 13 apiece. But the Chiefs answered – a beautiful 19-yard strike from Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to put the Chiefs back up by seven. The Bengals tied the game again at 20 with a 2-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine early in the fourth quarter. Both offenses struggled to maintain drives after that, with Mahomes’ ankle clearly still bothering him and the Bengals’ offensive line woes coming home to roost.

The Bengals had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth, but the drive stalled out. After the Bengals punted the ball back to the Chiefs with just 41 seconds left on the clock, Mahomes led the Chiefs down to the Bengals’ 47-yard line, where he scrambled on 3rd and 4 outside the pocket to pick up the first down. Bengals’ Joseph Ossai, who had been having a great game up to that point, made a crucial mistake by pushing Mahomes when he was already out of bounds, drawing a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. That put the Chiefs in field goal range and with eight seconds left, Harrison Butker picked a 45-yard game-winning field goal. Whew.

Conference Championship Sunday proved to be another great day of football. The Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Chiefs is sure to be heavily anticipated, and we expect the lines to move frequently as more data and sharp money comes in. The line right now is Philadelphia -1.5 and the over/under is 49.5. We will keep you updated with any breaking NFL news and line movements. Be sure and download our SB Intel Super Bowl Pack! This combination of props pool and betting data is chock full of resources for betting on the Big Game. And the props pool is free to download and bring to your Super Bowl party!

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