Tag: Zach Pascal

NFC Championship picks: Who the ‘experts’ are taking in Eagles vs. 49ers

The picks are in and we’re looking at who the NFL Experts are picking in the Philadelphia Eagles NFC Championship matchup against the San Francisco 49ers

The Eagles and 49ers are preparing for a heavyweight showdown on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, highlighted by star power on both sides of the football.

Philadelphia got off to a 13-1 start and outside of two consecutive losses without an injured Jalen Hurts, the Eagles have been the NFC’s top team.

San Francisco has battled adversity and the loss of two starting quarterbacks but has now won 12 straight, with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy unbeaten in his first seven starts replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

The 49ers are in the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons, while Philadelphia is making its seventh NFC title appearance since 2001, more than every team in the NFL accept the Patriots over that span.

With kickoff fast approaching, here are seven matchups to watch when the Eagles have the football.

Eagles vs. 49ers: Who has the edge at each position?

Looking at who has the positional edge in the NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers

Successful NFL defenses rely on talented playmakers and versatility across the board, something Jonathan Gannon has implemented during his two seasons with the Eagles.

After a 2021 season that saw Philadelphia gashed via a passive scheme and a lack of talent, GM Howie Roseman made severe upgrades to the roster, adding Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh, Reed Blankenship, and James Bradberry among others.

Roseman then acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson via trade from the Saints, and the perfect ‘GUMBO’ recipe was developed, allowing Gannon to cook this season with a top-five defense in several key categories.

With two evenly matchup teams set to meet on Sunday, we’re looking at who has the edge at each position for Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Eagles-49ers: 13 more stats to know for NFC Championship Game

We’re looking at 13 more key stats to know for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Lincoln Financial Field as the No. 2 overall seed and with the reputation of having the NFL’s top defense.

Even with elite pass rushers and an All-Pro linebacker, this 49ers’ defense has holes and it can be found in the back four, and when teams are able to physically match up with DeMeco Ryan’s defense up front.

Philadelphia (14-3) defeated the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the title game and then watched on Sunday evening, as the Niners (13-4) defeated the Cowboys 19-12 at Levi’s Stadium.

Philadelphia rushed for 268 yards on the ground as offensive coordinator Shane Steichen got back to his superb run-pass ratio on Saturday night, as the Birds ran 69 total plays, 44 of those plays coming on the ground.

With kickoff fast approaching, here are 13 more stats to know.

Eagles-49ers injury report: Avonte Maddox among 12 listed as limited participants

Cornerback Avonte Maddox was among 12 Philadelphia Eagles listed as limited participants ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers

The Eagles released their Thursday injury report with 12 players listed as limited participants ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

Avonte Maddox is day to day with a toe injury and Friday could be his final opportunity to show that can he’s able to run and cut on his injured toe.

Lane Johnson was able to rest his ailing groin as well.

Eagles vs. 49ers: 7 matchups to watch on offense

We’re looking at the seven matchups to watch when the Philadelphia Eagles are on offense against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game

The Eagles and 49ers are preparing for a heavyweight showdown on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, highlighted by star power on both sides of the football.

Philadelphia got off to a 13-1 start and outside of two consecutive losses without an injured Jalen Hurts, the Eagles have been the NFC’s top team.

San Francisco has battled adversity and the loss of two starting quarterbacks but has now won 12 straight, with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy unbeaten in his first seven starts replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

The 49ers are in the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons, while Philadelphia is making its seventh NFC title appearance since 2001, more than every team in the NFL accept the Patriots over that span.

With kickoff fast approaching, here are seven matchups to watch when the Eagles have the football.

What the Eagles are saying ahead of NFC Championship Game vs. 49ers

With Championship Sunday fast approaching, here’s what the Eagles are saying ahead of the NFC title game against the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Lincoln Financial Field as the No. 2 overall seed and with the reputation of having the NFL’s top defense.

Even with elite pass rushers and an All-Pro linebacker, this 49ers’ defense has holes and it can be found in the back four, and when teams are able to physically match up with DeMeco Ryan’s defense up front.

Philadelphia (14-3) defeated the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the title game and then watched on Sunday evening, as the Niners (13-4) defeated the Cowboys 19-12 at Levi’s Stadium.

Philadelphia rushed for 268 yards on the ground as offensive coordinator Shane Steichen got back to his superb run-pass ratio on Saturday night, as the Birds ran 69 total plays, 44 of those plays coming on the ground.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s what the Birds are saying ahead of Championship Sunday.

Eagles hopeful to have Avonte Maddox available for NFC Championship Game

The Eagles are returning to practice today and head coach Nick Sirianni says he’s hopeful to have slot cornerback Avonte Maddox available for the matchup vs. the 49ers

The Eagles are getting healthy at the right time and Jonathan Gannon could have a full allotment of defenders for Sunday’s NFC Championship tilt.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Nick Sirianni said every member of the 53-man roster would practice in some capacity ahead of this weekend’s game against San Francisco.

The news means slot cornerback Avonte Maddox will practice in some form, and Wednesday’s walkthrough will tell a lot about his status for Sunday.

Sirianni also provided updates on two other players.

Eagles vs. 49ers: 7 storylines to watch in the NFC Championship Game

We’re looking at seven storylines to watch when the Eagles face the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game

The Eagles (14-3) and 49ers (13-4) and on a collision course and have been for the better part of ten weeks after San Francisco started their winning streak.

The two teams last met in Week 2 of the 2021 regular season, with San Francisco defeating Philadelphia 17-11 as Jimmy Garoppolo threw one touchdown pass and ran in for another score.

All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts had an uneven performance in the loss, completing just 12 of 23 passes for 190 yards. He rushed for 82 yards, including a 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles are much more explosive on offense after the addition of A.J. Brown and with both teams returning to practice on Wednesday, here are seven early storylines to watch.

Eagles vs. 49ers: 15 impact players to watch on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field

We’re Looking at 15 impact players to watch during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Eagles and 49ers

The Eagles are one win away from returning to the Super Bowl and they’ll face a familiar foe in the NFC Championship game when the San Francisco 49ers head to Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday at 3:00 pm.

Philadelphia (14-3) defeated the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the title game and then watched on Sunday evening, as the Niners (13-4) defeated the Cowboys 19-12 at Levi’s Stadium.

The two teams last met in Week 2 of the 2021 regular season, with San Francisco defeating Philadelphia 17-11 as Jimmy Garoppolo threw one touchdown pass and ran in for another score.

All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts had an uneven performance in the loss, completing just 12 of 23 passes for 190 yards. He rushed for 82 yards, including a 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

Both teams are far different from that 2021 matchup and the Eagles are much more explosive on offense after the addition of A.J. Brown.

With preparation set to begin, we’re looking at 15 impact players to watch in the NFC Championship Game.

Eagles NFC Championship preview: Where the 49ers are most vulnerable?

With preparation underway for the Eagles, we’re looking at where the San Francisco 49ers are most vulnerable ahead of the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field

The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Lincoln Financial Field as the No. 2 overall seed and with the reputation of having the NFL’s top defense.

Even with elite pass rushers and an All-Pro linebacker, this 49ers’ defense has holes and it can be found in the back four, and when teams are able to physically match up with DeMeco Ryan’s defense up front.

Talented wide receivers and a dual-threat quarterback are the perfect recipes for success, and Philadelphia has the best of both worlds.

Patrick Mahomes passed for 423 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-23 Chiefs win, while the Falcons also were able to solve the riddle, rushing for 168 yards as quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 13 of 14 passes with two touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and a touchdown as Atlanta converted 9 of 14 third downs in an upset win over San Francisco.

Raiders quarterback Jarett Stidham also had success, throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns as Las Vegas went blow for blow with the mighty 49ers.

With game time fast approaching, here are three key areas where the 49ers are vulnerable.