We are now reaching the exciting climax of the NFL season with this weekend’s two Conference Championship games offering the chance for two teams to make it through to the Super Bowl in Arizona on February 12th.
- NFC Conference Championship Game
- San Francisco 49ers (2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1)
- 49ers @ Eagles Stats Comparison
- 49ers v Eagles – Head to Head
- 49ers v Eagles – Starters
- San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles – Game Tips
- AFC Conference Championship Game
- Cincinnati Bengals (3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1)
- Bengals @ Chiefs Stats Comparison
- Bengals v Chiefs Head to Head
- Bengals v Chiefs – Starters
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs – Game Tips
Of course, teams will also have one eye on the forthcoming 2023 NFL Draft, but for four teams the focus will be primarily on landing the win this weekend to offer them a chance at lifting the famous Lombardi trophy as Super Bowl LVII Champions.
Last week’s Divisional Weekend saw some intriguing performances and results and few can argue that the best four teams in the NFL right now are those that will contest the two games this weekend.
Bet365 Sport is offering extensive betting on both the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games this weekend, with extensive pre-match betting, as well as equally expansive In Play betting once the games are in play on Sunday.
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Let’s now give you an in-depth preview of both matches this weekend complete with our tip for how we see each of the games going.
NFC Conference Championship Game
San Francisco 49ers (2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1)
The top two seeds in the NFC will battle it out for a spot in the Super Bowl as the Eagles host the 49ers in what should be a cracking game.
Since a 4-4 start, the 49ers have torn through the NFL winning their next 12 games, even with a rookie, Brock Purdy, at quarterback for the last seven games.
The Niners’ defense has been the key as it is the best in the NFL, but it has been helped out on offense by the mid-season signing of Christian McCaffrey which gives this 49ers team a whole new dimension in the rushing game.
The 49ers are the form team in the playoffs, but they must face an Eagles team that has one of the best pass rush defense in the league, as well as one of the best offensive lines.
In fact, the Eagles are superb in all areas of the field and they do match up well against the 49ers in what should be an absolute classic encounter on Sunday evening.
Let’s now take a closer look at the key stats ahead of this game.
49ers @ Eagles Stats Comparison
| San Francisco 49ers | Data | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Kyle Shanahan | Head Coach | Nick Sirianni |
| Brock Purdy (R) | Starting QB | Jalen Hurts |
| 4-3 | Defensive Scheme | 4-3 |
| 2 | Seeding | 1 |
| 13-4 | Reg Season Record | 14-3 |
| V Seahawks W 41-23 | Wildcard | Bye |
| V Cowboys W 19-12 | Divisional | V N.Y Giants W 38-7 |
| 6th | Offense Ranking | 2nd |
| 1st | Defense Ranking | 8th |
| 20th | Special Teams Rank | 31st |
| 50 | Touchdowns Scored | 57 |
| 37 | Touchdowns Conceded | 37 |
| 18 | Offense Turnovers | 19 |
| 34 | Defensive Turnovers | 28 |
| George Kittle (11) | Most TDs | Jalen Hurts (13) |
| 4049 | Passing Yards | 4105 |
| 2360 | Rushing Yards | 2509 |
| 30 | Passing TDs Scored | 25 |
| 20 | Rushing TDs Scored | 32 |
| 20 | Passing TD’s Conceded | 22 |
| 11 | Rushing TDs Conceded | 15 |
| 44 | Total Sacks Defense | 70 |
| 31 | Total Sacks Offense | 44 |
| Nick Bosa (18.5) | Most Sacks Individual | Haason Reddick (16) |
| 450 (6th) | Total Points Scored | 477 (3rd) |
| 277 (1st) | Total Points Conceded | 344 (8th) |
49ers v Eagles – Head to Head
- San Francisco 49ers Wins – 20
- Philadelphia Eagles Wins – 14
- Ties – 1
- Trends – Eagles won 8 of last 12 between the two teams.
- Last Game – 19th Sep 2021 – 49ers 17-11 Eagles
49ers v Eagles – Starters
| San Francisco 49ers | Position – Offense | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Brock Purdy | QB | Jalen Hurts |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | Miles Sanders |
| Kyle Juzczyk | FB/RB2 | Kenneth Gainwell |
| Brendan Aiyuk | WR1 | A.J. Brown |
| Deebo Samuel | WR2 | Devonta Smith |
| George Kittle | TE | Dallas Goedert |
| Trent Williams | LT | Lane Johnson |
| Aaron Banks | LG | Landon Dickerson |
| Jake Brendel | C | Jason Kelce |
| Spencer Burford | RG | Isaac Seumalo |
| Mike McGlinchey | RT | Jordan Mailata |
| Position – Defense | ||
| Nick Bosa | DL1 | Brandon Graham |
| Javon Kinlaw | DT1 | Javon Hargrave |
| Arik Armstead | DT2 | Fletcher Cox |
| Samsun Ebukam | DL2 | Josh Sweat |
| Charles Onmenihu | OLB1 | Haason Reddick |
| Fred Warner | ILB | T.J.Edwards |
| Kyzir White | OLB2 | Dre Greenlaw |
| Tashaun Gipson | SS | Marcus Epps |
| Talanoa Hufanga | FS | C.J.Gardner-Johnson |
| Charvarius Ward | CB1 | Darius Slay |
| Deommodore Lenoir | CB2 | James Bradberry |
| Special Teams | ||
| Mitch Wishnowski | P | Brett Kern |
| Robbie Gould | K | Jake Elliott |
| Taybor Pepper | LS | Rick Lovato |
| Ray-Ray McCloud | KR | Britain Covey |
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles – Game Tips
- Game Line Handicaps – 49ers +2.5, Eagles -2.5
- Money Line Odds – 49ers – 5/4, Eagles – 20/29
As you can see, the bookmakers are finding it hard to split the Eagles and 49ers and in truth if you compare both teams, then there is very little between them in terms of talent and depth in their teams.
However, I think that this game will be decided in two key areas.
The first us quarterback, where I feel Jalen Hurts is going to give the 49ers defence some real headaches, even if he is not 100% fit. His experience will be key for the Chiefs whereas I feel the lack of experience at QB for the 49ers in the shape of Brock Purdy will hinder them a little.
The other key area for me is the pass rush and this links in with the inexperienced QB for the 49ers as the Eagles pass rush is so strong and so deep, that I can see the 49ers having a torrid time stopping them getting at their QB.
Add to that home field advantage in a partisan Philadelphia, and I think that the Eagles will do just enough to make the Super Bowl.
NFC Prediction – San Francisco 49ers 23-27 Philadelphia Eagles
AFC Conference Championship Game
Cincinnati Bengals (3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1)
There will be no neutral site for the AFC Conference Championship game as the Cincinnati Bengals ousted the Buffalo Bills from the playoffs last weekend with a sumptuous victory to earn the right to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead this weekend.
The top ranking chiefs came through a closer than expected encounter with the Jaguars but do have some real injury concerns with quarterback Patrick Mahomes who suffered a high ankle sprain in that win over the Jags.
Mahomes practiced this week and look set to start the game but he will almost certainly be limited in some ways and the Chiefs will have to offer their star QB some extra protection.
With two of the best offenses in the NFL, as well as twp very strong defenses, this should be another cracking game and one that will be familiar to fans as it was the same match up that decided the AFC Conference Championship last season.
On that occasion Joe Burrow and the Bengals came out on top, as they have in all three games against the Chiefs, so can Kansas City buck that trend in this weekend’s game?
Let’s take a look at the key stats to find out.
Bengals @ Chiefs Stats Comparison
| Cincinnati Bengals | Data | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Zac Taylor | Head Coach | Andy Reid |
| Joe Burrow | Starting QB | Patrick Mahomes |
| 4-3 | Defensive Scheme | 4-3 |
| 3rd | Seeding | 1st |
| 13-4 | Reg Season Record | 14-3 |
| V Ravens W 24-17 | Wildcard | Bye |
| V Bills – W 27-10 | Divisional | V Jaguars W 27-20 |
| 8th | Offense Ranking | 1st |
| 5th | Defense Ranking | 16th |
| 26th | Special Teams Rank | 27th |
| 49 | Touchdowns Scored | 59 |
| 29 | Touchdowns Conceded | 43 |
| 19 | Offense Turnovers | 23 |
| 27 | Defensive Turnovers | 22 |
| JaMarr Chase (9) | Most TDs | Travis Kelce (12) |
| 4520 | Passing Yards | 5250 |
| 3828 | Rushing Yards | 1970 |
| 35 | Passing TDs Scored | 41 |
| 17 | Rushing TDs Scored | 18 |
| 14 | Passing TD’s Conceded | 33 |
| 12 | Rushing TDs Conceded | 10 |
| 30 | Total Sacks Defense | 55 |
| 44 | Total Sacks Offense | 26 |
| Trey Hendrickson (8) | Most Sacks Individual | Chris Jones (15) |
| 418 (7th) | Total Points Scored | 496 (1st) |
| 322 (6th) | Total Points Conceded | 369 (16th) |
Bengals v Chiefs Head to Head
- Cincinnati Bengal Wins – 18
- Kansas City Chiefs Wins – 14
- Ties – 0
- Trends – Bengals have won seven of the last eight between the teams. Bengals have also won all the last three by a three-point margin.
- Last Game – 4th Dec 2022 – Chiefs 24-27 Bengals
Bengals v Chiefs – Starters
| Cincinnati Bengals | Position – Offense | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Joe Burrow | QB | Patrick Mahomes |
| Joe Mixon | RB | Isiah Pacheco |
| Samaje Perine | FB/RB2 | Jerick McKinnon |
| Ja’Marr Chase | WR1 | JuJu Smith Schuster |
| Tee Higgins | WR2 | Kadarius Toney |
| Hayden Hurst | TE | Travis Kelce |
| Jackson Carman | LT | Orlando Brown Jr. |
| Cordell Volson | LG | Joe Thuney |
| Ted Karras | C | Creed Humphrey |
| Max Scharping | RG | Trey Smith |
| Hakeem Adenjii | RT | Andrew Wylie |
| Position – Defense | ||
| Trey Hendrickson | DL1 | George Karlaftis |
| D.J.Reader | DT1 | Chris Jones |
| B.J.Hill | DT2 | Khalen Saunders |
| Sam Hubbard | DL2 | Frank Clark |
| Joseph Ossai | OLB1 | Carlos Dunlap |
| Logan Wilson | ILB | Nick Bolton |
| Germaine Pratt | OLB2 | Willie Gay Jr. |
| Vonn Bell | SS | Justin Reid |
| Jessie Bates | FS | Juan Thornhill |
| Eli Apple | CB1 | L’Jarius Snead |
| Cam Taylor-Britt | CB2 | Trent McDuffie |
| Special Teams | ||
| Drue Chrisman | P | Tommy Townsend |
| Evan McPherson | K | Harrison Butker |
| Clark Harris | LS | James Winchester |
| Trayveon Williams | KR | Kadarius Toney |
Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs – Game Tips
- Game Line Handicaps – Bengals +1.0, Chiefs -1.0
- Money Line Odds – Bengals– Evens, Chiefs – 5/6
The Chiefs are the slight favourites in the AFC game, but if anything the bookmakers feel thiswill be an even closer game than the NFC Conference Championship.
Personally speaking, I am not so sure it will be. The Chiefs key man, Patrick Mahomes is injured and although he is set to play, he will not be near 100% and that is a massive problem for Kansas City.
A fully fit Mahomes has not beaten the Bengals with Joe Burrow under center in three attempts. A 70% fit one, is not likely to break that run I feel.
There’s also the fact that the Bengals defense is playing lights out at the moment, while the Bengals offense is slowly plugging away, racking up points enough to win games and running the clock to keep star players on the bench.
As such, I think this will be another close one but the Bengals for me have a clear edge.
AFC Prediction – Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 Kansas City Chiefs
