49ers vs. Eagles NFC Championship Game odds, trends: Bettors big on Philadelphia spread, A.J. Brown Over receiving yards

Both the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles have been very successful franchises since the merger. The 49ers will make their record 18th appearance in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday and Philadelphia its eighth. Somehow this is just the second meeting between the teams in the postseason, and the first since the 1990s. The Eagles are 2.5-point home favorites at BetMGM and taking heavy action against the spread. Plenty of bettors are also on A.J. Brown's receiving yardage prop.

With 23-year-old Brock Purdy under center for the 49ers and 24-year-old Jalen Hurts for the Eagles, this will be the first conference championship game in NFL history in which both starting quarterbacks are under 25. Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft, is 7-0 as a starter (including the playoffs) with 16 touchdowns and just two picks – a rating of 116.0 that would have led the NFL by far in the regular season. Purdy is the fifth rookie QB to start a conference title game and the previous four went 0-4, losing by an average of 10 points.

The Eagles are 15-1 when Hurts has started this season, and if he runs for two scores Sunday he will become the first quarterback in NFL history with 15 rushing touchdowns in a single season, including the playoffs.

As of this writing, 76% of the bets and 85% of the money are on the Eagles ATS at BetMGM. The total has risen from an open of 45.5 to 46.5, and 62% of the bets and 70% of the money are on the Under.

San Francisco led the league in both total defense (300.6 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (16.3 points allowed per game) this season. The Niners could become the fourth team in the past 10 seasons to lead the NFL in total defense and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining Denver in 2015 and Seattle in both 2013 and 2014.

Philadelphia ranked second in the NFL in total defense, allowing 301.5 yards per game, and set a franchise record with 70 sacks. Philly can become the fifth team since 2000 to lead the league in sacks and make the Super Bowl in the same year. The last to do so was the 2015 Broncos.

After posting a career-high 1,496 receiving yards in the regular season but just 22 in the Divisional Round win over the Giants – the Eagles were running at will and didn't have to pass much – the yardage total for Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on Sunday has moved from 67.5 to 68.5 yards with 99% of the bets on the Over. The SportsLine Projection Model has Brown finishing with 78 yards.

Other popular props: Christian McCaffrey to score the game's first touchdown at +700; McCaffrey for an anytime TD at -120; Jauan Jennings's longest reception Under 13.5 yards at -105; and Quez Watkins Under 15.5 receiving yards at -120.

The lookahead lines for Super Bowl 57:

• 49ers -1 vs. Bengals (total 46.5)
• 49ers +1.5 vs. Chiefs (total 48)
• Eagles -1 vs. Bengals (total 48.5)
• Eagles +1 vs. Chiefs (total 48.5)

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