49ers @ Eagles Prediction: San Fran to show that they are for real

If Denver at Houston was a sneakily good game in the early-window, there is certainly nothing sneakty about this one. Two genuine Super Bowl contenders face-off at the Linc in the late window and we are very much looking forward to it.

@NFLGirlUK is here with her match preview and we've picked out a couple of bets for you to consider...

There’s no question that this matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles is going to be the game of the weekend. The last time we watched these teams square off was in the NFC Championship game. A game where the 49ers lost all of their available quarterbacks, with the Eagles eventually going on to win because of it.

Looking at the 49ers here, they do have their quarterback healthy this time. Brock Purdy is back and playing great football thanks to the plethora of weapons that he has boosting him up. The most important of these weapons are Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel.

In the weeks that those two missed games, Purdy looked the worst that he had ever been. With them back in the line-up, he immediately went back to the form that we’ve become used to seeing. Their swagger and leadership offensively have proven to be a huge confidence booster, and it’s something important here to keep an eye on.

Defensively, adding Chase Young has been huge. He hasn’t recorded much of a statistical impact, yet he’s freeing up a ton of individual matchups for guys like Nick Bosa on the defensive line. The only place I worry about in the 49ers defense is the safety position, with them losing Talanoa Hufanga for the remainder of the season with an injury. Other than that, this 49ers team is motivated and hungry for revenge.

On the flip side, Philadelphia are still dominant. They still have just one loss and are consistently taking down whoever is in front of them. Jalen Hurts hasn’t played his best football, and he still finds himself in the MVP category right now.

Everything about the offense and the defensive line has been incredible, though there is a genuine fear regarding the secondary in this unit. It has been the ultimate weakness in Philadelphia throughout the year, and it’s a genuine worry as they go up against a deadly passing attack.

They’re so talented everywhere else on the field, that the disappointment in the secondary hasn’t mattered much. In a matchup against a Super Bowl contending team that wants revenge, that weakness will quickly become apparent.

If I’m looking at this game, I like the 49ers chances of winning this game. The Eagles have been doubted and counted out all season long, but it does feel like this group is due to lose another game before the playoffs start. And to be completely honest, I don’t see the Eagles losing to any other team on their schedule if the 49ers can't get past them here.

That secondary weakness will come back to bite the Eagles, and the 49ers desperate need for revenge will help motivate them to the win. They aren’t happy with how they lost that championship game, and Deebo Samuel has even recently called James Bradberry “trash” the other week when talking about the upcoming game. Everybody here knows what the stakes are, and both sides are hoping to prove their points.

49ers @ Eagles Odds:

Philly may have only lost the once so far this season but they go into this game - at home - as a 2.5pt underdog in the eyes of the market. That says more about just how well-rounded and inpressed punters have been with San Francisco than it does with what the Eagles have done.

On the Money Line we find the 49ers priced-up at 8/13 with the Eagles available to back at 13/10. A price that is surely tempting for many.

Points are seemingly on the cards with the over/under line set at 48.5

Bet 1 - San Francisco to win on the Money Line @ 8/13

The Eagles are good. Real good but are they 15-1 good? Of that, I'm not so sure. If Philly get past San Francisco here then they could very realistically be on the path to the #1 seed and one of the best regular season's we've seen in the history on the National Football League.

We've seen that the 49ers are a different animal when Brock Purdy has all of his playmakers available. The addition of Chase Young has very much been an all-in move and this is exactly the type of game that you bring him in for. Should be a cracker but I like the visitors go fly home with the W.

Bet 2 - Over 48.5 Total Points @ 20/23

Both teams are batting a hair over .500 on the Over/Under line so far in 2023 with a 6-5 record. Philly are averaging a pretty tasty 4.3 points above the number whilst San Fran are a little bit more pedestrian at 0.8 but a lot of that was when Purdy was without his skills players.

This encounter should be mouth-watering and I see them going at it hammer and tongs throughout the 60 minutes of football. I like the over to come in and by a comfortable distance. Both teams get into the mid-to-high 20s at least.

Remember to check out our NFL Betting Tips index page where we preview games live on Sky Sports...