Eagles vs. 49ers to feature Jalen Hurts vs. Brock Purdy rematch

There figures to be excessive drama Sunday when San Francisco performs at Philadelphia within the NFC Championship Recreation.

However will it match the pyrotechnics of the primary NFL assembly between 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

The 2 confronted one another in 2019 when Purdy was at Iowa State and Hurts at Oklahoma. The Sooners gained 42-41 and the quarterbacks accounted for 11 touchdowns.

Hurts threw for 3 and ran for 2. Purdy threw for 5 and ran for one.

The highest-seeded Eagles, who obliterated the New York Giants on Saturday, opened as 2½-point favorites over the 49ers. The groups haven’t confronted one another this season.

Tight finish Ross Dwelley helps 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) towards Dallas.

(Josie Lepe / Related Press)

The AFC title sport is a rematch of final yr’s model, with Cincinnati enjoying at Kansas Metropolis.

San Francisco has reached the NFC title sport in three of the final 4 seasons however hasn’t gained a Tremendous Bowl for the reason that 1994 season.

The 49ers misplaced on the Rams in final yr’s convention championship sport.

“It’s a special yr, completely different group, completely different season,” San Francisco defensive lineman Arik Armstead mentioned. “We went via various things this yr. Final yr we obtained scorching on the finish. We had been on the highway for the entire playoffs, so it was slightly completely different really feel.

“This yr we did an excellent job through the common season and obtained house for the followers. We’ve been right here, and now we’ve obtained to go on the highway for Philly. We’re positively trying ahead to that.”

Of their 38-7 win over the Giants, the Eagles tied their largest margin of victory in a playoff sport and rushed for 268 yards, their second most in a postseason sport. Philadelphia additionally set a franchise document with 5 sacks in a playoff sport.

The 49ers have gained all seven video games that Purdy has began, two of these within the postseason.

Requested if he’s in any respect involved about his group heading right into a hostile atmosphere in Philadelphia, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel mentioned: “Nah, not likely. We don’t feed an excessive amount of into the noise. We simply go on the market, play by play, and let pads do all of the speaking.”

Positive to dominate the headlines this week would be the situation of Patrick Mahomes’ ankle. The Kansas Metropolis quarterback suffered a high-ankle sprain in Saturday’s victory over Jacksonville, left the sport for a stretch, and accomplished it by basically hopping round on one foot.

In the meantime, the Chiefs face a tricky problem towards the defending AFC champion Bengals. Cincinnati beat Kansas Metropolis 3 times within the 2022 calendar yr — within the penultimate sport of the 2021 season, the AFC Championship Game, and in Week 13 this season.

The Bengals superior to the title sport with a 27-10 win at snowy Buffalo, regardless of a cobbled-together Cincinnati offensive line.

Had the Payments gained, the AFC championship would have been performed on a neutral field in Atlanta, and the NFL introduced this week that it already had offered 50,000 tickets to that potential matchup.

“Higher ship these refunds,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow mentioned after Sunday’s victory.

The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (15) fumbles whereas being sacked by the Bengals’ Sam Hubbard (84) within the AFC championship final yr. The Bengals have overwhelmed the Chiefs 3 times in a row.

(Charlie Riedel / Related Press)

The Bengals superior to back-to-back championships for the primary time.

In accordance with ESPN, the Bengals-Chiefs matchup represents the seventh occasion of two groups assembly for the convention title in consecutive seasons, and the primary since Baltimore-New England in 2011-12.

“It’s going to be a enjoyable one,” mentioned Burrow, whose group hasn’t misplaced since falling to Cleveland on Halloween. “Two of the highest guys within the league, two of the highest groups within the league, nice defenses, nice general groups, nice coaches.”