Eagles vs. 49ers predictions: Rounding up the experts’ NFC championship picks

The Birds may be favored to advance to the Super Bowl, but when it comes to picking sides in Sunday's NFC championship, there are almost as many people picking the Niners — at least nationally.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs with the football past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa during a 2021 meeting between the two teams.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

by Matt Mullin

Published Jan. 28, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

It’s almost here. The NFC championship. And the Eagles, who are now just one win from a trip to Super Bowl LVII, aren’t just playing in the game — they’re hosting it.

Although there was optimism surrounding this Eagles team heading into the season, not many thought they’d be this good. Well, except for maybe Inquirer beat writer Josh Tolentino, who predicted prior to the season that the Birds would reach the Super Bowl. (We see you, Josh.)

It’s hardly an overstatement to say the Eagles surpassed preseason expectations this season. But expectations change. And now, as the No. 1 seed and a home favorite against the 49ers in the NFC championship, a loss would be devastating — even if making it this far would’ve been considered a success had you asked most fans prior to the season.

But when you enter championship Sunday as the favorite to win the Super Bowl, anything less is a disappointment.

So who are the football experts — both locally and nationally — picking to win on Sunday? Here’s a roundup of their predictions, starting right here with our own beat writers ...

Inquirer beat writer predictions

Just like in the divisional round against the Giants, all three of our Eagles beat writers are backing the Birds this weekend. The main difference this time? All three see a close game. Since Josh Tolentino picked the Eagles to make the Super Bowl before the season even started, we’ll give him the honor of explaining a bit more about why he’s picking the Eagles to win on Sunday.

Ultimately, [Jalen] Hurts will have another opportunity to prove why he is a finalist for NFL MVP at just 24 years old. His decision-making against a disciplined and aggressive [DeMeco] Ryans-led defense will be a key factor to Sunday’s outcome. If Hurts doesn’t become fazed by the defense’s pre-snap looks, and he can quickly identify through the opposition’s zone coverages, he should provide the Eagles with an excellent opportunity at clinching their second conference title in five years.

Prediction: Eagles 27, 49ers 24

Josh Tolentino

To see more of the reason behind Josh’s pick, as well as why Jeff McLane and EJ Smith believe the Eagles are headed to the Super Bowl, click here.

National media predictions

Here’s a look at what football analysts around the country have to say about this NFC championship matchup between the Eagles and 49ers ...

· ESPN.com: Of the four experts who have made picks so far, it’s an even split. They’re equally split on the AFC championship (Bengals vs. Chiefs) as well.

· NFL.com: Gregg Rosenthal has been riding with the Eagles most of the season, and that continues this week, with him picking the Birds to advance to the Super Bowl.

· CBS Sports: Seven of their eight experts are predicting an Eagles’ win. And when it comes to the spread, five think they’ll cover the 2.5-point spread.

· Sports Illustrated: After all five picked the Eagles a week ago, just two think the Birds will beat the 49ers on Sunday.

· Yahoo! Sports: Frank Schwab only picks against the spread, but we also know who he’s picking to win, as he thinks the Eagles cover the spread and head to the Super Bowl.

· The Athletic: A typically Eagles-heavy Athletic staff is a little more divided this week, with just six of their 10 writers picking the Birds.

· USA TODAY: Their writers are split right down the middle, with three taking the Eagles and three taking the Niners.

· Pro Football Talk: Mike Florio, who picked against the Eagles last week, actually has them winning and moving on to the Super Bowl. Michael David Smith, on the other hand, has the 49ers winning in a close one.

· Bleacher Report: Just three of their seven writers are picking the Eagles.

· Sporting News: Over at The Sporting News, Bill Bender is taking the 49ers over the Eagles.

Local media predictions

Who knows a team better than the experts who follow them day in and day out? Let’s take a look at who the local writers are picking ...

· Bleeding Green Nation: All six Eagles writers at BGN have the Birds reaching the Super Bowl.

· PhillyVoice: Six of their seven writers are taking the Eagles.

· NJ.com: All five of their writers are picking the Birds.

· Delaware Online: Nine of the 10 writers they have making picks are going with the Eagles.