Niner Noise
FanSided

Christian McCaffrey represents 49ers’ path to upsetting Eagles in NFC Championship

By Iain MacMillan

January 1, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) reacts after getting first down against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) reacts after getting first down against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The San Francisco 49ers are set as underdogs in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

They’re small underdogs, getting 2.5-points on the spread, but underdogs nonetheless.

So, if they want to upset the Eagles and advance to Super Bowl 57, Kyle Shanahan needs to cook up a smart game plan and strategy. In my opinion, that game plan should revolve around their star running back, Christian McCaffrey.

If you agree with me, then you may be interesting to hear about my favorite player prop for the game, which is for CMC to gained AT LEAST 91.5 rushing and receiving yards COMBINED.

Christian McCaffrey primed for huge performance at NFC Championship

The way to beat the Eagles certainly isn’t throwing the ball. The Philadelphia defense ranks first in opponent yards per pass attempt, giving up only 5.4 yards per throw, and first in sack percentage, taking down the opposing quarterback on 11.4% of their drop backs.

The weakness of the Eagles defense is their ability (or inability) to stop the run. They rank 21st in the NFL in rush defense DVOA and 24th in opponent yards per carry, giving up 4.7 yards per rush.

That means, if the 49ers want to remain competitive, running the ball is the way to do it.

McCaffrey is averaging 67.8 rushing yards per game since joining the 49ers, but we also know he gets involved in the passing game as well, averaging 42.2 receiving yards per game.

Some quick math tells us he’s averaging 110 rushing and receiving yards per game, yet his set total for this game is only 91.5? That’s borderline offensive.

We’ve already seen CMC torch the Seattle Seahawks on the ground this postseason, averaging 7.93 yards per carry for 119 total rushing yards. If he gets even close to that number, this bet is going to hit.

And for the sake of 49ers fans, they better hope he does or San Francisco could be in trouble on Sunday.

–

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/Betting Content