Early Super Bowl Picks: Can the 49ers Beat the NFC East to Get There?
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The fun part of the NFL playoffs is that it is just beginning. Here at Gambling.com, we figured let’s twist things up. Offering up a Super Bowl pick after the Super Wild Card Round seemed like an excellent idea.
Now, what happened this weekend was unexpected. The first five matchups featured a little bit of everything. There were blown leads all over the place, teams holding on for dear life, and then a road blowout Monday in Tampa Bay.
This is where it gets tricky. Naturally, we could wait until the Super Bowl, but that’s not sticking our necks out there. Let us quickly look at what is on the horizon, then make that critical pick.
The Three NFC East Teams
You are not wrong if this part feels like something out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles (+160 to win the NFC) are good to excellent teams. Philadelphia has the home-field advantage until the Super Bowl by having the best record in the NFC.
However, the problem is each team has fatal flaws which seem to strike them from the Super Bowl conversation. Yes, Philadelphia and Dallas can make cases of winning the NFC, but can they beat one of those top AFC teams? That remains questionable.
Even Daniel Jones, the quarterback of the New York Giants, can get hot. However, playing teams like Philadelphia and Dallas has not traditionally ended well for him. This is where all the dilemmas start coming up.
Where does one go if one is not going this route?
Cincinnati And Buffalo Is A No, Too
As much as Buffalo would be the feel-good story here, that answer is a no for Cincinnati and Buffalo. Why? We could be wrong, but the two teams play each other two weeks after what happened to Damar Hamlin. Hamlin's recovery is miraculous, but Buffalo is a flawed team.
The same argument can be made for Cincinnati, which won by a mere touchdown against a backup quarterback and banged up the Baltimore Ravens squad. Some say a win is a win, but these teams are not quite the same.
San Francisco Is Our Pick Over Kansas City In The Super Bowl
Again, this is bold. However, why not go for the maximum here? San Francisco possesses one of the most balanced offenses in recent memory to go with a stout defense that ranked tops in the league in points allowed and yards. It has won nine straight games. The 49ers carry a lot of momentum with Brock Purdy as their quarterback.
It does not hurt to have Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey as dual-threat players. They can turn short gains into long plays. They have Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle as threats. The offense is top-five in the NFL.
The numbers are shortening for San Francisco, however. What was around +800 to +1000 even a month ago is now +400 (+140 to win the NFC). Yes, the 49ers are now the slight favorite to win the NFC. Their number could come down into the +300 to +325 range potentially.
For as good as Kansas City is, they have succumbed to teams with solid pass defenses before. See Tampa Bay’s defensive scheme a couple of years back. As incredible as it is, take a shot with San Francisco to get past Dallas, Philadelphia, and Kansas City on their win to a Super Bowl LVII triumph.
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