National Football League

Cowherd picks AFC, NFC Championship Games in 'Blazin' 2' roundup

Published Jan. 27, 2023 8:40 p.m. ET

There are only three games remaining in the NFL postseason as we've reached NFL championship Sunday.

That isn't stopping Colin Cowherd from making his picks though. On Friday's airing of "The Herd," Cowherd shared his conference championship picks in his latest "Blazin' 2" roundup.

Here are Cowherd's picks, with odds via FOX Bet.

Cowherd makes his conference championship picks

Colin Cowherd shares his AFC and NFC Championship picks ahead of Sunday's games on "The Herd."

No. 2 San Francisco 49ers at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports App)

Cowherd's pick, score prediction: Eagles -2.5, Eagles win 28-23

Cowherd's thoughts: "Youngest quarterback matchup in conference championship game history — Jalen Hurts at 24 and Brock Purdy at 23. I'm going to take the Eagles at -2.5 and here's why: They've got the better offensive line, No. 1 in the league. Right tackle Lane Johnson and center Jason Kelce didn't allow a sack all year. That tells me that despite Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, Hurts will have a little more of a comfortable pocket.

"The Eagles' defense is also No. 1 up front and on the backend. Jalen Hurts, I know what he gives me. In his last 20 starts, he's 18-2 and he's going to complete 65% of his passes and his passer rating is around 100. Those are very consistent numbers in his last 20 starts. I know exactly what I'm getting. Good teams, bad teams it doesn't matter.

"The Niners worry me. The O-line could really struggle against the Eagles' front. The Niners only scored one touchdown in their divisional-round game against the Cowboys. They're giving up points as well — nine red zone trips and only four touchdowns. They're settling too often for field goals.

"The Niners' defense has also been vulnerable over the top. They've allowed 13 40-plus plays this season, which is the third most in the league if you include the playoffs. I think the more comfortable, experienced quarterback at home wins a close game. I think they hit on a few more deep balls and big plays. I think it's eye candy and a lot of fun to watch."

No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Cowherd's pick, score prediction: Bengals +1.5, Bengals win 26-24

Cowherd's thoughts: "Bengals are on a 10-game winning streak and Joe Burrow is on fire. They have 13 consecutive wins in December and January. The biggest star in the game on the perimeter? The Bengals have it. Ja'Marr Chase has nine touchdowns in his last nine games. In fact, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have eaten the Chiefs up. They've combined for over 200 yards per game in their last three games against Kansas City.

"The Chiefs' defense is vulnerable in the backend. They allowed the most touchdown passes in the league this year. Remember when they had Charvarius Ward? He's now a Niner. That's what happens when you pay your quarterback a fortune.

"Also, after suffering the ankle injury last week, Patrick Mahomes did not complete a pass or attempt a pass outside the pocket. Now, Mahomes from outside the pocket is the best quarterback in the league and maybe by a stretch. He's No. 1 in pass attempts, completions and passing yards in that regard. When you force him to stay in the pocket, he's still good. He's still really good. But he's not spectacular.

"I'm going to with the big-play ability of Ja'Marr Chase, the better backend … nobody has a better second-half defense."

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