The NFC Championship Game’s weakest links

McGlinchey is a solid run blocker, but against the pass, he gets tossed around like a rag doll — literally. The ninth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has been such a disappointment, San Francisco may not have the will to pay him when he enters free agency this offseason, which means the NFC Title Game could be his final game in scarlet and gold. Hasson Reddick led the Niners this year with 16 sacks coming off the edge. McGlinchey could be in for a long day.

The Eagles have come a long way from citizens catching babies thrown from burning buildings, and mocking Nelson Agholor in the local news. The caliber of receiver Jalen Hurts is throwing to exposes the most glaring matchup advantage of this otherwise evenly-yoked showdown.

San Fran ranked 24th in DVOA against deep passes and on throws 25 yards or more downfield ranked 29th in QBR, 30th in yards per attempt, and 29th in completion percentage. The Eagles’ offense ranks first in each of those categories. Ward was slow-roasted by DK Metcalf in the Super Wild Card round. Fred Warner does divine coverage work as San Francisco’s seamstress on intermediate routes, but defending deep routes might leave Charred Ward primed and seasoned on a platter.

Don’t mean to pick on the corners, but there’s a draft blowing through the open hole at cornerback. Since Emmanuel Moseley’s season-ending ACL injury, Lenoir has been sour and sweet, Jekyll and Hyde, or whichever analogy you can conjure up to describe his inconsistency.

The last two weeks, he’s picked off Geno Smith and Dak Prescott, but also he’s been picked on. Sunday will be a test of whether his hot streak is permanent or ephemeral.

The Eagles are as close to a vacuum-sealed unit as there is. The holes are hard to find. However, linebacker Kyzir White’s dinky pass coverage has made him an easy pincushion for offensive coordinators.

This week, he won’t be responsible for blanketing just any receiver. George Kittle is a top-three tight end and in a more freewheeling system, he’d be putting up Travis Kelce numbers.

The 49ers’ defense finished the NFL season second in yards per carry and total rushing yards allowed. As daunting as that sounds for the Eagles’ top-ranked rushing offense, San Francisco does have strategic weaknesses that can be exploited. The Niners’ offensive line has an All-Pro plug on one end and a mouse hole on the other. The same applies to their defensive line where Omenihu — who will be available to play after his arrest — lines up on the right end.

According to Football Outsiders per the Philly Sports Network, running backs gain an average of fewer than three yards per carry when rushing towards the left tackle, which is the second-best in the NFL. Unfortunately, cloning Nick Bosa isn’t as easy as cloning Damar Hamlin apparently is (kidding, of course). San Francisco has the will, but sadly the resources are unavailable. On rushes outside the right tackle, that number increases to 5.5 yards a carry, the 27th-best average on rushings in the NFL. Look for designed runs for Hurts to flow away from Bosa to become a point of emphasis for Philadelphia.