Stat to know: San Francisco has heavily relied on pre-snap motion to help rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, using it on 73% of his dropbacks, including the playoffs. Purdy has excelled there, ranking fourth in QBR (80.0) and first in yards per attempt (9.2) among passers with at least 100 attempts over the regular and postseasons. But that formula will be tested by the Eagles' pass defense, which has allowed the league's lowest QBR (33.2) and third-lowest yards per attempt (6.3) to opposing quarterbacks on plays with pre-snap motion.
What to know for officiating: Referee John Hussey's regular-season crew threw the third-fewest flags in 2022, including two for roughing the passer and 24 for offensive holding, both the lowest in the NFL. That is good news for both the 49ers and Eagles, who were called for the second- and third-most offensive holding penalties in the league, respectively, during the regular season.
Betting nugget: Purdy is 6-1 against the spread as a starting quarterback, all as a favorite. It ties the fifth-longest favorite streak to begin a career by any quarterback since the 1970 merger (including playoffs). And San Francisco has covered five straight playoff games, the longest active streak by any team.
During the regular season, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the NFL in QBR (73.0) on throws from inside the pocket. And that's where he will likely have to do most of his work against the Bengals considering a high ankle sprain he suffered in the divisional round and his performance against the Bengals in Week 13. In that most recent matchup between these teams, Mahomes had one of his best QBR outings (79.6) from inside the pocket and one of his worst QBR showings (14.0) from outside the pocket. The Bengals are on a 10-game win streak, and both teams are 11-0 when scoring first this season.
Stat to know: Each defense could have its hands full containing the quick passing game. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow (19) and Mahomes (18) rank first and second, respectively, in touchdown passes on throws under 2.5 seconds, including the playoffs. And the Chiefs' after-the-catch ability has stood out, too, especially on Mahomes' quick throws. Kansas City has generated more yards after the catch than any team this season (2,908) and has the third-highest per-catch average of any offense (6.3). Overall, yards after the catch have accounted for 53% of the Chiefs' receiving yards, the second-highest rate in the league. But Cincinnati's defense ranks sixth in limiting after-the-catch production, keeping pass-catchers to just 4.7 yards after the catch per reception.
What to know for officiating: Referee Ron Torbert's regular-season crew averaged 12 flags per game, fifth-fewest in the league. It threw 33 flags for defensive pass interference, illegal contact and defensive holding, the NFL's third-lowest total. That should be of note to the respective defenses as they try to slow Mahomes and Burrow.
Betting nugget: Kansas City is 7-11 against the spread this season, and those 11 ATS losses are the most by any team entering the conference championship round in the Super Bowl era. The Chiefs were also 2-11 against the spread in AFC games this season and 0-4 ATS with more than six days of rest. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is 21-5 against the spread in its past 26 games, including playoffs, and its 13-5 ATS record this season was second-best in the NFL.