The 49ers and Eagles have both had challenging seasons.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, but it hasn’t seemed that way for most of the season.
This season has been frustrating for the Eagles, particularly on offense. They have had long stretches of poor play, whether it’s Jalen Hurts generating little in the passing game or Saquon Barkley going from 2,005 rushing yards last season to 1,140 this season in the same amount of games played. There has been never-ending drama with the Eagles as they have struggled to replicate their success of last season.
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t exactly had the easiest season either. Injuries have been a constant story, even though the 49ers overcame them to finish with 12 wins. They had a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC in Week 18, which is remarkable even though they lost that game to the Seahawks.
Both teams have had their challenges this season, but can start anew in the postseason.
Previous meeting this season
The Eagles and 49ers haven’t faced off since the 2023 season. The 49ers won the regular-season meeting that year but the Eagles won a rematch in the NFC championship game when San Francisco suffered multiple quarterback injuries.
Health update
The 49ers got some rare good news on the injury front when offensive tackle Trent Williams returned to practice on Thursday. He missed almost all of a Week 17 game and all of Week 18 with a hamstring injury. The Eagles are expected to get their star offensive tackle back too, as Lane Johnson has returned to practice from a foot injury. The 49ers’ news wasn’t all good though; linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. Linebacker Dee Winters and receiver Ricky Pearsall also missed the first two practices of the week.
The head coaches
Nick Sirianni is the coach in this game with a Super Bowl ring, but he’s under a lot more heat than his opponent this week. The Eagles have had an uneven season and Sirianni has been criticized plenty during it. Kyle Shanahan has done a remarkable job keeping the 49ers afloat through injuries. His offense was particularly strong in December when it averaged 42.3 points per game.
Key player for the 49ers
In Week 16, tight end George Kittle suffered an ankle injury. He missed the following game and had just 29 yards in Week 18. The Seahawks defense played a role in that, but it’s worth wondering how healthy Kittle is. The 49ers need him. Christian McCaffrey will have as many touches as he wants, Brock Purdy needs to rebound from a poor Week 18, Jauan Jennings has had a good season, but it’s Kittle that makes a huge difference in the offense. The Eagles defense is good against opposing tight ends (and practically everyone else) but Kittle is a special player. If he can have a big game it increases San Francisco’s shot at an upset.
Key player for the Eagles
Jalen Carter might be the most disruptive defensive tackle in the NFL. But he hasn’t been healthy for a while. He had a procedure on his shoulder in December. Carter has played just once since Nov. 28, but maybe a week off in the regular-season finale will help. He was limited in practice this week with a hip injury. If Carter is healthy, or close, he can tip the game in Philadelphia’s favor.
Prediction
The 49ers have had a great season considering their injuries. A 13-3 loss to the Seahawks might have been a warning sign, however. The 49ers were overmatched in that game. Now they go on the road and face an Eagles team that rested in Week 18 and despite their flaws, still have a talented roster and a top-end defense. Philadelphia also might get more offense than usual against a 49ers defense that has been susceptible ever since losing Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to injuries. This seems like a tough matchup for the 49ers.
Eagles 20, 49ers 14
Category: General Sports
