Niners Nation
Somehow, some way, the San Francisco 49ers are moving on to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
Despite key mistakes, another devastating injury, and the second-half incompetence of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, the 49ers held on for a 23-19 victory to survive and advance and take on the Seattle Seahawks next week.
There were plenty of heroes on both sides of the ball for the 49ers on Sunday, but only three can earn a star. Here are the three that earned the top honors for the upset in Philadelphia:
Third star: LB Eric Kendricks
The defense as a whole is deserving of a star, but Kendricks is the player who slides into the slot and is the unit’s standout performer.
After making spot appearances on the 49ers’ defense over the past several games, Kendricks was thrown into the starting lineup due to injuries to Dee Winters and Luke Gifford, and the veteran came up big. He finished Sunday with 10 tackles, a pair of tackles for loss, and the game-sealing pass breakup.
Both of Kendricks’ tackles for loss came on drives that ended in points, but were important nonetheless. His first came in the second quarter, stopping a Saquon Barkley run for a loss of two yards to set up a third-and-5. Philadelphia was unable to convert the third down, but would score a touchdown on the fourth down to go up 13-7.
His next tackle for a loss came with Philadelphia in plus-territory in the third quarter. The Eagles gave Tank Bigsby a first-down carry, and Kendricks was able to break through the line to stop the play for a loss of one. While the Eagles were able to get a first down to extend the drive, it ended with a Jake Elliott 41-yard field goal to extend their lead to six, keeping the 49ers within one score.
Kendrick’s play of the game would be the play that sent the Eagles home. With Philadelphia facing a fourth-and-11 where a stop would end the game, Jalen Hurts would drop back and fire a pass to the heavily-covered Dallas Goedert. Kendricks had a fantastic read the whole way, getting in between the ball and the tight end and nearly coming up with an interception. While the pass wasn’t picked, Kendricks interference was enough to force an incomplete pass and seal a 49ers win.
The defense is deserving of the star, but Kendricks was such a standout that he earns his first star of the season. With all the injuries on the defense, his game on Sunday could not have come at a better time.
Second star: WR Demarcus Robinson
No Brandon Aiyuk. No Ricky Pearsall. George Kittle was lost in the second quarter. But thank god the 49ers had Demarcus Robinson.
After his first reception, Robinson set a new season-high in receiving yards and still had 59 and a half minutes to improve on it, and he did just that. When the game was finished, Robinson finished with 111 receiving...
