Niners Nation
The 49ers are clear underdogs for their wild-card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, despite a hugely impressive 12-win season.
San Francisco has not played a playoff game against Philadelphia since the 2022 season, when an injury to Brock Purdy ended their hopes in the NFC Championship Game.
Much has changed since that defeat, and the 49ers got a measure of revenge with a blowout win in Philadelphia in the subsequent season en route to the Super Bowl.
But, as the 49ers aim to upset the odds and make amends for that disappointment at Lincoln Financial Field, I checked in with Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to get the Eagles’ perspective on Sunday’s matchup.
1 – How are Eagles fans feeling heading into this matchup? What’s the level of confidence around the Eagles repeating as champions?
Eagles fans are feeling pretty excited for this game. It’s the start of a postseason effort to repeat as Super Bowl champions. It’s a matchup against a team the Eagles haven’t seen since 2023, one that obviously went in the 49ers’ favor.
I don’t think Eagles fans could be more confident about the defense. Vic Fangio’s group has clearly earned the benefit of the doubt. That unit just might dominant enough to help carry an underwhelming offense to another title.
Some seem to be holding out the hope that the offense can “flip the switch” in the playoffs. I’m pretty skeptical about that happening; it would shock me if the offense was suddenly on fire. But there is reason to believe it can somewhat improve from what we’ve seen for most of the season. It seems like Lane Johnson might be returning this weekend. Jalen Hurts is the healthiest he’s ever been entering the playoffs and he’s been a postseason riser. The Eagles should be fresh after resting most starters in Week 18.
Further, there isn’t a team in the playoffs that appears to be so great that the Eagles have zero chance of beating them. That’s not to say there aren’t better playoff teams than the Eagles; there definitely are. I’m especially high on the Los Angeles Rams. But my biggest concern entering the playoffs is the Eagles beating themselves as opposed to them just getting dominated by an opponent.
2 – The weakness of the 49er defense offers a clear opportunity for the Eagles to get their offense going. What do they need to do to put their struggles on that side of the ball behind them?
Actually trying to take advantage of the 49ers’ apparent weaknesses would be a good start. In Week 13, the Eagles faced a Chicago Bears defense that was missing four of their top five off-ball linebackers. And yet somehow Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert only saw four targets in that game for just two receptions. Saquon Barkley also only had 13 carries. So, I think it’d be good for the Eagles to try to not outsmart themselves this time and attack the 49ers’ depleted...
