ClutchPoints
For the fifth-straight season, Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles will be returning to the playoffs in the pursuit of their third Super Bowl in four years.
While some parts of their last two Super Bowl appearances remain intact, including Sriainni, Jalen Hurts, and other stalwarts like Lane Johnson, AJ Brown, and Brandon Graham – even if he tried to retire earlier last season – the Birds have had to say goodbye to multiple key members of their last two runs both on the field and in the booth, with players like Josh Sweat, Jason Kelce, and Milton Williams joining Jonathan Gannon, Shane Stechian, and Kellen Moore on the team’s proverbial alumni page.
Fortunately, while the regular season wasn’t too kind to Philadelphia, with the team taking a step back both on offense and in the standings, in the end, they sit firmly in the third seed and will welcome their cross-country rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, for another playoff showdown.
On one hand, there are few coaches as experienced as Kyle Shanahan in the NFC Playoff picture, with the legacy head coach having taken his team to the postseason four times during his nine-year tenure with the 49ers. Shanahan’s offense has looked great regardless of whether Brock Purdy or Mac Jones was under center, and their defense has stepped up with Robert Saleh returning as the team’s defensive coordinator, even if he could be one-and-done based on his interest on the head coaching market.
And yet, the 49ers are also one of the most injured teams in the NFL, with star players like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams all on IR while Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Trent Williams have all been working through issues that could leave them diminished even if they play against Philadelphia in Week 19.
Will this game be an easy win for Philadelphia? No, unless there’s a fourth seed involved, very few playoff games ever are. But with all things considered, this is a very good matchup for the Eagles, as they have a defense that can limit even the best opposing offenses and enough firepower to punch their ticket to the divisional round.
As things presently stand, the 49ers have one of the worst secondaries in the playoffs.
According to Pro Football Focus, the team only has one defensive back, Malik Mustapha, with a defensive grade in the top-50 for his position, with the team’s three main cornerbacks, Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout, all struggling to keep with their guy in both man and zone coverage. They’ve allowed the 25th most passing yards, 3,951, and 21st most passing touchdowns (29) of any team in the NFL during the regular season, and some of those games featured a much more formidable pass rush than the team sports today, after injuries have decimated their front seven.
Could the Eagles go all-in on attacking the 49ers’ secondary? Potentially so,...
