Crossing Broad
We’ve turned the page from Sunday’s loss and we’re moving on from Tanner McKee talk and the unending arguments over whether or not Nick Sirianni made the right decision to rest the starters in Week 18.
Now begins the postseason, with a visit from the 12-5 San Francisco 49ers.
The two key matchups defining this game are so obvious that they jump off the page and smack you right across the face:
Birds fans are in consensus that if the team goes on a repeat Super Bowl run, it will be because of Vic Fangio’s defense, specifically a defensive backfield that finished top 10 in almost every meaningful statistical category.
This is a unit that allowed a 56.8 completion rate to opposing quarterbacks, which is the lowest in the NFL. It conceded a league-low 14 touchdown passes and a 75.4 passer rating, which was second-lowest. They conceded 189.8 passing yards per game (8th fewest) and just 309 completions all season long (4th fewest)
On the flipside, San Fran’s passing offense was just as good. Between Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, the Niners logged:
Notable is that Purdy and Jones did throw 16 interceptions this year, which was sixth-most. They also fumbled the ball seven times. That’s why their -6 turnover differential is 26th out of 32 teams. The Eagles weren’t a ball hawking team as much as they tackled and covered well, but 12 picks and 9 fumble recoveries were both in the top half for takeaways, so there’s the potential here for a key turnover to swing the game.
San Francisco’s yards-per-attempt and yards-per-completion aren’t particularly high, but that’s a number skewed because of Christian McCaffrey’s heavy receiving volume. He caught 102 of his 129 targets for an average of 2.0 air yards per attempt. That resulted in 720 yards after catch, which was second only to Bijan Robinson in 2025.
So the key there is pretty obvious. Fly to the ball and make these open field tackles to limit McCaffrey’s damage. Stay disciplined and focused when Kyle Shanahan comes out with his typical backfield motion and misdirection. Seattle did a good job of this while pressuring Purdy and forcing him out of the pocket in Week 18, which sped up the San Fran offense and kept them out of sorts.
The rest of the Niners’ skill players are just okay. Jauan Jennings caught 55 passes for 643 yards and nine touchdowns. Kendrick Bourne and Ricky Pearsall were 500-yard players. George Kittle is George Kittle and the other tight end, Jake Tonges, caught five TD passes, but there’s no Puca Nacua or Jaxon Smith-Njigba on this team. There’s no George Pickens or Ja’Marr Chase. You have to feel really good about the overall matchup with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper...
