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A burgeoning rivalry will have its next chapter written on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. when the 49ers (12-5) visit the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
The 49ers settled into the NFC’s No. 6 seed following Sunday’s slate of play. The Eagles, champions of the NFC East, earned the No. 3 seed.
It’s a rematch of the 2022 season’s NFC Championship Game, which the 49ers lost 31-7 after quarterback Brock Purdy tore his UCL early in the first quarter. The 49ers avenged their defeat with a 42-19 romp during the 2023 regular season. Now, the grudge match awaits.
The Eagles share some similarities with the Seattle Seahawks, who stifled the 49ers 13-3 in the game that determined the NFC’s No. 1 seed on Saturday. Seattle (No. 1 in defense-adjusted value over average) has been better than Philadelphia (No. 11 DVOA), but the Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions and play at a slow offensive pace while delivering very rigid defense.
Is this a winnable game for the 49ers? On paper, absolutely — they rank No. 9 in DVOA. But they’ll have to at least partially correct the many issues they faced against Seattle.
Here are grades and snap counts from that ugly defeat:
Quarterback: Brock Purdy (42 snaps)
Game grade:Â C
It’s hard to see any quarterback succeeding under the conditions that Purdy faced on Saturday night. His running game was nonexistent, his wide receivers weren’t downfield threats, and his pass protection was completely overwhelmed.
That’s a formula for certain failure, and Purdy most certainly wasn’t the problem. In fact, he did all he could: Purdy gave the 49ers a chance in leading a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a fateful throw near the goal line to running back Christian McCaffrey.
Running back/fullback: McCaffrey (36), Brian Robinson Jr. (6), Kyle Juszczyk (19)
Game grade: F
In fairness to McCaffrey, Seattle pass rusher Boye Mafe tipped the pass that he dropped — leading to the backbreaking interception. That made the catch more difficult. But if McCaffrey had the same opportunity 100 times, how many would he catch? 97? 98? 99?
That was brutal luck for the 49ers, who were set to make the endgame very, very interesting despite being statistically dominated throughout the entire game.
The more fundamental problem: The 49ers couldn’t run the football despite the fact that the Seahawks played only nickel and dime defense throughout the game. McCaffrey, working without room to run, gained only 23 yards on eight carries. The 49ers’ inability to convert third downs severely minimized his rushing opportunities.
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Wide receiver: Jauan Jennings (37), Demarcus Robinson (37), Kendrick Bourne (22), Skyy Moore (5)
Game grade: F
Ricky Pearsall was a positive hinge point of the 49ers’ Week 1 win at Seattle. He made massive catches to bookend the game on the 49ers’ opening and closing touchdown drives.
But this time, the 49ers were without Pearsall’s space-making presence – and it seemed that his absence, spurred by his troubling knee injury, might’ve caught them by surprise. Pearsall did practice throughout the entire week after playing a key role in the 49ers’ victory over the Chicago Bears.
It’s hard to see the 49ers consistently spacing out the Eagles, whose defense ranks No. 6 in DVOA, without Pearsall. Their margin at receiver was already razor-thin following the defection of Brandon Aiyuk, so there’s a huge spotlight on Pearsall. Let’s see if he plays in Philadelphia.
Tight end:Â George Kittle (40), Luke Farrell (8)
Game grade: C
No offensive snaps for Jake Tonges the week after he was an instrumental piece filling in for Kittle against Chicago? It seemed that Saturday, given the 49ers’ receiver shortage minus Pearsall and Aiyuk, would’ve been an ideal time for coach Kyle Shanahan to dabble in sets with two receiving tight ends.
Perhaps Pearsall’s availability at practice made the 49ers’ game plan inflexibly receiver-dependent. There are finite reps to go around at practice, and the snaps that Pearsall got might’ve taken multi-tight end opportunities away from Tonges. And that could’ve compromised the 49ers on game day. (That’s all just a theory, but it’s worth examining because a heavier tight end reliance might be a 49ers’ ticket to success in Philadelphia.)
Offensive line:Â Austen Pleasants (42), Spencer Burford (42), Jake Brendel (42), Dominick Puni (42), Colton McKivitz (42)
Game grade: F
It was a lousy day for a front that had been playing excellent football leading into this game. That can happen when a monstrous defensive line waltzes into town, especially with Trent Williams unavailable to anchor left tackle.
It’s apparent that Williams’ presence had masked some of Burford’s deficiencies at left guard. The 49ers can use the big fella back, as they absolutely cannot afford a reprisal of Saturday’s miserable night up front.
Defensive line:Â Bryce Huff (30), Sam Okuayinonu (37), Keion White (39), Kalia Davis (25), Alfred Collins (30), Jordan Elliott (28), CJ West (31), Clelin Ferrell (28), Yetur Gross-Matos (29)
Game grade: B
The 49ers generated much more pressure than they typically have over the course of this season. That was a big part of holding the Seahawks to only 13 points. White and Okuayinonu both delivered four pressures and Huff notched three.
This was a solid performance from Kris Kocurek’s defensive front; the crux of the 49ers’ defensive issues instead came in the back seven.
Linebackers: Tatum Bethune (53), Dee Winters (29), Eric Kendricks (36), Garret Wallow (40), Luke Gifford (1)
Game grade: D
Bethune (groin), Winters (ankle), and Gifford (quad) all exited with injuries, leaving the 49ers with Kendricks and Wallow as their two primary linebackers to close the game. It’s not like they lost any stellar play, though, as Bethune and Winters had combined to miss seven tackles. Bethune was also victimized for six catches and 78 yards in coverage.
The proof of struggle is also in the pudding of Seattle’s final run stats: The Seahawks racked up 180 yards on the ground, including a third-and-17 conversation that was downright embarrassing for the 49ers defense. Bethune missed a tackle on that Kenneth Walker III run.
Safeties: Ji’Ayir Brown (69), Malik Mustapha (69), Jason Pinnock (22)
Game grade: D-
The 49ers figure to be prominent players in free agency this offseason and they may feel compelled to invest in the safety position. Mustapha and Brown combined to miss five tackles and all of the whiffs seemed critical. Brown was also unable to shed the block of a tight end on Zach Charbonnet’s touchdown run, which culminated with — you might have guessed it — a Mustapha missed tackle.
Cornerbacks:Â Deommodore Lenoir (68), Renardo Green (68), Upton Stout (27)
Game grade: B-
So much for all the Lenoir vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba talk. Darnold targeted his top wideout only once with Lenoir in coverage; he coaxed a pass interference flag. But Lenoir didn’t allow a single reception to Smith-Njigba. He gave up only one two-yard catch to Rashid Shaheed.
Green was the bigger issue for the 49ers. He allowed five catches for 58 yards and couldn’t avoid penalty flags.
The best news for the 49ers on the evening came through Stout, the blossoming rookie who was their top defensive player on the night. Stout, a tackling missile, played well within himself and also delivered good coverage, allowing only two receiving yards. Playoff experience should be invaluable for him.
Special teams grade: B+
The Seahawks boasted the league’s No. 1 special teams unit entering the game but missed two field goals, giving the 49ers’ No. 2 unit the win in the Special Teams Bowl.
Alas, the 49ers would’ve much rather won the actual game. And unfortunately for them, they lost in both other phases.
The good news: A chance for atonement is coming in Philadelphia on Sunday. And if the 49ers can win that game, they may have another shot at the Seahawks in the divisional round.