In each of the last three seasons, it’s either been the San Francisco 49ers or the Philadelphia Eagles, so it’s safe to say that the winner of this game could very well land in the Super Bowl this year. That said, the 49ers have the edge, strictly off the fact that the NFC West has been the most difficult division in the NFL. It feels like the NFC’s representative will come from the NFC West division.
With that, too, the Eagles aren’t quite the feared team they were a year ago. Saquon Barkley ran all over NFL teams last year and this year, hasn’t quite been as destructive. Jalen Hurts hasn’t been the typical quarterback that takes over the game, but he’s still found a way to help Philadelphia get the No. 3 seed in the NFL playoffs.
This should be one of the best games in the wild card round of the playoffs – as should most of the NFC matchups – which makes this one hard to read. But it’s clear whoever comes out of this game has a path back to the Super Bowl.
The winner of this game will reach the Super Bowl
Take the division strength out of it for a second. The winner of this game will reach the Super Bowl because they’ll have a much easier path. The winner of this game will have to play the Chicago Bears or the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay fell off toward the end of the year and thanks to injuries aren’t that dangerous team we thought they would be with Micah Parsons coming off the edge.
The Bears are a good football team, but the 49ers and the Eagles have more playoff experience and that will be the difference in the divisional round. Assuming the LA Rams and the Seattle Seahawks play in the divisional round, that’s one less team from the NFC West the 49ers or Eagles would have to play.
The way the playoff bracket is set, this is the easiest path for any playoff team, which is why the winner of this game will have a clear path to the Super Bowl.
Brock Purdy’s moxie will overtake the Philadelphia Eagles as 49ers seek modern era title
Brock Purdy might be one of the swaggiest quarterbacks in the NFL this year. Hitting the eurostep into a slight dougie after throwing one of the best touchdown passes against the Chicago Bears a few weeks back. He’s been a dougie connoisseur of sorts this year and that type of swagger is what franchise quarterbacks should have.
He’s having fun playing football right now and playing relaxed at this point in the year with a lot on the line is a dangerous combination. Though Philadelphia is giving up less than 200 passing yards per game, this just feels like the year the 49ers go on a deep playoff run.
The Eagles will struggle against the 49ers defense
I think the Eagles will struggle early against San Francisco because this has been an offense that looks drastically different without Kellen Moore. As much success as the Eagles have had this year, their offense made this year a lot harder than it needs to be. Robert Saleh is back in San Francisco as the defensive coordinator, and it shouldn’t be a surprise they’re back to their stingy ways.
The controversy around the Eagles specialty play, the Tush Push, makes it feel like their offense took a moral hit and just isn’t the same threat it was. The Eagles will have to turn things around if they want to get past the Niners. They’ll need consistency in both the running and passing game.
Philadelphia is good enough to win in close, low-scoring games, which could work in their favor. But I have a feeling this game won’t work out for the Eagles unless they tap into a high powered version of their offense we haven’t seen yet.