Niners-Eagles on Wild Card Sunday: What we learned from San Francisco’s 23-19 win

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1. The injury-plagued Niners overcome the defending Super Bowl champions. Kyle Shanahan’s club keeps winning. The Niners continue to play their defense most of the season, watching key players go down week after week. On Sunday, it was world champion George Kittle who sprained his Achilles in the second inning. Even that loss couldn’t bring down the Niners. San Francisco used big plays to puncture the Eagles’ porous defense, including a touchdown pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers defense, up to a number of backups, held together in the clutch, making life difficult for Philly’s herky-jerky offense. Robert Saleh’s stunning manpower kept the Eagles out of the end zone in the second half, forcing four tries. Fittingly, linebacker Eric Kendricks, who was forced into the lineup with an injury, blocked Philly’s last fourth down attempt. No matter who is called up, the 49ers have stepped up to keep their season alive.
2. The Eagles offense goes into the tank once again. The issue that Nick Sirianni’s offense has dealt with all season reared its head once again. The Eagles could never find a consistent rhythm. The defensive unit came out strong, with Saquon Barkley running early as the Eagles racked up 182 yards and 14 points on their first three possessions of the game. Then they lost their rhythm. Philly didn’t get a first down on its next three possessions, allowing the Niners to hang. The Eagles made just two field goals in the second half. Barkley produced 106 rushing yards and added 25 receptions. Dallas Goedert made some big catches and scored two TDs. However, with the passing game disjointed and the run game creating too many plays that went nowhere, the squad was stymied by a cursed defense. Drops, missed passes, penalties all combined for a fruitless day on the track. AJ Brown caught just three passes for 25 yards and couldn’t stop several shots down the field, including a bad drop in the fourth quarter. His future this offseason will be under the microscope.
3. Robinson steps up for the 49ers offense. Playoff production can sometimes come from unlikely places. Demarcus Robinsonwho gained just 276 yards on 22 catches with one TD in 14 games this season, became explosive for the 49ers offense. After earning no games of 45-plus yards this season, Robinson surpassed that on his first catch, going 61 to set up his first-quarter touchdown. The wideout produced six catches for 111 yards and one score. The Niners used splash plays to sting the Eagles, including four passes of 27-plus yards. Christian McCaffrey (15 carries for 48 yards) was stopped on the ground but caught six passes for 66 yards and two TDs. It wasn’t all pretty Brock Purdy and the Niners. From an ineffective ground game to two interceptions to a drop to a misalignment to a wasted layup, when they needed a big play to turn the tide, Shanahan called them and they did better than their counterparts.
4. Mitchell leads the Eagles with two INTs. The Philly defense tried to win the game for the offense. Vic Fangio’s crew held Philly in check for most of the first half after getting possession on the opening drive. On the other hand, a third-and-out was forced to tie the game for Philly and turned the lead over. Quinyon Mitchell then came in and intercepted two Brock Purdy passes in the second half, the second of which allowed Philly to regain the lead in the fourth quarter. However, the Eagles ran out of steam down the stretch, allowing the Niners to march 10 plays for the go-ahead touchdown. After carrying the load most of the season, the Eagles needed some help from the offense in the final frame. They couldn’t have it.
5. Nine men head to Seattle in the league competition. The Niners’ win sets up a rubber match between the division rivals for the right to go to the NFC Championship game. San Francisco opened the season with a 17-13 road win at Seattle. That was before injuries took the Niners down. The Seahawks took the Week 18 rematch to secure the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 sweep of Purdy and the Niners. The NFC West will feature three of the four teams that advanced to the NFC divisional playoffs, with the Rams traveling to Chicago. It marks the second division since realignment to have three teams in the divisional playoff (2022 NFC East).

Next Gen Stats Insight for 49ers-Eagles (via NFL Pro): Eric Kendricks led the 49ers with six stops on 10 tackles (seven solo), including two tackles for loss (both against the run) and a fourth-down pass breakup that sealed the game. Kendricks only missed one tackle the entire game, costing the 49ers just one yard. He did not come off the field on defense, one of four Niners defenders to play all 72 defensive snaps.

NFL Research: Jauan Jennings became the only wide receiver of all time with multiple career playoff touchdowns. Jennings joined Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski (2) as the only non-QBs of all time with multiple passing TDs. Jennings had more completions of 15 yards (1) in the game than Jalen Hurts (0-for-5).