49ers-Eagles preview: What to know as NFC powers meet again
SANTA CLARA – Once again, it’s the NFC’s top two teams meeting up Sunday when the Eagles host the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.
An immediate Super Bowl berth is not on the line this time, however.
Last season’s NFC Championship Game saw the top-seeded Eagles win 31-7 against the No. 2-seeded 49ers, who ran out of healthy quarterbacks after Brock Purdy’s first-series elbow injury and backup Josh Johnson’s third-quarter concussion.
“Obviously a lot of people are looking forward to it because of how last year ended,” left tackle Trent Williams said last Thursday . “But last year has nothing to do with (this) week. It’s still just one game for us to go 1-0.
“It’ll be another tough environment, just like it was (in Seattle).”
The 49ers (8-3) took a two-game lead atop the NFC West by virtue of Thursday night’s 31-13 win over the host Seahawks (6-5).
The Eagles (10-1) maintained a two-game lead in the conference standings Sunday with a rain-soaked, 37-34 home win in overtime against the Buffalo Bills.
THIS WEEK’S TOP STORYLINES
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts produced five touchdowns, including a walk-off 12-yard scoring run, to offset his two turnovers Sunday. The 49ers counter with Brock Purdy , whose repaired elbow has him leading the NFL in passer rating (112.3), yards per attempt (9.4) and completion percentage (70.2). Which quarterback will produce more positive plays, fewer turnovers and still-premature MVP chatter?
Working overtime for Sunday’s win required the Eagles defense to play 92 snaps. Obviously, fatigue will be an issue against a 49ers team that enjoyed a three-day weekend of rest and recovery after Thursday’s game. Also of note will be Philadelphia’s injury issues: Right tackle Lane Johnson and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox both have groin injuries; Johnson was scratched before Sunday’s kickoff and Cox got hurt before halftime.
Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk aren’t the only 49ers who feel they didn’t get a fair shot against the Eagles last time once Purdy was injured on the first series. But the harsh words Samuel and Aiyuk had for the Eagles after that game will be rehashed this week.
The 49ers’ defensive front has come on strong during the current three-game win streak. The Eagles had the NFL’s best front last season. Who has the edge now?
The 49ers are grabbing early leads en route to victories; opening-series touchdowns in 7-of-11 games and an NFL-best 52 points on first possessions. The Eagles are winning after early deficits; their past four wins came after halftime deficits against Washington (17-10), Dallas (17-14), Kansas City (17-7) and Buffalo (17-14). The moral of the story: If the 49ers score 17 in the first half, it ain’t over.
LAST MEETING
The Eagles won the NFC Championship 31-7 on Jan. 29. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, after the 49ers failed to challenge a 29-yard, fourth-down catch/drop by DeVonta Smith at the 6-yard line. Six snaps into the 49ers’ ensuing drive, Brock Purdy took a snap from midfield and had his right arm struck by edge rusher Haason Reddick, who raced past backup tight end Tyler Kroft; Purdy’s ulnar collateral ligament was torn and the Eagles recovered the fumble.
Christian McCaffrey’s tackle-breaking 23-yard touchdown run pulled the 49ers even at 7, but two Eagles touchdowns surrounded a Josh Johnson fumble in the final two minutes before halftime. Johnson sustained a concussion in the third quarter, and with Jimmy Garoppolo inactive because of a 7-week-old foot fracture, the 49ers briefly tried McCaffrey at quarterback before an injured Purdy returned (and somehow completed 3- and 1-yard passes). Hurts scored the Eagles’ fourth touchdown on a 1-yard run.
SERIES HISTORY
The 49ers lead 21-14-1, their last win coming in their last regular-season visit to Philadelphia ( 17-11 on Sept. 19, 2021 ).
BULLETIN BOARD
“It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying, a lot of ‘What if,’ a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that (bleep) up and prove it again,” — Eagles pass rusher Hasson Reddick to Philadelphia sports radio 94-WIP.
A 40 percent chance of rain is forecast with temperatures near 50 degrees, according to weather.com. The Eagles played Sunday throughout constant rain, making for potentially suspect field conditions.
BETTING LINE
The Eagles (10-1) are home underdogs? That is how the early odds have it, with the 49ers installed as 1 1⁄2- to 2-point favorites, according to VegasInsider.com, with an over/under set at 46 points.
Prediction:
