Even Kyle Shanahan Confused Why 49ers Are Road Favorites Over 10-1 Eagles
Any fans wondering why the San Francisco 49ers enter Sunday's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, who own the NFL 's best record, as road favorites can take comfort in the fact that Kyle Shanahan is just as confused.
"I mean, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I don't really know how that stuff works," the 49ers coach said at his Wednesday press conference. "So, I don't really know why. It is random."
The 49ers (8-3) are three-point favorites over the Eagles (10-1) as of Thursday morning, per Caesars Sportsbook. Several other notable oddsmakers also have San Francisco as a slight favorite for Sunday's game in Philadelphia.
The Eagles are the first 10-1 team to be a home underdog by a field goal or more, with their primary quarterback, in the Super Bowl Era, according to ESPN Bet.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers on November 23, 2023, in Seattle. The 49ers are road favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles this week. Steph Chambers//This rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game features two teams again atop the conference standings. And both franchises are in a rhythm. The 49ers have won three games in a row by an average margin of victory of 20.6 points. The Eagles are on a five-game winning streak, which includes victories over the Miami Dolphins (8-3), Dallas Cowboys (8-3), and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (8-3).
Philly is 27-2 in its last 29 regular-season games with quarterback Jalen Hurts under center and has won the last 11 home games he has started. But head coach Nick Sirianni doesn't seem to mind taking on the underdog label this week. In fact, he says it's fitting.
"Not going to get wrapped into what anybody else thinks of us, whether that's another team, whether that's whoever makes the spreads, or anything like that," Sirianni said at his Wednesday press conference.
"We just worry about going to work for ourselves. I think going into the last year and the year before, no one really thought we would be any good. I think it's OK to be the underdog. I said on the radio the other day, before I ever stepped foot in the city all I knew about this city was Rocky versus Apollo Creed and the city plays the underdog well."
The Eagles certainly delivered a knockout in last season's playoff meeting between the teams.
Both of San Francisco's healthy quarterbacks left the game injured. Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury that hampered his ability to throw, while Josh Johnson sustained a concussion. Running back Christian McCaffrey was forced to take snaps toward the end of a 31-7 Eagles win in Philly. The Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl. And there was certainly no love lost between the two squads.
"Of course, I don't necessarily like what he said," Bradberry said this week, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I wish he would have used a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can do is control my work ethic and what I do day-to-day."
The 49ers and Eagles are the top two favorites in the NFC to make an appearance on Super Bowl Sunday this season. And Sunday's regular-season meeting could finally be the competitive game between conference heavyweights that fans didn't completely see last time around.
But Sirianni is tired of talking about the NFC Championship Game. What's on his mind is a matchup between two of the NFL's best teams at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
"I just know this game is going to be about two good teams coming in here and having a good game," Sirianni said. "I got a lot of respect for the guys over there[...]There are a lot of good players on the San Francisco 49ers, some of [the] best players in the world over there. This is [2023], right? It's not 2022[...]So, this is about the 2023 Eagles versus the 2023 Niners. Both teams are doing well. It's going to be a heck of a battle."
