The NFC East champion Eagles (11-6) return to the NFL playoffs as the division’s third seed and will face the rival 49ers (12-5) at Lincoln Financial Field in what should be a high-energy, high-scoring game.
The Eagles have the best record in the NFL (including playoffs) since the start of 2022 (56-20), and they are must-see television. The NFL broadcast team on FOX will be in attendance as Philadelphia acquires the late Sunday afternoon slot.
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As kickoff approaches, we’ll look at three keys to the Philadelphia defense versus the 49ers offense.
Destabilizing the 49ers offense
The 49ers have won 12 games this season and have one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses (2nd in DVOA, 8th in EPA/game, and 4th in completion percentage). Pressure breaks the pipeline, and the Eagles are as good as any team in the NFL at putting pressure on the quarterback. The Eagles have held opponents to the league’s lowest completion rate (56.8%), their best numbers since 2008 (54.1%). Philadelphia has the best passer rating in the NFL Second-worst in the NFL (75.4) (the Eagles’ best mark since allowing a 72.9 passer rating in 2008), behind the Los Angeles Chargers (75.0), who had a 58.1 third/fourth passer rating and a 64.6 red zone rating, both firsts in the NFL.
Keep San Francisco under 35 rushing attempts
Mike Shanahan likes to refer to “40” games, and Sunday fit the bill. With Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Gallendo and linebacker Kyle Juszczyk, Shanahan is expected to go 35-40 with the rushing attack. With a woefully inadequate defense, San Francisco may be tempted to take the air out of the football.
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Christian McCaffrey’s account
Christian McCaffrey is still a workhorse running back and just finished second in the league in rushing (311), but his yards per attempt is the lowest of his career (-0.5). The 49ers want and need to build up their ground game to take advantage of play action, which means Sunday will be a huge opportunity for the Eagles’ linebacker trio.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles vs. 49ers: 3 keys to Philadelphia’s defense in wild-card round
