UPDATE [8:08 p.m.] – The NFC Championship rematch will leave the Eagles looking in the mirror.
They got blown out by the 49ers, 42-19, with no second-half comeback to pull through with this time and issues that have plagued the Birds all season are now more glaring than ever.
They're 10-2 now, still atop the NFC, but vulnerable.
Our immediate postgame coverage:
• Final observations: 49ers 42, Eagles 19 (Shamus Clancy)
• Eagles control entire playoff destiny even after loss to 49ers (Evan Macy)
• Eagles get blown out by 49ers – what went wrong? (Nick Tricome)
EARLIER...
In the NFC Championship Game last season, the Philadelphia Eagles kicked the living crap out of the San Francisco 49ers in the trenches for four quarters, winning 31-7 and stamping their ticket to the Super Bowl. In the 10 months that ensued, 49ers players, coaches, front office folks, and fans whined about the events of that game. While nothing will change the outcome of that contest last January, the Niners will hope to avenge their blowout loss to some degree in what is a important game in the NFC playoff picture.
The Eagles listed 12 players on their initial injury report, though the majority of those guys will play. They'll face a mostly healthy San Francisco 49ers team fresh off a mini-bye after having the advantage of playing on Thanksgiving. You can find the Eagles-49ers inactives here.
As we noted in our five matchups to watch, there are a lot strength-on-strength matchups in this game. Both teams run the ball well on offense, and they both do a good job of stopping the run on defense. Both teams have excellent skill position players on offense, and dominant pass rushers on defense. They also both have alarming weaknesses. For the Eagles it's at linebacker. Expect the Niners to attack the middle of the field in the passing game. For the Niners, their weakness is their offensive line. They will desperately try to stay out of long downs/distances so the Eagles pass rush can't tee off on Brock Purdy.
At 10-1, the Eagles are 3-point home underdogs (!). Here are our staff writer picks. Feel free to discuss the game in the comments section below.
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