Philadelphia – The San Francisco 49ers found a way to survive adversity and advance, knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles 23–19 in a gritty Wild Card win that featured a bold trick play, a late surge from Christian McCaffrey, and a game-sealing defensive stand. The 49ers now advance to the Divisional Round, setting up a rematch with the Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco set the tone early scoring on opening drive, until George Kittle went down in the second quarter. The game nearly unraveled after Kittle exited with an ankle injury, leaving Brock Purdy without his top target and the offense searching for answers. Kittle was carted off the field with an achillies injury, that was later confirmed a torn achilies.
That knocked the wind out of the offense and the Eagles pounced, with Dallas Goedert scoring twice in the first half, a 1-yard rush and a 9-yard touchdown catch from Jalen Hurts, putting Philly up 13–7. Jason Elliott missed a field goal early but added two more from 41 and 33 yards in the second half, accounting for all of the Eagles points as the 49ers defense held firm the rest of the way.
Everything changed in the fourth quarter. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled a trick play straight from the playbook, stunning the sold-out crowd. Jauan Jennings, who famously threw a touchdown pass in Super Bowl LVIII, did it again, taking a jet sweep toss from Skyy Moore and firing a perfect 29-yard strike to Christian McCaffrey for the touchdown. The play caught Philadelphia off guard and gave the 49ers a 17–16 lead.
The momentum briefly swung back when rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell intercepted Purdy for the second time, a field goal put the eagles up 19–17 but the 49ers refused to fold. Leaning heavily on their running game, McCaffrey, who finally broke free after a quiet first half, marched downfield. Purdy delivered in the biggest moment, firing a 4-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey, his second score of the night, to reclaim the lead at 23–19. Though Eddy Piñeiro missed the extra point, the defense sealed the win with a series of stops in the final minutes.
McCaffrey finished with 66 receiving yards and 48 rushing yards, accounting for two touchdowns and serving as the offensive engine when San Francisco needed it most. What followed was a composed, physical defensive stand that closed the door on Philadelphia and sent the 49ers into the next round.
Battered, tested, and short-handed, the 49ers proved their postseason resolve, and now turn their focus to Seattle, where the road continues.
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
