History of Every Eagles-49ers Playoff Game

When the Eagles and 49ers meet in the playoffs, the games don’t turn on emotion or noise; they turn on whether one side can impose its game on the other and let pressure and leverage do the work, and that’s why this matchup feels familiar even though the rosters have changed.

I was shocked that these teams have only crossed paths twice in the postseason — so shocked that I had to triple check; once in 1996 at Candlestick Park when a limited Eagles offense got swallowed by the uber talented San Francisco defense, and once in the 2022 NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field, when the Eagles absolutely dominated the 49ers early, knocked out both active San Francisco quarterbacks, and from there, the 49ers never recovered. Both games followed the same rule of January football, which is that once one side loses its ability to protect the quarterback and the football cleanly, the game gets away from them quickly.

The two matchups of these teams are a unique story that has one common theme: the healthier team wins. In this case, on Sunday, the Eagles will have a huge advantage if history repeats itself.

Let’s take a look back at the two previous playoff matchups between the Eagles and the 49ers:

1996 Wild Card: 49ers 14, Eagles 0

From the opening quarter, it became clear that the field, the weather, the personnel mismatches, and defense would be the determining factors of this game. The 49ers forced the Eagles to play a version of football they were not built to play, especially on the road at messy Candlestick Park, where the 49ers not only knew how to play in the horrible conditions, but the huge difference in personnel made the game never truly feel close.

Ray Rhodes’ Eagles squad came in riding a defense that had carried them through the season, but once the 49ers scored first on a methodical opening drive capped by a Steve Young touchdown run, the entire playbook flipped, because Philadelphia’s offense had no clean way to answer without winning on early downs, and the 49ers defense never let that happen. San Francisco consistently forced second and third downs that left Ty Detmer to hold the ball behind an offensive line that couldn’t handle edge pressure or interior stunts, which allowed the 49ers to sit on routes, crowd throwing lanes, and make every completion feel contested and late. This led to Detmer throwing 2 interceptions, which made the task even harder.

The breakout performances came on defense, and that’s where the story unfolded for both teams. Steve Young didn’t light up the stat sheet, but his mobility mattered because it punished man coverage and kept drives alive with his legs when protection broke down, while the 49ers’ defensive line, led by Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield up front, controlled the trenches to the point where the Eagles never established a running threat. The Eagles crossed midfield just twice all afternoon and never reached the red zone, not because of one catastrophic mistake but because the 49ers defense was winning in the trenches, forcing punts after shortened fields, winning on third downs, and completely controlling the clock all game.

By the fourth quarter, the score was still technically within reach, but the game had already been decided by field position, protection breakdowns, and an Eagles offense that couldn’t manufacture any sustained drives, which is how a playoff game ends 14-0 without ever feeling like it was one play away.

2022 NFC Championship Game: Eagles 31, 49ers 7

This game turned before it ever had a chance to become the matchup that everyone expected coming the week leading up to the showdown of the two best teams in the NFC. The fans expected a 12-round heavyweight fight at the Linc, but what they got was an early knockout.

The Eagles opened with an 11-play touchdown drive that immediately put San Francisco on their heels early on, more importantly, forced their defense to defend all aspects of the Eagles’ run game and account for Jalen Hurts near the goal line, and when DeVonta Smith’s 4th-and-3 catch flipped the field and set up the first score, the 49ers defense never really recovered as a unit.

What made the opening sequence feel so final, though, wasn’t just the touchdown, it was what happened six plays into San Francisco’s first series, when Haason Reddick got a free run at Brock Purdy and the hit both forced the fumble and injured Purdy’s throwing elbow, and from that point forward the 49ers couldn’t threaten the defense in a way that demanded any respect whatsoever. The Eagles could sit on routes, compress throwing windows, and trigger downhill without the typical fear that comes with overcommitting against a Kyle Shanahan offense.

Once Purdy went down and Josh Johnson had to steer the offense, the Eagles played the exact brand of defense that the 49ers played in 1996, meaning the defense kept the 49ers pinned in third-and-long where disguises and rush lanes become an issue, while the offense stayed patient enough to keep stacking first downs even without explosive passing, which is how you end up winning the game without your quarterback needing to chase highlights.

San Francisco briefly tied it with a 23-yard Christian McCaffrey touchdown run, but the Eagles answered with a long touchdown drive ending in a Miles Sanders run, then pounced on Johnson’s muffed snap to set up another score before halftime, and by the time the teams hit the locker room at 21-7, the 49ers looked defeated. Most importantly, they didn’t have the quarterback who had become integral to the success of running the Shanahan offense efficiently.

The second half is where the trenches turned the game from easy mode to both teams just wanting to get the game over without any further injuries. The Eagles and their relentless pressure forced Purdy back into the game after Johnson got pulled for a concussion evaluation. Purdy essentially couldn’t throw the football, so the Eagles could stack the box as a run alert and attack it with numbers, and that’s why the 49ers finished with just 164 total yards, converted 2 of 8 third downs, and never took a snap in the red zone, capping the most dominant win in the Nick Sirianni era so far, and on one of the biggest stages.

The pride point for Eagles fans is the part that holds up when you rewatch it: the Eagles didn’t just benefit from the 49ers’ quarterback injuries; they created the conditions that made the injuries matter, with Reddick wrecking protection rules, Javon Hargrave and the interior collapsing depth, and the defense staying disciplined enough that the Niners offense never materialized.

---

This is truly the tale of two games, and what history tells us is that the team that can play their brand of football, dominate in the trenches, minimize turnovers, and protect the quarterback will win. This gives the Eagles a huge advantage coming into Sunday. The 49ers defense looks completely different from it did in September due to injuries, and their receiving core has been stripped of any weapons who can help Purdy move the ball downfield. Even though the Eagles’ offense has been lackluster all year, they will be playing a maligned unit that is playing for pride and starting jobs next year.

My instincts tell me that the next chapter in this playoff rivalry will be more like recent history. A game played at the Linc with a rested Eagles squad taking on a 49ers team that has limped into the postseason. History always repeats itself; on Sunday, we’ll know which history is making a comeback.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: