Playoff Time: 49ers-Eagles Wild Card Preview

Even though it feels like the regular season just started a few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the playoffs.

This time, they will face off against the 12-5 San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card game in Philadelphia.

This will be just the third time the two teams will meet in the playoffs, with each team being 1-1. It’s the first matchup with the two teams since 2023, when San Francisco came into Lincoln Financial Field and destroyed the Eagles and began their collapse.

However, this time is in the postseason with a nearly fully healthy Eagles squad and an extremely banged-up Niner team.

Stop McCaffery, Stop the 49ers

After an injury-ridden 2024 season, Christian McCaffrey has been back in full force in 2025. The former Offensive Player of the Year has rushed for 1,202 yards while also having 102 catches for 924 yards. All together, he has touched the ball 413 times for 2,126 total yards. While his yards per catch and yards per rush are not great, he is still obviously an extremely effective player.

In last week’s loss against Seattle, McCaffrey had just 57 yards on 14 touches, and the 49ers scored just 3 points. As McCaffrey goes, the 49ers go, and if you can stop him, you have a very good chance at winning this game.

Outside of McCaffrey, the 49ers offense does not have a ton that scares you. Their leading receiver, Jauan Jennings, had just 55 catches for 643 yards this season, and their star tight end, George Kittle, had 628 yards. Kittle has battled injuries this year, so that is worth noting, but through the air and through the ground, this offense runs through McCaffrey.

The Eagles are one of the best run-stopping defenses in the NFL with a fully healthy Jalen Carter. If they can handle McCaffrey, they can handle this 49ers offense.

A Hobbled Defense

In years past, the 49ers have had one of the scariest defenses in the NFL. Unfortunately for them, that is not the case this year, and a big reason why is because of injuries. The 49ers lost both Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to injuries, along with many others. The 49ers signed former Eagle Kyzir White this past week because of how little they had left at linebacker.

The 49ers ended the regular season with the 20th overall-ranked defense, with their passing defense being ranked 25th.

While the Eagles’ offense has struggled all year, the 49ers’ defense is one that you can take advantage of. We know how Jalen Hurts can turn things on in the playoffs. The Eagles’ offense will also be fully healthy for the first time since Week 1.

Of course, the 49ers are a playoff team and cannot be taken at a low standard, but if there was ever a get-right game in the playoffs for an Eagles offense, it could be this game.

Injury Report

A big swing factor for both these teams going into this game will be who will be able to battle through injuries and play in this game.

The Eagles got good injury news as Nakobe Dean was listed as a full participant in Friday’s practice with no game designation. On the other hand, Lane Johnson was again listed as a limited participant in practice and officially got the questionable designation for Sunday’s game. Brett Toth was downgraded to out Saturday morning with a concussion.

The 49ers have multiple key players with the questionable designation heading into Sunday’s matchup, such as Ricky Pearsall, Trent Williams, and Dee Winters. They did receive some good news for them, though, that Kittle was a full participant in practice.

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