Recap of the NFC showdown between the 49ers and Eagles in Week 13

PHILADELPHIA – At 10-1, there will be high-stakes theater at Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia Eagles hosts the 8-3 San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox) in a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers had a bitter taste in their mouth after being throttled 31-7 on January 29th. quarterback Brock Purdy was forced out of the game on the sixth offensive snap with a torn UCL in his throwing arm and substituted Josh Johnson left in the third quarter with a concussion. Then receiver Brandon Aiyuk said Philadelphia was “extremely lucky.” Deebo Samuel got personal and demanded the Eagles’ corner James Bradberry “Garbage.” He said San Francisco lost “because we played with 10 people.”

“Talk is cheap,” Eagles edge rusher says Haason Reddick said this week on KYW News. “You know, they can come back to the Linc. Last year there was a lot of cheering, a lot of crying, a lot of what ifs, a lot of this, a lot of that. You get a chance to come back.’ Get in here, put that up and prove it again.

While the Niners are looking for revenge, the Eagles are allowed to play the underdog card despite having the best record in the NFL. San Francisco is a three-point favorite, making Philadelphia just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to have more than 10 wins and one or fewer losses while being underdogs at home.

“I mean, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “But I don’t really know how this stuff works. So I don’t really know why.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni added: “Before I ever set foot in the city, all I knew about this city was Rocky vs. Apollo Creed. The city plays the underdog well.”

Beyond the drama, there is a lot at stake in this matchup when it comes to playoff positioning. There’s a good chance these teams will face each other again in the postseason. If San Francisco wants to have any chance of hosting this game, it will have to emerge victorious from Philly this time.

ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner and Eagles reporter Tim McManus cover the heavyweight fight.

How this game impacts the NFC playoff scenarios

The Eagles are in control of the NFC’s No. 1 seed and have a chance to almost clinch it in the next two weeks if they can beat the Niners Dallas Cowboys. That would be all that would be left Detroit Lions in the fight for the top spot, assuming they keep winning and keeping up. In short: The Eagles have several scenarios to become the first team to clinch a playoff spot this week. The easiest way is a win against the Niners paired with one Los Angeles Rams Loss for them Cleveland Browns.

As for the 49ers, a win would put them back in the top seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. While they would still be a game behind the Eagles, they would have the direct tiebreaker and could – gasp – make a run at the Cowboys in Week 14. The 49ers can’t clinch a playoff spot this week, but a win in Philadelphia combined with a couple of losses to the Rams and Seahawks could put them in position to not only clinch a postseason berth, but as early as Week 14 to secure the NFC West Division title. — Nick Wagoner

Strengths and weaknesses of the quarterback

Brock Purdy, 49ers: Through 10 games, no quarterback in the NFL has been more efficient than Purdy. He leads the NFL in many key passing statistical categories, including QBR, completion percentage, yards per attempt and traditional passer rating. Purdy was particularly good against man coverage and utilizing the midfield, something the Eagles play often and have each struggled with. Purdy ranks third in QBR (85) this season, is tied for first in touchdown passes (16), and is tied for second in completion percentage (66%) against man coverage. He is also second in QBR on throws between hashes (94.9), while the Eagles allow a QBR of 95.6 on such throws, which ranks 28th in the NFL.

The biggest question for Purdy is how he performs in close and late situations. All six of Purdy’s interceptions this season came in the second half, including three in the fourth quarter as he attempted a comeback that ultimately led to losses to Minnesota and Cincinnati. — Fuhrman

Jalen hurtsEagle: Hurts is closer. He has helped the Eagles overcome halftime deficits in each of their last four games, including Sunday against the Bills when he scored four touchdowns after halftime and tied the game with a walk-off rushing TD in overtime. “There aren’t too many guys that I’ve played with – probably no one that I’ve played with – that have shown more toughness across the board,” the Eagles veteran center said Jason Kelce said. Hurts, the current MVP favorite, has a 24-2 regular-season record over the last two seasons and has won 14 straight games against teams with a winning record, the longest winning streak for a starting quarterback in recent memory 1950.

But he has turned the ball over at a faster pace this season. Hurts already has a career-high 10 interceptions after throwing just six total picks last year and is tied for third-most turnovers among quarterbacks with 14. — Tim McManus

The 49ers will win if…

Just because this is a huge game doesn’t mean the Niners want the recipe for victory to change. They have been attacking their opponents early in the season all season and will need to do so and continue to put their foot down against an Eagles team that has been outstanding at coming from behind. There should be opportunities to make a lot of plays in the intermediate passing game and to run the ball successfully, especially by attacking the edges.

The biggest challenge will be slowing Philadelphia’s running game. The Eagles’ offensive line has the best run-block win rate in the league at 76.6%. The 49ers have 15 sacks in the last three games and Hurts tends to keep the ball, so there should be ways to get to him, but the Niners need to slow the run first. As always, the turnover battle is the most important thing. The Niners have just 10 giveaways this year (third in the NFL), while Philadelphia has 16 (tied for 18th). That means there should be some takeaway opportunities and the Niners need to take advantage of them. — Fuhrman

The Eagles will win if…

Their pass rush can dominate again. The front seven generated 17 pressures, 7 QB hits and 3 sacks while knocking two quarterbacks out of the game in the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers. It remains a favorable matchup for Philadelphia: The Eagles have the fifth-best pass rush win rate in the league (51%) and face a 49ers offensive front that ranks 16th or middle in pass block win rate (56%) lies. Josh Sweat (60 pressures) and Reddick (55 pressures) lead the offense from the outside and are also candidates for the rookie defensive player of the year Jalen Carter has recorded four sacks and generated pressure on 14.2% of his pass-rush snaps this season, which ranks fourth among defensive tackles.

The Eagles are expected to be without their two original linebackers Nakobe Dean And Zach Cunningham because of an injury. The middle of the defense is vulnerable and the back end has had some issues – the Eagles rank 29th in pass defense (255.7 YPG) and have scored the second-most passing touchdowns (23) – making a rush essential to get home . — McManus

Non-QB X-factor to keep an eye on

Jake MoodyK, 49ers: Rain is forecast again in Philadelphia this week, which is nothing new for the Eagles, who have played in similar conditions in recent weeks. The Niners, on the other hand, have only played in one rain game so far, a Week 6 loss to Cleveland in which they posted their worst performance of the season. More rain could mean even more for Moody, a rookie who has been nearly perfect except for the loss to the Browns in Week 6. Two of his three misses this year came on that day, including a game-winning 41-yard field goal attempt. The stakes of this game and the weather make Moody a player to keep an eye on. — Fuhrman

DeVonta SmithWR, Eagles: AJ Brown was a standout from Weeks 3-8, amassing a record 125+ receiving yards in six straight games. Since then, defenses have increased the number of double teams and bracket coverage they throw at him. Smith took advantage of his one-on-one opportunities. He has 99-plus receiving yards in three of his last four games, including seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Bills on Sunday. Whether it Charvarius Ward or Deommodore Lenoir When facing him, you can expect Smith to see plenty of action. — McManus

Stat knowing

49ers: In a Super vs. Super duel, this matchup pits the team that scores the most yards after contact per game (1.55) and per game (93.73) according to ESPN Stats & Information – the Niners – against the team who allows the fewest yards after contact per game (0.93) and per game (60.55) – the Eagles. — Fuhrman

Eagle: Philly has won eight straight home games, marking the second-longest active home winning streak in the NFL behind the Cowboys (13). The Eagles are 17-3 in their last 20 games played at Lincoln Financial Field. — McManus