Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) shake hands on the field after the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
It was always going to be the San Francisco 49ers.
For a minute Sunday, it looked like the Eagles might leapfrog the Chicago Bears and get the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Instead, Nick Sirianni's squad will be the No. 3 seed in the NFC after finishing the regular season at 11-6, meaning they will host the 49ers next Sunday in the Wild Card Round at 4:30 ET on FOX.
Kyle Shanahan's 49ers finished the season at 12-5, a pretty remarkable record considering the number of injuries that they dealt with this season. However, their final showing of the regular season left a poor taste in your mouth, as they lost 13-3 to the Seattle Seahawks Saturday, looking like a team that was beaten down.
While Brock Purdy had been playing at an extremely high level prior to Saturday's loss, he sustained a "stinger" on his left shoulder in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Dee Winters' status for the Wild Card Round is in question after he suffered an ankle injury Saturday. Future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) both missed Saturday's game, while George Kittle (ankle) and Christian McCaffrey (back) played despite appearing on the injury report.
In short, the 49ers are in a bad way with injuries. The Eagles will definitely be favored.
While the two teams haven't met in either of the last two regular seasons, they have plenty of recent history together.
The Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl by defeating the 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game in January of 2023. Purdy was knocked out of the game in the first quarter after he sustained a torn UCL in his right throwing elbow.
San Francisco throttled Philadelphia 42-19 at Lincoln Financial Field in what you may remember as the game where "Big Dom" was ejected in December of 2023. That's the most recent time the two teams have played each other.
Some of the names and faces have changed, but bad blood still exists between these two teams, which should add extra intrigue to their postseason tilt.
