With a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC and remain at home through the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers were stymied by Seattle in Week 18 sending them on the road as the No. 6 seed for a Wild Card matchup with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. The game kicks at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Lincoln Financial Field and will air on FOX.
49ers at Eagles Preview
The Niners entered their regular season finale on a roll averaging nearly 36 points during a 6-game winning streak. Facing one of the best defenses in the NFL the Niners were completely shut down totaling just 173 yards and the lowest point total in the Kyle Shanahan era in a 13-3 loss to Seattle. It was also their second straight loss against the NFL spread.
It’s unlikely the offense struggles as badly as it did against Seattle, but the group has to be a lot better than average to balance a defense that allows more than 340 yards and nearly 22 points a game. And the unit suffered another blow when Tatum Bethune, who replaced Fred Warner earlier in the season, was lost with a groin injury.
- It was a bad game for Christian McCaffrey totaling just 23 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards against Seattle. He finished 2nd in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,126.
- Though they failed to cover the spread in their final 2 games, the Niners were a profitable team at the betting window going 11-6 ATS and 7-2 ATS on the road.
- Losing Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams impacted the Niners’ pass rush. They ended the season with a league-low 20 sacks.
- Purdy failed to throw a TD pass last week ending a streak of 10 straight regular season starts with at least one.
With the NFC West race dominating the headlines for much of the season, the defending champion Eagles eased their way to another NFC East crown in a division that otherwise stunk. The three other teams combined to win 16 games allowing the Eagles to win without much of a fight.
Foregoing a chance at a higher seed, the team rested a number of regulars in the season finale. And the Eagles paid the price with an end to their 3-game losing streak in the 24-17 loss to Washington. Taking the Washington game out of the equation the Eagles were 5-2 at home with their losses to playoff teams Denver and Chicago.
- Over the course of the season the defense started to look like the Super Bowl winning group from a season ago that was No. 1 in total defense and 2nd in scoring defense.
- The offense regressed from a season ago despite efficient numbers from Jalen Hurts. Hurts completed 64.8 percent of his passes with 25 TDs and just 6 interceptions.
- Philly was 19th in scoring and could’ve been lower if not for the best red zone offense in the NFL.
- The Eagles forced at least one turnover in each of their last 9 games and finished 7th in the NFL with a plus-6 turnover margin.
49ers at Eagles Predictions
There’s a reason why the Eagles rested key players on Sunday. The Niners didn’t have that luxury and lost Bethune in the process. Bethune replaced Fred Warner and the team is now looking for help at the second level. The group was exposed and should’ve lost last week by more, but Seattle helped out. The rest will help Philly’s offense in a cover win.
49ers at Eagles Betting Tips
- The Eagles are listed as a 4.5-point favorite in the first meeting between the teams since Week 13 of the 2023 season.
- Philly ended the regular season 10-7 against the NFL betting line.
- At 7-2 the Niners had the best road record in the NFC with wins and payouts in each of their last 4 away games.
- Philadelphia is -230 on the moneyline with the Niners at +190.
- The over/under surfaced at 44.5.
- The Niners played OVER the total in 6 of their last 8 road games.
49ers at Eagles Head to Head and Key Stats
- SF has had success in Philadelphia winning 3 of the last 5 meetings, including a 42-19 trouncing in the most recent matchup during the 2023 season.
- Purdy was especially impressive in that outing with 314 passing yards and 4 TDs.
- The teams met in the 2022 season NFC Championship with the Eagles taking advantage of a Purdy injury to thwart the Niners 31-7.
- The UNDER is 5-1 in the last 6 series meetings.
