49ers Grit Their Way Past Eagles, 23-19, Advancing to Second Round
Postseason football is defined by grit and narrow margins, and the San Francisco 49ers looked right at home in that environment. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 in a raucous Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Entering the contest as the No. 6 seed in the NFC, Kyle Shanahan’s squad defied the odds, the hostile environment, and, most critically, the tough-to-stomach Achilles tendon injury to George Kittle to move on to a second-round rematch with the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are the studs and duds from a game that won’t be forgotten anytime soon:
STUDS 💪
Demarcus Robinson, WR
Because it’s the San Francisco 49ers and nothing about them makes a lick of sense, Robinson—one of the worst man-to-man receivers in the NFL this season per routes per yard run—sparked the 49ers’ first touchdown. He scored it by beating arguably the best cornerback in the NFC, Quinyon Mitchell, man-to-man for 63 yards on the second play of the game. Of course, the touchdown he followed was also against man-to-man defense. Robinson didn’t stop there; he was the Niners’ No. 1 target on the day, catching six passes for 111 yards.
Brock Purdy, QB
Purdy delivered some sweet layered passes in this game and gave the Niners a fighting chance in a contest where they couldn’t effectively run the ball until late. Yes, Purdy threw two interceptions, but he was far and away the better quarterback on the field and the main reason the Niners won. He finished with 262 yards passing, two touchdowns, and 24 key rushing yards.
Jauan Jennings, WR
After Kittle’s injury, Jennings stepped in as the de facto tight end in the run game. He caught a 45-yard pass and also threw a beautiful 29-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey to give San Francisco a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter. He’s a hell of a football player.
Christian McCaffrey, RB
It took a while, but McCaffrey saved his best for last, showing serious burst on late runs, making an all-world catch on the touchdown pass (while battling the wind) from Jennings, and then catching the game-winning touchdown with five minutes remaining.
Upton Stout, NB
The Niners’ best defender over the last month-plus continued his strong play on Sunday to the point where the Eagles stopped testing him altogether.
Marquese Sigle, FS
The biggest mystery of the 2025 San Francisco 49ers has been why Sigle wasn’t on the field in the second half of the year. When forced into action Sunday due to Ji’Ayir Brown’s injury, Sigle was exceptional against both the pass and run games.
Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow, LBs
The Niners started two linebackers signed to the roster only in recent weeks for this playoff game—and they looked really good. Kendricks, in particular, was fantastic and made the game-winning pass breakup.
DUDS 📉
Kendrick Bourne, WR
It’s Week 19 of the season. Why does Bourne still not know the plays? This week, a costly mistake surfaced: the Niners had to use their third timeout of the first half after Bourne lined up incorrectly during a two-minute drill. Had the Niners retained that timeout, they likely could have kicked a field goal before halftime.
Deommodore Lenoir, CB
The Niners put Lenoir on the boundary (short) side of the field, breaking with their usual practice of playing him solely on the right side (offensive perspective). That didn’t work. The Eagles attacked Lenoir relentlessly, and he gave up big plays early and often.
Colton McKivitz, RT
The Niners’ most steady and reliable offensive lineman this season was worked over by Jaelen Phillips in this contest. Purdy did a good job avoiding pressure from the right side, but it was a constant battle.
All 49ers’ Defensive Tackles (except C.J. West)
The Eagles have a one-read quarterback with a noodle arm. Despite that, the Eagles routinely ran double teams and wham blocks against the Niners’ defensive tackles, neutralizing their impact for much of the game.
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The 49ers showed tremendous resilience to overcome adversity and will look to carry this momentum into their upcoming playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/11/studs-and-duds-the-next-man-up-49ers-beat-the-eagles-with-depth-early-stars-late/