The San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, with the winner heading to Glendale, Arizona for the Super Bowl, where they'll face the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals matchup.
The 49ers and Eagles were the two best teams in the NFC this season, as well as the two most complete rosters, which is why it only makes sense that we do a position-by-position breakdown to evaluate the state of each team.
Quarterback: Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have an MVP candidate in Jalen Hurts at quarterback, which is a clear upgrade over Brock Purdy, who has maneuvered his way to seven consecutive victories since coming off the bench for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, the best in the NFL history for a rookie quarterback.
Hurts had a stellar season, improving upon his up-and-down 2021 with the addition of A.J. Brown, throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns in comparison to six interceptions, while completing 66.5% of his passes.
More importantly, Hurts was a good runner, rushing for 760 yards and another 13 touchdowns, while earning over 10 carries per game.
While Hurts and Purdy line up similarly in passing statistics over their past seven games, when the rookie became the full-time starter, the veteran's edge in the rushing category provides Philadelphia with a clear upgrade at quarterback.
Running Back: 49ers
The 49ers and the Eagles have been two of the best rushing attacks in the NFL this season, with San Francisco averaging 139.3 yards on the ground and Philadelphia averaging 154.3 yards.
However, when specifically looking at the talent in the position group, the 49ers outweigh the Eagles.
They have the best player overall in Christian McCaffrey, who has been a significant weapon, not only as a rusher, but also as a receiver and decoy for Purdy.
While Miles Sanders is the second-best running back of the group after a Pro Bowl year, Elijah Mitchell comes in third, as he's a starting-caliber running back splitting carries with McCaffrey.
Looking at the running backs alone, advantage: 49ers.
Wide Receiver: Eagles
The Eagles and 49ers both have a strong receiving corps, with the former possessing A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and the latter having Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
After a stellar 88-catch, 1,496-yard season with 11 touchdowns, A.J. Brown has cemented himself as the best pure receiver of the group, being the do-it-all guy for the Eagles.
However, Brandon Aiyuk has enjoyed a breakout season, and comes in as the second-best pure receiver of the group, with Devonta Smith ranking third in my eyes and Deebo Samuel coming in fourth.
Samuel, however, provides immense value after the catch and in space, adding significantly to the 49ers' receiving room in that aspect.
But, with the increased impact of receivers with the Eagles, and the added value of their top options in comparison to the 49ers, Philadelphia gets the slight advantage with the position group.
Tight Ends: 49ers
The 49ers have the second-best tight end in football: George Kittle, who is an amazing route-runner and blocker, serving both purposes for his team.
Dallas Goedert is no slouch either, and likely would've made the Pro Bowl if not for a midseason injury, as well as the emergence of Kittle and Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson.
But, it's clear that the value that Kittle provides in both the running game and the passing game that he is the better option, even if he doesn't receive the requisite amount of targets to back his play up with statistics.
Advantage: 49ers.
Offensive Line: Eagles
The Eagles arguably have the best offensive line in the NFL, with strong options all around the board. Their tackle duo of Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson may be the best in the league, while Landon Dickerson and Jason Kelce are near the top of their positions.
The 49ers have an above-average offensive line, but not near the level of Philadelphia's front five, making this a clear and easy decision in regard to the position group battle, despite San Francisco sporting the best offensive lineman in the league: Trent Williams.
Advantage: Eagles.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
