Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't dwell on the San Francisco 49ers squandering a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Fresh off a disappointing Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Shanahan and the 49ers quickly shifted their focus to the reality in front of them: a longer, more difficult playoff road.
Instead of two home games and a bye, the 49ers now face the challenge of winning three consecutive playoff games—starting on the road—to earn a return trip to the Super Bowl.
It isn't the easiest path, but it's the one they have.
"Oh, we're ready for it," Shanahan said on Saturday night. "I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to have a home game here, or both home games, and get a bye. But it is what it is. This team's been through a lot this year. Now we gotta do it the hard way, and we'll embrace the s--t out of doing it the hard way, and look forward to it."
By Sunday evening, the 49ers knew their Wild Card opponent would be the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The two teams will meet on Sunday, January 11, at Lincoln Financial Field.
On Monday, Shanahan made it clear that taking "the hard way" has nothing to do with which opponent stands across the field. From his perspective, the 49ers weren't concerned about potential matchups—only the more challenging road ahead.
"I think that's what our guys are ready for," Shanahan said. "I mean, to go all into that game, I don't think we cared who we played. The main thing was knowing that you've got to go to three on the road to get there, to the last game of the season, as opposed to two games at home to get there. So, that was the biggest thing in playing the hard way.
"Right now, you can't get picky about who you play, whether it's the defending champs or whether it's the seventh seed. This is the playoffs. Everyone's earned the right to be here. If you want to reach your ultimate goal, you've got to be good enough to beat anybody."
The Eagles ousted the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game following the 2022 season, a game that unraveled early after quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn ligament in his throwing elbow. Inside the 49ers' locker room, there was lingering belief that the outcome would have been different had Purdy stayed healthy.
That confidence spilled into the 2023 regular-season rematch, when the 49ers delivered a decisive 42–19 win over Philadelphia, an outcome that served as validation for a team still stung by how that playoff run ended.
But Shanahan downplayed the relevance of both games when it comes to this year's Wild Card matchup.
"Yeah, I think those storylines and stuff are great for fans and for people to talk about throughout the week and stuff," Shanahan said, "but I don't think the players think much about that. Especially how many years it is removed on both sides.
"The guys who were there in '23 or '22, I think the best deal is understand the atmosphere of Philly, what it's like to go there and play a big game, and how it can be.
"It helps guys be more prepared for the moment, but I don't see much correlation into the previous meetings to this one."
For the 49ers, the focus is on overcoming the tough task at hand and advancing in the playoffs. Everything else, Shanahan suggests, is just noise.