The San Francisco 49ers face a daunting challenge in the Wild Card round, traveling to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. It's a matchup that many around the league—including NFL analyst Brian Baldinger—believe is far from ideal for Kyle Shanahan's team.
The 49ers entered Week 18 with a path to the NFC's No. 1 seed, but a loss to the Seattle Seahawks—combined with a Los Angeles Rams win—dropped San Francisco to the No. 6 seed. That slide set up a road playoff game against an Eagles defense that Baldinger says is peaking at the right time.
That set up a playoff showdown in Philly, against a defense that Baldinger believes is playing at an elite level.
In Baldinger's view, however, there is one clear way for the 49ers to level the playing field: feed running back Christian McCaffrey.
"I think it starts with McCaffrey," Baldinger said. "If he gets 30 touches, it's going to be a great sign. That means they're possessing the ball—he's going to get 22 carries and eight catches. It's going to be a great sign if he gets to 30 touches. If he's at 15 touches at the end of the game, they're going to lose. Now, I think it's just that simple. The ball will get spread around, but the offense goes through McCaffrey.
"And so, if they're having success running the football, they're just going to keep feeding him. And he's got the energy and the talent, the whole thing, to do it. So, to me, that's the whole key. You get McCaffrey 30 touches in this game, it's going to be a hell of a game. It's going to come down to probably the final possession."
When asked about the coaching matchup, Baldinger didn't hesitate to praise Shanahan, calling him an elite NFL coach. Still, he believes coaching alone may not be enough to overcome Philadelphia's roster advantage.
"Kyle's an elite coach, but Philadelphia has a more talented roster," Baldinger said. "They did win the Super Bowl last year. They're just more talented. They've got two thousand-yard receivers (DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown). They've got a running back (Saquon Barkley) that ran for 2,000 yards last year."
While offensive tackle Lane Johnson is expected to return to practice this week after suffering a Lisfranc foot injury on November 16, Baldinger expressed skepticism about his availability. After seeing Johnson recently, he didn't believe the veteran lineman looked ready for game action just yet.
Defensively, the Eagles are loaded with impact players, including former first-round picks Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis on the interior, rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, and linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Baldinger also highlighted the midseason acquisition of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips as a move that significantly strengthened the unit.
"I mean, they just have elite players, elite talent," Baldinger added. "... They just have a more talented roster right now."
Philadelphia acquired Phillips for a 2026 third-round pick, a move Baldinger suggested the 49ers could have explored to boost their own pass rush—an obvious weakness of the team.
"If you put Jaelan Phillips on that defense right now with Bryce Huff and Keion White, it might look a little bit different, as far as getting after the quarterback," Baldinger said. "But yeah, you get Jaelan Phillips like that at the trade deadline, it was as good a pickup as there is."
Whether the 49ers' coaching staff and game plan can overcome the Eagles' talent advantage will be decided Sunday. For Baldinger, though, the formula is clear: if Christian McCaffrey is heavily involved, San Francisco has a fighting chance.
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