San Francisco 49ers players had plenty to say after last season's NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the Eagles securing a 31-7 win, the 49ers believed the outcome would have been different had quarterback Brock Purdy not suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow early in the game.
"I ain't going to keep going on about what could've happened and what would've happened, but yeah, it would've definitely been a different outcome," wide receiver Deebo Samuel said in May. "... We lost because we played with 10 people."
After the game, teammate Brandon Aiyuk declared, "We have, hands down, the best football team in the league. Hands down. Hands down. I'm not even about to argue with anybody who thinks they should argue that."
As the Eagles geared up for their Week 13 clash against the 49ers, head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the offseason chatter with his players. According to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, Sirianni encouraged his team to take it personally.
"He didn't shy away from it," FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported ahead of the game. "Instead, he told his team, 'Take it personally.' And he showed clips of the 49ers talking trash about those Philadelphia Eagles."
Glazer adds that Sirianni drew parallels between the situation and how basketball icon Michael Jordan made trash talkers pay during his illustrious career.
Sirianni emphasized, "That's what I want. I want you to take it personal."
Nick Sirianni wants his @Eagles to "take it personally" vs. the 49ers today 😤 @JayGlazer pic.twitter.com/D0UVD78bgW
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 3, 2023
Glazer reports that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan took a different approach this past week, saying, "Kyle Shanahan last night to his team said, 'Guys, we had a lot of heartbreak last year. We lost two of our quarterbacks, obviously, but you still fought. So this is our chance to right the wrong from a year ago.'"