49ers’ second-half heroics stun defending champion Eagles for 23-19 Wild Card win

In what was a microcosm for their entire season, the San Francisco 49ers fought through more than their share of adversity against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, including turnovers and significant injuries, while finding some unexpected heroes along the way to stun the defending Super Bowl champions for an improbable 23-19 Wild Card road win.

After a back-and-forth dogfight that saw the Eagles go up 19-17 in the fourth quarter, the 49ers went ahead on a late drive that gave them a 23-19 lead with just over two minutes left to play. The Eagles drove deep into 49ers' territory after the touchdown, but the short-handed 49ers' defense held firm, and recently-signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, who was in the lineup due to multiple injuries at the position, tipped away a fourth-down pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts with 40 seconds on the clock to seal the win.

The game also included a six-catch, 111-yard performance from wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who had just 22 catches during the regular season, and a touchdown pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy completed 18-of-31 passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Hurts completed 20-of-35 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown.

49ers air attack keeps them in the game as Eagles grind out first half lead

The 49ers got off to a big start, putting together a six-play, 76-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Purdy to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. After starting the drive at their own 24-yard line and moving backwards on the first play when running back Christian McCaffrey was stopped for a loss, Purdy found Robinson at the 40-yard line, then Robinson avoided multiple tacklers as he wove through the Philadelphia defense for a 61-yard gain.

A leaping catch by McCaffrey for 11 yards gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal at the 5-yard line, then McCaffrey ran for three yards down to the 2. On the next play, Purdy found Robinson to finish the drive and put the 49ers on the board.

The Eagles responded with a touchdown drive of their own, this one spanning 63 yards on 10 plays. A 29-yard run by running back Saquon Barkley put the Eagles in scoring range early in the drive, then they used a series of small gains to move inside the 10. On a 3rd-and-Goal at the 1, the Eagles finished the drive on a sweep to tight end Dallas Goedert, but kicker Jake Elliott missed the point-after attempt, leaving the score at 7-6.

A three-and-out for the 49ers followed the touchdown, then the Eagles took over at their own 32-yard line following a 49ers punt. The Eagles moved just past midfield to the 49ers' 48-yard line, where they decided to go for a first down on a 4th-and-2. But the attempt fell short when a pass from Hurts was batted down by cornerback Upton Stout, giving the 49ers a turnover on downs with just under 90 seconds left in the first quarter.

The 49ers were forced to punt again after another three-and-out, which led to the Eagles taking over at their own 6-yard line following the punt. The Eagles turned that field position into a 16-play, 94-yard drive, which took nine minutes off the clock and ended in a touchdown pass from Hurts to Goedert. The touchdown came on a 4th-and-2 at the 9-yard line -- the second fourth-down conversion of the drive -- and at first appeared to be overruled when officials threw a flag for an ineligible receiver downfield. But the flag was picked up and the touchdown ruled good, giving the Eagles a 13-7 lead with just over six minutes left in the half.

The 49ers cut into the lead on the next drive, which was a costly one as tight end George Kittle was carted off the field with an Achilles injury on the first play. But the 49ers rebounded with a 45-yard completion to Jennings on the next play, then after falling short on a 3rd-and-1 at the 17-yard line, the 49ers called on kicker Eddy Pineiro for a 36-yard field goal to reduce the deficit to 13-10.

The first three-and-out of the game for the Eagles followed the field goal, then the 49ers took over at their own 23 with 1:51 remaining in the half. A second-down sack by defensive tackle Jalen Carter pushed the 49ers into a 3rd-and-11 early in the drive, but the 49ers kept things going with a 15-yard completion to Robinson. Purdy went on to convert another 3rd-and-Long three plays later with a 14-yard completion to tight end Jake Tonges, which was followed by a five-yard catch by McCaffrey. But with no timeouts remaining, the clock ticked down to eight seconds as the 49ers faced a 3rd-and-5 at the Eagles' 44-yard line. Purdy went for a 7-yard gain on the next play and appeared at first to have made it out of bounds to stop the clock with one second remaining. But replays showed Purdy fumbled the ball before running out of bounds, resulting in a runoff that finished the half and left the 49ers without a last-second field goal opportunity.

The Eagles controlled the clock for most of the first half, holding the ball for 19 minutes and six seconds compared to ten minutes and 54 seconds for the 49ers. The Eagles also held a yardage advantage of 95 to 23 on the ground, led by 71 yards on 15 carries from Barkley. But the overall yardage was close to even (a 188 to 186 edge for the Eagles), with the 49ers holding a big advantage in the air. Purdy finished the half with 168 yards and one touchdown on 10-of-15 passing, while Robinson led all receivers with four catches for 81 yards.

49ers overcome turnovers, come up with late-game magic in thrilling second half

The 49ers held the Eagles to a three-and-out to start the second half, but a booming punt from the Eagles forced the 49ers to start their first second-half possession at their own 5. The 49ers dug out of that hole with a series of clutch plays, but the drive came to a halt when Purdy was picked off by cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at the Eagles' 45-yard line. Purdy was under pressure on the play and heaved the ball towards wide receiver Skyy Moore, but Mitchell stepped in front of the pass to give the Eagles the game's first takeaway.

The defense stepped up for the 49ers after the interception, forcing a punt after four plays. But a three-and-out from the 49ers followed that punt, then the Eagles got a short field again when a 27-yard punt from Thomas Morstead gave the Eagles the ball at the 49ers' 46-yard line. The 49ers' defense held the Eagles to a 23-yard drive on 10 plays, but the Eagles were able to cash in with a 41-yard field goal from Elliott to take a 16-10 lead.

The 49ers answered the field goal drive with a touchdown drive to take the lead, featuring one of the highlight plays of the postseason to this point. The 49ers began the drive on their own 33-yard line and quickly moved across midfield on a 27-yard completion to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, then they moved to the 29-yard line on three runs to give them another first down. On the next play, which was the first play of the fourth quarter, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reached into the bag of tricks with a double reverse to Jennings that turned into a pass, which the former high school quarterback Jennings completed to a wide-open McCaffrey for a touchdown to move ahead 17-16.

A three-and-out aided by a holding penalty gave the 49ers the ball back at their own 31-yard line after a punt, but the 49ers lost their momentum quickly due to the second interception of the game. After a first down catch by Juszczyk and a short run by McCaffrey, Purdy floated a pass downfield into the hands of Mitchell, who grabbed the game's second takeaway and gave the Eagles possession at their own 38-yard line. The Eagles moved into field goal range from there where they were halted and forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal to take a 19-17 lead with eight minutes remaining.

The 49ers began at their own 34-yard line after the ensuing kickoff and moved across midfield after a catch from Juszczyk, a run from Purdy and a catch from Robinson. An 11-yard catch and run on a screen by McCaffrey moved the ball to the 29-yard line, then after a four-yard run from McCaffrey, a holding call on the Eagles overturned a sack on Purdy and gave the 49ers a first down at the 20. McCaffrey then gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal at the 9 after an 11-yard run, then a five-yard catch by Juszczyk moved the ball to the 4. An incomplete pass on second down set up a 3rd-and-Goal, then Purdy escaped pressure to find McCaffrey in the end zone to cap a 10-play, 66-yard drive. The point after was missed by Pineiro, leaving the 49ers with a 23-19 lead at the 2:54 mark in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles began the next drive at the 35-yard line after a touchback, then quickly faced a 3rd-and-5 after two short gains. A dropped pass on third down by wide receiver A.J. Brown set up a 4th-and-5, which was converted when Hurts found Goedert for a 15-yard gain.

A 10-yard completion to wide receiver DeVonta Smith moved the ball to the 20-yard line, then a sack and an incompletion set up a 3rd-and-11. A pass intended for Smith on third down was tipped and almost intercepted but fell incomplete, forcing a 4th-and-Long with 43 seconds remaining. Hurts then threw over the middle for Goedert but the pass was tipped by Kendricks, giving the 49ers the ball and sealing the win.

The 49ers moved their overall record to 13-5 on the season, while the Eagles will head into the offseason with eleven wins and seven losses.

Game Notes

The 49ers now lead the all-time series over the Eagles 22-15-1... This was the third postseason meeting between the two teams, with the first being a 14-0 49ers win in the 1996 Wild Card game and the second being a 31-7 Eagles win in the 2022 season NFC Championship game... The Eagles headed into the game as six-point favorites... The 49ers will now travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks next week (time and date TBD)... Both teams had key players missing due to injury, as the Eagles were without All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) while the 49ers were without wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) and linebackers Dee Winters (ankle), Luke Gifford (quadricep) and Tatum Bethune (groin). Their linebacker injuries forced the 49ers to start Kendricks and Garrett Wallow, both of whom played extensive roles in the game.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 11:54 — SF 7, PHI 0
  D. Robinson 2 yd. pass from B. Purdy (E. Pineiro kick) (6 plays, 76 yds, 3:09)
• Q1 06:20 — SF 7, PHI 6
  D. Goedert 1 yd. run (kick failed, hlu) (10 plays, 63 yds, 5:35)
• Q2 06:13 — SF 7, PHI 13
  D. Goedert 9 yd. pass from J. Hurts (J. Elliott kick) (16 plays, 94 yds, 9:00)
• Q2 02:54 — SF 10, PHI 13
  E. Pineiro 36 yd. Field Goal (6 plays, 59 yds, 3:18)
• Q3 02:15 — SF 10, PHI 16
  J. Elliott 41 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 23 yds, 5:11)
• Q4 15:00 — SF 17, PHI 16
  C. McCaffrey 29 yd. pass from J. Jennings (E. Pineiro kick) (5 plays, 67 yds, 2:19)
• Q4 08:04 — SF 17, PHI 19
  J. Elliott 33 yd. Field Goal (8 plays, 47 yds, 3:55)
• Q4 02:59 — SF 23, PHI 19
  C. McCaffrey 4 yd. pass from B. Purdy (kick failed, wl) (10 plays, 66 yds, 5:06)

Game and Player Stats