Grades for 49ers' gritty, gutsy NFC wild-card win over defending champion Eagles

Coach Kyle Shanahan had every reason to feel good about what his team accomplished on Sunday in Philadelphia.The 49ers overcame another major injury, as well as some uncharacteristic mistakes, to pull out a 23-19 upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the NFL playoffs.“Guys stepped it up and still made plays and competed to find a way to win that game,” Shanahan said. “We thought it would be a grimy game. That’s how we say it. It was.“Real proud of the guys.”Tight end George Kittle sustained a torn Achilles in the first half, yet the 49ers still found inspiration from one of their top leaders to pull it together. Their star players and a group of unsung heroes bonded together to secure the unlikely victory.Here is the report card from the 49ers’ remarkable playoff victory against the Eagles:Rushing offenseThe 49ers’ run game had more than its share of difficulty going up against the Philadelphia front seven in the first half.But the 49ers started achieving some success in the second half, as the offensive line created good push and opened some holes.Running back Christian McCaffrey finished with 48 yards rushing on 15 attempts for a 3.2-yard average. He was averaging just 1.6 yards at halftime.The 49ers had 75 yards rushing in the game, 53 of which came in the second half, along with four of their five first downs on the ground.Grade: B-minusPassing offenseIt was an up-and-down day for quarterback Brock Purdy, as he threw two second-half interceptions, which put the 49ers in a bind.But with the game on the line, Purdy helped lead the 49ers down the field on a 10-play, 66-yard drive for the winning points on a 4-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey. PURDY TO CMC FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/N3bZzQ3HlR — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) January 12, 2026 Purdy completed 18 of 31 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt.Receiver Jauan Jennings added a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey on a play called “Skyy Bang Reverse Pass.” The play began with Skyy Moore taking an inside handoff from Purdy before he pitched it to Jennings.Demarcus Robinson had his best day with the 49ers, as he caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.Fullback Kyle Juszczyk came up big with four catches for 49 yards.Grade: BRushing defenseIt did not begin well for the 49ers’ defense, as Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had 71 yards on a 4.7 average in the first half. But the 49ers’ run defense tightened up in the second half.Linebackers Garret Wallow and Eric Kendricks led the way, as they combined for 21 tackles. Kendricks had two tackles for losses. Defensive end Bryce Huff, playing against his former team, also had two stops behind the line of scrimmage.The 49ers did a good job of containing quarterback Jalen Hurts, as he gained only 14 yards on five rushing attempts.Grade: A-minusPassing defenseThe 49ers’ pass defense did a good job against Hurts, as he averaged just 4.5 yards on his 35 pass attempts. Upton Stout, Wallow and Kendricks each broke up a pass apiece.The 49ers got a little pressure on Hurts in the second half and moved him off his spots. And San Francisco’s defense came through with less than a minute to play when Kendricks had coverage on tight end Dallas Goedert on the fourth-and-11 incompletion that ended the game. THE 49ERS' DEFENSE GETS THE STOP pic.twitter.com/oArxp02v6R — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) January 12, 2026 The Eagles converted their first three third downs of the game but went just 2 of 13 the remainder of the way.Grade: ASpecial teamsNeither team gained nor lost too much in the kicking game. Both teams missed an extra point as they had difficulty navigating the tricky winds.Jake Elliott’s miss was costly early, as the Eagles failed to get the full seven points from their first touchdown. Eddy Piñeiro’s miss was not costly as it came late when the 49ers already had a four-point lead.Punter Thomas Morstead’s best punt pinned the Eagles at the 6-yard line. But Philadelphia drove 94 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.Grade: BCoachingDefensive coordinator Robert Saleh pushed all the right buttons against Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. The 49ers’ defense came through big in crucial moments. The defense — a collection of unsung players — kept Philadelphia out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.Offensively, Shanahan gave credit to offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak for his suggestion of the trick play that ended with Jennings’ touchdown pass to McCaffrey.The Eagles were the defending champions. They had their team virtually intact, but the 49ers overcame so much in order to pull off the upset victory.Grade: AOverallThis was one for the ages. The 49ers turned to many of their top players. It required All-Pro caliber performances from their three All-Pros: McCaffrey, Juszczyk and left tackle Trent Williams.But they also got key contributions from unlikely sources, such as Demarcus Robinson, Wallow and Marques Sigle.It goes down as one of the most improbable victories in the organization’s postseason history.Grade: ADownload and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

Grades for 49ers’ gritty, gutsy NFC wild-card win over defending champion Eagles

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