After the NFC title game loss, the 49ers expressed their confidence in the locker room, firmly believing that, at worst, the game would have been a much closer contest than the 31-7 defeat.
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"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," declared wide receiver Deebo Samuel in May. "... We lost because we played with 10 people."
The offseason saw a bit of rivalry development between the two teams.
"[My] most hated team is the Eagles right now. One hundred percent," admitted Samuel. "... All the trash talk coming from the Eagles fan base and the players, you just get tired of that."
Many 49ers players firmly believe that the best team did not emerge victorious in the NFC Championship Game and that a healthy Niners squad would have prevailed.
"We have, hands down, the best football team in the league," wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said ahead of the Super Bowl. "Hands down. Hands down. I'm not even about to argue with anybody who thinks they should argue that."
Entering this season's rematch, the 49ers are relatively healthy and aim to showcase what could have been. They are coming off a big divisional win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night. Meanwhile, the Eagles are red-hot, coming off five consecutive wins, the latest of which was an emotional overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. At 10-1, they own the league's best record.
One Eagles linebacker was recently asked if the offseason chatter has been on the Eagles' minds this season.
"You know, as this season's been going on, not much," Haason Reddick said via SportsRadio 94WIP. "Talk is cheap. You know, they get to come back in The Linc (Lincoln Financial Field).
"It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying, a lot of what if, a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that s--t up, and prove it again."
As kickoff nears, the anticipation for this clash of NFC titans builds. The stage is set for a season-defining matchup for both squads as the 49ers look to settle their unfinished business.
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