A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Niners are the grittiest team in the NFL. That could not have been truer on Sunday night.

Down their number one, number two, number three, and number four linebackers? Who cares? The number seven linebacker, Garret Wallow, had eleven tackles and a pass defensed. The number six linebacker, Eric Kendricks, had ten and the game-sealing pass defensed.


Though the defensive line produced little pressure, it forced numerous three-and-outs and held the Eagles to field goals, keeping the game close throughout.

Quarterback Brock Purdy, whom so many have disparaged over the years, made a few mistakes, one of them costly, but was lights out in the most important moment, avoiding sacks and rushing for a key first down on the game-winning drive.

I have written before that the way to tell a great player from an average player is by when they make mistakes. Purdy threw an interception at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Then he went 5-for-6 and threw a touchdown (and scrambled for a first down) when the game was on the line. Give me the interception early and the game-winner late over no interceptions and a string of incompletions when it matters.

The worst news of the game was the injury to star tight end George Kittle, who suffered a torn Achilles. This late in the year, it will likely keep him off the field for most of next season.

But faced with that loss, Kyle Shanahan did something unusual. Rather than simply shift to backup tight end Jake Tonges, who has been effective this year, he also used fullback Kyle Juszczyk the way he uses Kittle.


Philadelphia had never seen Juszczyk used in the passing game that extensively, and he made several key plays down the stretch, catching three passes on the last two touchdown drives.

The team also rallied around Kittle. McCaffrey was not alone in calling him the "heart and soul of the team" and told reporters the squad is "going to play for him the rest of the way." This is the attitude of a team that has faced adversity on a nearly weekly basis.

Perhaps Kendricks said it best when he related that when he got to the Niners in November, "It was easy [to adjust to his supporting role] because everybody on this team is so unselfish. So it was just easy to come in and check [his] ego at the door and just get it done for the team to win."

Before Kittle went down, the 49ers entered the game shorthanded on playmakers, but Demarcus Robinson played like a number one receiver, catching six balls for 111 yards and a touchdown. Jauan Jennings reprised his Super Bowl throw two years ago to hit McCaffrey for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Overall, the victory might not be on par with one of The Catch epics, but given all that this team has had to overcome, it was a memorable accomplishment. It was a game they had to win, and a performance they can take not only into the upcoming matchup with the Seahawks but even into next year.


This team can do what no one thinks they can, and let's hope they prove everyone wrong for another three games.

Written By:

Jack Stewart


Jack Stewart was educated at Alabama and Emory and was a Brittain Fellow at Georgia Tech. His poetry has been published widely in the US and several other countries. His book No Reason was published in the Poeima Poetry Series in 2020.
All articles by Jack Stewart


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