In the days leading up to the Eagles’ Dec. 28 road game at the Buffalo Bills, defensive assistant Jeremiah Washburn, who coaches the Eagles edge rushers, handed out a new accessory to the entire defensive line.
The green bracelet has “Isaiah 6:8″ and the phrase “send me” written in white. In the Bible verse, the prophet Isaiah hears the voice of God ask: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah responds: “Here I am. Send me.”
That, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo said, was the mindset of the entire defensive line. And the entire Eagles’ defense.
“Send us,” Ojomo said as he fiddled with the bracelet on his left wrist. “We want to be the ones to get the job done.”
For most of the 2025 season, especially after the Eagles’ Week 9 bye, the defense answered the call. Vic Fangio’s unit propped up an inconsistent offense. It stifled good offenses and carried the team to victories that maybe it didn’t deserve. The Eagles beat Green Bay 10-7. They beat Detroit 16-9. They won that Bills game, 13-12. They entered the postseason, in what was a wide-open NFL playoffs, with a puncher’s chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions in large part because they had the talent on defense and Fangio, the mastermind, calling the shots.
The season ended in abrupt fashion Sunday for myriad reasons, but the San Francisco 49ers advanced to the NFC’s divisional round in part because the Eagles didn’t have enough answers defensively down the stretch. The 49ers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns. They had a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that lasted more than five minutes and ended with less than three minutes on the clock.
The strength of the Eagles defense was its ability to limit explosive plays and clamp down in the red zone.
The 49ers threw the first haymaker. Lincoln Financial Field roared after Will Shipley crunched Brian Robinson on the opening kickoff and then the Eagles stuffed Christian McCaffrey’s first rushing attempt on San Francisco’s first play for a loss of one yard. But then Quinyon Mitchell allowed a 61-yard catch-and-run from Brock Purdy to Demarcus Robinson that set the 49ers up in the red zone at the Eagles’ 16-yard line. Four plays later, Purdy hit Robinson, who beat Mitchell for a 2-yard touchdown and the game’s first points.
“I got to start the game off faster,” Mitchell said. “Maybe that could’ve changed the game in a way.”
Mitchell would eventually atone. The Eagles forced punts on the next two San Francisco drives before allowing a field goal and then later stopping the 49ers as the second quarter ended. Mitchell then picked Purdy off on the 49ers’ first drive of the second half. He had another interception in the fourth quarter, too, but after the 49ers added another score.
San Francisco, which was already banged up and lost star tight end George Kittle to an Achilles injury in the second quarter, dipped into the bag of tricks to open the fourth quarter. Out of the timeout, Kyle Shanahan dialed up a trick play, a reverse that found the ball in the hands of Jauan Jennings, who threw on the move to a streaking and wide-open McCaffrey for a 29-yard score.
“We knew they liked to do some sort of trickery down in the red zone,” safety Reed Blankenship said. “We were just in a different call that allowed him to sneak through.”
The Eagles took the lead back on a Jake Elliott field goal with eight minutes to play. The defense needed to deliver one final stop. Instead, the 49ers moved the ball with ease. The Eagles, who sacked Purdy once on the day, applied pressure at times, but not enough. Purdy felt the pressure and was excellent in escaping it. The 49ers didn’t face a third down on that 10-play, game-winning drive until the play they scored on, a 4-yard pass from Purdy to McCaffrey on third-and-goal. The 49ers converted six of their 11 third-down attempts.
“They just made more plays than we did,” Blankenship said.
Shanahan, Ojomo said, “is a hell of an offensive play-caller.”
“At the end of the day, he kind of had a better plan and we should have executed at a higher level,” Ojomo said. “You got to play complementary football. After our scores, we needed to stop them. When we get turnovers, we need scores. We didn’t do that at a high enough level to win. That’s kind of the result when you’re in the playoffs. You’re playing good teams every week. You can’t have any hiccups.”
Jordan Davis (90) and Moro Ojomo (97) were encouraging pieces of a fine Eagles defense in 2025.
Especially not with an offense that rarely allowed for wiggle room. It was a lot to ask if the Eagles were going to try to repeat. The offense did not permit much in the way of a margin for error. It is a taxing way to play football, and it’s taxing on a defense that got better as the year went on. Ojomo, though, wanted to look only internally.
“You could always get one more stop, one more turnover,” he said. “At the end of the day, we fell short as a defense. They don’t score, they don’t win. We didn’t get the job done.”
The defense will look different next season. Blankenship is one of a few key free agents. The loss, he said, was tough.
“This is one of the toughest things about football and about life,” he said. “You go through the challenges throughout the year, training camp, whatever. You create this relationship and these bonds and it ends so fast. You’re not really prepared for it and it’s tough.”
How will the 2025 defense be remembered? It was the year of Jordan Davis’ breakout. Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both second-year players, were named first-team All-Pros. Brandon Graham came out of retirement. Ojomo stepped in for a key free agent, Milton Williams, and shined.
“I think everybody will just remember this game,” Blankenship said. “That’s the last game we played in and it wasn’t us.”
You’re only as good as your last, they say.
“You lose in the first round of the playoffs, I don’t think you’re remembered much,” Ojomo said. “That’s effed up. This defense played our tail off all year, young and hungry and filled with a bunch of guys who are selfless.”
Washburn, Ojomo said, handed those bracelets out to provide some perspective. The message, he said, was received. The defense wanted to be the unit that carried the Eagles.
“It’s sad,” Ojomo said. “I loved being on this defense.”
The play that encapsulated everything the Eagles offense wasn’t this season was a play that they themselves didn’t even run. First snap of the fourth quarter Sunday night for the San Francisco 49ers, first-and-10 from the Eagles’ 29-yard line, and there was Kyle Shanahan, calling a double-wing reverse pass that made one of the NFL’s best defenses look like a bunch of suckers. Brock Purdy handed the football to Skyy Moore, who pitched it to Jauan Jennings, who rainbowed a pass toward the end zone to Christian McCaffrey, who didn’t have an Eagles player within 5 yards of him.
A six-point Eagles lead suddenly was a one-point deficit. And though that touchdown technically wasn’t the winning score in the 49ers’ 23-19 wild-card victory, it was the perfect symbol for the difference between a team that played like it had nothing to lose and a team that played like it was fearful of taking the slightest of chances.
From Nick Sirianni to Kevin Patullo to Jalen Hurts, the Eagles spent too much of this season acting as if being daring was taboo for them. Sirianni preached the importance of minimizing turnovers, citing the Eagles’ marvelous record during his tenure as head coach when they protected the football better than their opponents. But it turned out that a Super Bowl champion cannot defend its title on caution alone. The 49ers committed two turnovers. The Eagles didn’t commit any. And the final score was the final score.
In the locker room afterward, player after player used the same word as the cause of the Eagles’ struggles during the regular season and their quick exit from the postseason: execution. “If there are multiple players saying that,” tackle Jordan Mailata asked, “why don’t you believe us?” Good question. Here’s why: It’s a familiar, sometimes default way of thinking among elite athletes: It doesn’t matter what the coach calls. It doesn’t matter if my opponent knows what’s coming. If I do exactly what I’m supposed to do exactly when I’m supposed to do it, nothing can stop me, and nothing can stop us.
“I don’t think we were playing conservatively,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “I think it comes down to execution. A lot of the same calls we have — I know it was a new offensive coordinator and new guys, but we kind of stuck with the same script, to be honest, of what we did last year. It’s easy to say that when you’re not making the plays. … If we’re making the plays, no one is going to say we’re being conservative.”
The Eagles could get away with following that mantra last season. Their offensive line was the best in the league, and they shifted midseason from having Jalen Hurts throw 30-plus passes a game to giving the ball to Barkley and counting on him for consistent yardage and big plays. But, as Barkley acknowledged, they returned this season with pretty much the same offense — after the other 31 teams had an offseason to study what the Eagles had done and come up with ways to neutralize it.
“If they call inside zone and we call inside zone and they run it better than us, they just ran it better than us,” Barkley said. “They executed better than us. That’s just my mindset. Maybe I’m wrong.”
He is. There rarely was any surprise to the Eagles’ attack this season, rarely any moments when A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith was running free and alone down the field, when Barkley wasn’t dodging defenders in the backfield, when anything looked easy for them. When everyone in the stadium knows you’re likely to call a particular play in a particular situation, yes, you had better be perfect in every aspect of that sequence. But when you catch a defense off guard — as Shanahan did on Jennings’ pass — your execution can be less than ideal, and the play will still work.
Look at Sunday: Barkley had 15 carries in the first half and 11 in the second. He had 71 yards in the first half and 35 in the second; after halftime, the 49ers started sending more players toward the line of scrimmage just before Hurts took the snap. The proper countermove would have been to throw the ball downfield more often, but the Eagles were reluctant to court such risk. It doesn’t much matter whether Patullo couldn’t scheme up such plays or whether, even if Patullo had opened up the offense, Hurts would have held the ball anyway. The result was the same. They settled for what was safe.
“I think that’s always the go-to. … People think you take your foot off the gas,” Sirianni said. “We didn’t create enough explosives. They did.”
To the end, the head coach struggled to see the connection between his conservatism and the problems that plagued his offense. No Super Bowl appearance, no title defense, not even a spot in the playoffs’ second round. Over 18 games, this team wrote its own epitaph.
The 2025 Eagles: They played not to lose. Which is why they did.
Up until the final failed fourth-down attempt, the Eagles still believed they were winning Sunday’s NFC wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers.
But after Jalen Hurts’ pass fell incomplete, it all hit linebacker Nakobe Dean. It may have been his final game in an Eagles uniform.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen the next couple months, next couple weeks,” Dean, a pending unrestricted free agent said. “I don’t know if I’m going to play with the guys that I’ve been playing with for four years or had a good relationship with, or the guys that I went school with. I’m going through all the emotions.”
The Birds had much higher expectations for themselves this season than a 23-19 loss in the wild-card round. Eagles players looked shell-shocked in the locker room, knowing they will never all be together again.
Jordan Davis choked up in the locker room talking about how much Dean, his teammate since their days back at Georgia, meant to him.
“We love to have his face and his leadership and his poise, his effort and just everything about him, the way he plays the game,” Davis said. “But it’s just the NFL. I’m not here to make decisions. I’m more here to play and move forward, but it’s unfortunate that it’s just the nature of the beast. It’s the league, be here today and gone tomorrow. But I love that man like a brother. Like a brother.”
Dean said he took one last photo of his locker, unsure if he’d ever return to it. The Birds drafted linebacker Jihaad Campbell in the first round last spring to potentially serve as Dean’s replacement.
But Dean wasn’t the only player who may have worn midnight green for the final time.
Jordan Mailata said postgame that he couldn’t even look at Dallas Goedert, his teammate of eight years, without wanting to cry. Goedert signed a one-year contract extension to return to Philadelphia last offseason, but after catching a career-high 60 passes and 11 touchdowns, he might be out of the Eagles’ price range.
“I had a moment with Dallas, and I wasn’t crying until I saw him,” Mailata said. “We’ve been together for eight years, and we just played a lot of ball together, a lot of time in the locker room, and so that one was hard for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year, I hope we bring him back, but he was one face that immediately after the game, I had to stay away from him, because I’d just cry.”
Goedert caught four passes for 33 yards and one touchdown, and added another touchdown on the ground in the loss. He downplayed whether this game was more emotional than past losses as he approaches what might be the end of his tenure with the team that drafted him.
“Saying goodbye to this team, it’ll never be the same team again, it’s always tough,” Goedert said. “You just grow as a family, and I got a lot of love for the brothers on this team, you know, and it’s just a somber state.”
The sudden finish to the Eagles’ season cannot be narrowed down to one play, but perhaps Sunday’s 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers would have at least reached overtime had Jake Elliott converted an extra point in the first quarter.
The Eagles’ final drive as reigning Super Bowl champions ended with a fourth-down incompletion at the 49ers’ 21-yard line — a play that instead would have been a field-goal try to force overtime had the Eagles been down three points instead of four.
Elliott, who missed four of his final 13 field-goal attempts in the regular season, battled the wind and lost when his extra point smacked the upright after the Eagles scored on their first drive of the game.
“It’s a lot of guessing out there. You saw his, too,” Elliott said as 49ers kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed an extra point in the fourth quarter. “We both tried to play it left to right, and there’s a 40-mile-per-hour wind blowing left to right. For both of those balls, the wind just didn’t quite hit them the way we thought it would. It’s a tough night to kick, but you obviously want to make them all.”
The first weekend of the postseason featured games in which missed kicks played a key role as Green Bay’s Brandon McManus (North Penn, Temple) missed two field goals and an extra point in a loss to Chicago, and Jacksonville’s Cam Little — who made an NFL-record 68-yarder earlier this year — missed a 54-yarder in a loss to Buffalo.
Like Eagles-49ers, those games were not exclusively decided by a leg, but it was hard to see the outcome and wonder what could have been had the ball went through the uprights.
“I’m just thinking about the next kick,” Elliott said when asked if he was thinking about his missed PAT while the Eagles had to try for a touchdown in the final minute. “You saw he missed one, too. It’s a tough night to kick. That’s not really what I’m thinking about during that moment in time. I’m thinking about that next kick.”
Elliott, one of three players remaining from the Super Bowl LII champions, is under contract for next season but the team could look for an upgrade this offseason.
He made just 74.1% of his field goals this season, below the league average of 85.6%. His 77.8% rate last season also fell below the league average. Since last season, Elliott is 5-for-15 on field goals from 50-plus yards, while NFL kickers are converting long-range kicks at record rates.
“You show up every week and try to hit the ball well,” Elliott said. “I think for the most part, I did that. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, especially playing in the Northeast like this. We’ve had some pretty tough weather games. But, obviously, you want to make them all. It’s part of the job. You expect perfection and if it’s not that, it’s tough.”
Brandon Graham, Elliott, and Lane Johnson — the three remaining players from the Super Bowl that capped the 2017 season — could be gone before next season. Johnson missed Sunday’s loss with the foot injury that has sidelined him since November and has openly pondered his retirement. Graham already retired after last season and his plans for next season are uncertain. Elliott, the author of so many important kicks in franchise history, could be kicking elsewhere in 2026.
“We’ll deal with that when we get there,” he said. “This is all pretty raw right now. I’m under contract here, so that’s the expectation, but you never know in this business. I’m just trying to get over this game.”
The frustration between Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown finally went from talk to action on the sidelines.
Following a drop from Brown that led to a consequential three-and-out, Sirianni sprinted toward Brown to tell the two-time All-Pro receiver to run off the field to avoid a penalty. Fox cameras showed Sirianni and Brown in a passionate argument soon after, and the pair eventually was broken up by Big Dom DiSandro, the Eagles’ chief of security.
“Now on the sideline,” play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt said. “Nick Sirianni going at him a little bit, Big Dom says ‘Hey, take it easy. We’re good.’”
Sideline reporter Erin Andrews caught up with Sirianni at halftime, and asked the coach about the tense moment with the star wide receiver.
“Emotions run high, especially in the playoffs,” Sirianni said, according to Andrews. ”Of course, after this game, we’ll go back to loving each other. But, look, this is just the way it is. We’re just fine, thanks.”
Added analyst Tom Brady: “I just don’t think you can expect everyone to be super balanced and chill. You’re a warrior; you’re a gladiator down on the field. Emotions are running high every single play.”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown’s drop here in the second quarter led to a tense exchange between he and head coach Nick Sirianni.
Fox NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan also weighed in, but he had a different perspective on the exchange.
“I don’t understand why Sirianni is running down there yelling at one of his star players,” Strahan said at halftime. “I don’t think that brings out the best in your player. … In my opinion, as a player, I wouldn’t have taken very well from my coach on the sideline.”
Brown finished with only three catches for 25 yards and failed to record a reception after his confrontation with Sirianni.
Big play Dom
Despite fielding Brown and DeVonta Smith at wide receiver, Big Dom had the biggest highlight catch for the Eagles.
Early in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts was forced to throw the ball away, sailing the rock over the head of Brown straight into the arms of DiSandro.
Brady, in analyst fashion, reviewed Big Dom’s technique.
“Tough catch,” Brady said. “Where’s his hands, Dom, with the grab. Look at him, He can’t believe it’s coming his way. I don’t like the body catch. I want to see hands, thumbs together when the ball is there. The body catch I don’t love.”
Every time the Eagles step into the arena with the 49ers, DiSandro seems to take center stage — the security chief was ejected in 2023, the last matchup between the teams after breaking up a scuffle between Smith and San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Big furs have been popular on the Eagles’ sideline over the years, with Chris Long and Josh Sweat, among others, donning similar coats after securing Super Bowl victories in 2017 and 2025. Andrews will be the only person donning one on the Eagles’ sideline this year.
Andrews’ jacket, theorized by internet sleuths as a faux fur Auter product, will run you around $950 if you want it for yourself. We’ve got more reactions to the coat here.
Perfect no more
Early in the first quarter, Burkhardt and Brady were eager to sing the praises of Sirianni, pointing out his perfect home playoff record.
“Two Super Bowls in five years,” Burkhardt said. “One championship, in the playoffs every year, second-most wins of all time in first five years of any coach.”
“There’s always an expectation with winning,” Brady responded. “That’s when you come to the next season, like they did after winning the Super Bowl this year, ‘Oh, everything’s going to be perfect.’ And the reality is, it’s never perfect. You’re always trying to solve problems in the NFL. Every year is a little bit different. How he kind of inserts himself in different roles is what I appreciate. A head coach’s role is really special in what he’s able to do for this club.”
The compliments aged poorly, as Sirianni suffered the first home playoff loss of his career in a matchup featuring plenty of penalties and drama on the sideline.
Jalen Hurts struggled in the windy conditions, especially when throwing over 20 yards. He also left the pocket too early a bunch even though he often had time. He did have a few nice moments in the drop-back game and again protected the ball. It wasn’t all on Hurts, of course. The offense went into conservative mode for like the 100th time this season.
But some of Hurts’ flaws as a passer were on display, and the Eagles may have to go back to the drawing board in finding him a compatible coach this offseason.
Hurts showed great patience on his touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert in the second quarter. Hurts waited for his tight end to break free and fired a dart for a 9-yard touchdown on fourth down. His fourth-down pass in the first quarter was late and nearly intercepted, although the play wasn’t exactly desirable vs. man coverage. In the third quarter, Hurts seemed to unnecessarily leave the pocket on a drop that resulted in a throwaway.
Running back: B
Saquon Barkley started hot, cooled off, and got cooking again late. He had three carries for 23 yards in the fourth quarter before a run for no gain resulted in him hobbling off. Barkley would return and finished with 106 yards on 26 carries.
He started the game with a 29-yard run off the right edge and went into halftime with 71 yards on 15 carries.
As a receiver, Barkley gained 20 yards on a screen pass in the second quarter. In the third quarter he dropped what could have been a third-down conversion.
Our first glimpse of Tank Bigsby came in the second quarter when he was split outside and motioned into the backfield. The decoy didn’t fool the 49ers, who dropped DeVonta Smith in the flat for no gain.
Bigsby spelled Barkley in the backfield later and rushed three times for 20 yards. The next time he got a handoff, he went lateral and was dropped for a loss, finishing with four carries for 19 yards.
Receiver/Tight end: D+
With the Eagles ground-and-pounding, the drop-back pass offense wasn’t often featured. Wide receiver A.J. Brown was involved early, but not much after that. He appeared to get dinged up on a deep post route that ended up incomplete, but returned almost immediately and couldn’t pull in a third-down fade that bounced off his hands.
The TV broadcast caught Nick Sirianni yelling at Brown to get off the field, and the receiver didn’t seem to like it and went back at his coach. Brown later couldn’t pull in a third-down catch over the middle, which was costly.
DeVonta Smith did a lot of dirty work with catches underneath. He finished with eight grabs for 70 yards. Smith’s 14-yard pickup on a third-and-15 hitch route got the Eagles into fourth-down Tush Push range. Dallas Goedert — the Eagles’ leader in touchdowns on the regular season — scored their first of the postseason on a 1-yard jet sweep. He also had a receiving touchdown. Goedert struggled as a run blocker and had a few moments that led to losses. He made a huge fourth-down catch after Brown’s drop.
Receiver Darius Cooper converted third-and-7 in the first quarter with a 9-yard grab over the middle. Cooper’s holding penalty negated Barkley’s 11-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Tight end Grant Calcaterra had a poor blocking attempt on a Barkley run that was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert celebrates a second-quarter touchdown with tight end Grant Calcaterra on Sunday.
Offensive line: C-
The unit mostly could push around an inferior 49ers front that was missing key players on the line and at the second level. Inside zone runs were particularly effective. The pass protection was sound as Hurts often had time in the pocket. He was sacked once.
With Lane Johnson unable to go, despite practicing in a limited capacity for the first time since a foot injury, Fred Johnson started at right tackle for an eighth straight game. He left on the opening drive, and was replaced by Matt Pryor, but missed just one play. Johnson had a third-down false start.
Center Cam Jurgens had another rough outing. His holding penalty brought back a Hurts 10-yard draw. A drive later, Jurgens was driven back and Barkley was dropped for a loss. He did have the pulling lead block on a Barkley 6-yarder in the second quarter.
The other four O-linemen all had good moments in the run and pass protection: left guard Landon Dickerson, left tackle Jordan Mailata,right guard Tyler Steen and Johnson. The Tush Push made a triumphant return with two successful attempts.
Defensive line: B-
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t have a lot of time in the pocket, but he did escape containment a few times and make big throws. His 262 yards on 18 of 31 passing seemed to be more on the secondary than the pass rush. He was sacked only once, though.
The Eagles held running back Christian McCaffrey to just 1.6 yards on eight carries in the first half. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis was a beast up front, per usual, and led the Eagles with four stops before halftime. He made three straight stops on McCaffrey in the second quarter that forced fourth down.
Outside linebacker Nolan Smith was just as impactful as a run stopper and had three tackles in the first half.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter cleaned up to sack Purdy after outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips won with an inside move and forced the quarterback to step up. Carter failed to wrap up McCaffrey on a third-quarter 9-yard rush — his longest carry to that point.
Moro Ojomo made sure Purdy didn’t turn the corner on an early third-down scramble. Jalyx Hunt had a relatively quiet day, considering how well he played in the second half of the season. Facing a future Hall of Famer in Trent Williams will make even the best look merely mortal.
The Eagles defense had early success stopping 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, here being tackled by linebacker Nolan Smith in the first quarter.
Linebacker: C+
The linebackers were exposed at times in pass coverage. Nakobe Dean appeared to miss the shift in coverage when fullback Kyle Juszczyk motioned across the formation and was wide-open for a 27-yard pass in the third quarter. Dean was in coverage on McCaffrey’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Purdy had time after stepping up.
Zack Baun finished with six tackles. He made a run stop near the line in the third quarter.
The 49ers, particularly their pass offense, suffered a blow when tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles in the second quarter. But a cast of relative unknowns still gashed the Eagles’ secondary at times.
Quinyon Mitchell had two big second-half interceptions. Mitchell somehow has four postseason picks, but none in the regular season in his two-year career. The recently named first-team All-Pro had a rough opening drive. The 49ers went at him on their first pass with receiver Demarcus Robinson catching a 61-yard pass over Mitchell. Later in the drive, Robinson beat him inside on a 2-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. But he bounced back on the next drive and broke up a pass to Kittle and wasbig time in the second half.
Cooper DeJean was closest in coverage when receiver Jauan Jennings caught a 45-yard pass out of the slot on the seam route in the second quarter. DeJean broke up a pass to Jennings into the end zone late in the game. Adoree’ Jackson played too soft on third down-and-long, and Robinson caught a 15-yard pass to convert. Jackson got beat by Robinson again on a 15-yard out route after the break.
Safety: C+
Marcus Epps tackled Kittle after the tight end’s first and only catch of the game for 6 yards. Kittle never got up on his own and had to be carted off. Epps picked up an illegal use of the hands penalty. He had good coverage on McCaffrey on an errant third-down throw in the third quarter.
Reed Blankenship appeared to be the guilty party when a 49ers trick play freed McCaffrey for a 29-yard touchdown catch made over the shoulder to open the fourth quarter. Michael Carter was used in certain nickel packages on obvious passing downs.
Special teams: C
Jake Elliott rebounded after an extra-point attempt doinked off the left upright after the Eagles’ first touchdown. He made his next PAT, a 41-yard field goal, and a go-ahead 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Braden Mann averaged 44 net yards on four punts. He skyrocketed a 58-yard boomer with no return in the third quarter.
The 49ers kicked away from Will Shipley, but hemade a nice tackle on the opening kickoff. Britain Covey averaged 30.5 yards on two kick returns. He didn’t have a punt return.
We’ve seen this movie before with Nick Sirianni’s team this season. The offense performs solidly to start the game and then goes into overly conservative mode and melts down. It wasn’t all on his game plan and the play-calling; the execution was lacking, too. But Sirianni is responsible for it all, and his team failed, once again, to get out of the first round and won’t repeat as Super Bowl champions.
He gambled early on fourth-and-2 at the San Fran 48. It was aggressive but not reckless. The Eagles failed to convert, but Sirianni was rewarded for his gumption a drive later when a fourth-and-2 attempt resulted in Hurts’ touchdown pass to Goedert.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’ssuccessful play-calling in the red zone continued in the postseason with the Eagles converting their first two trips inside the 20 into touchdowns. After a solid start, though, the offense struggled and went three-and-out on three straight possessions. The execution wasn’t sound, but a run on second-and-18 in the third quarter was indicative of Patullo’s play-calling over that stretch. His future at his current post clearly is uncertain.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit again folded under the weight of the offense’s inefficiency. That said, his defense was way too leaky in pass coverage. Fangio quickly adjusted after his group allowed a touchdown on the opening drive. He was able to stop McCaffrey on the ground with mostly a four-man front and nickel personnel. The Eagles did allow two explosive pass plays in the first half — one for 61 yards and another that went for 45 yards.
There were more explosives allowed through the air in the second half, including a double-reverse option play with Jennings tossing the touchdown pass to McCaffrey.
We’ve seen this story before from Nick Sirianni’s Eagles teams.
This time last year, few fans outside of the most rabid of the NFL knew who Kevin Patullo was. For the record, he was the Eagles’ passing game coordinator and coach Nick Sirianni’s favorite lieutenant.
Now, everybody knows his name. After 18 games of ineptitude as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Patullo will bear the blame for the lost season of 2025, no matter how much he looks like his buddy, Nick.
Patullo cannot survive the week. The blame will fall to him.
It might not be true. The defense needed two months to round into shape.
It might not be fair. Sixty percent of the offensive line was injured to some degree all season, and neither wide receiver A.J. Brown nor running back Saquon Barkley played to his usual standards.
Still, it’s hard to believe that owner Jeffrey Lurie, who spent $128 million on an offense that cost him more than twice what the defense cost, will give another chance to the least popular assistant coach since Juan Castillo moved from offensive line to defensive coordinator in 2011. Castillo was fired in October 2012, two months ahead of Andy Reid’s departure.
An offense that featured Barkley, Brown, Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and a well-paid, pedigreed offensive line scored two early touchdowns against the visiting 49ers on Sunday night. And then just six more points.
It had been 22 years since the Eagles suffered such a gutting home playoff loss, a 14-3 collapse in the NFC championship game. Move over, Carolina.
The Eagles gave away a 23-19 wild-card playoff loss to a 49ers team that had crossed three time zones with a depleted roster, that, after the second quarter, also had lost one of its better players, tight end George Kittle. Hurts and Patullo’s offense had a chance to score the winning touchdown in the closing minutes, but the drive broke down and failed at the 21-yard line on the quarterback’s fourth-down incompletion intended for Goedert with 40 seconds left.
Asked his evaluation of Patullo’s first season, Hurts replied: “We’ve all got to get better.”
Eagles tackle Fred Johnson sits on the bench after the loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata said, effectively, let he who is without sin cast the first stone:
“Nobody wants to blame the guy we paid $22 million, so let’s blame the offensive coordinator,” said Mailata, who averages $22 million per season.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan acts as his team’s play-caller, and, despite absences and injury, he gave Patullo a master class in scheme and preparation.
The 49ers’ first possession, comprised mainly of passes for 61 and 11 yards, lent credence to the people who wanted the Eagles to play their starters instead of resting them in Game 17 the week before. The defense looked more than just rusty. It looked inept.
The Eagles’ maligned offense somehow stayed sharper than their celebrated defense. On its first possession, six runs from Barkley helped move the Eagles to the 1, where tight end Goedert ran the ball for just the fourth time in his career and scored his first rushing touchdown.
The Eagles’ next score happened because Barkley waited for Landon Dickerson to block a defender on a 20-yard screen pass. Later, Hurts waited for a defender to clear the path between himself and Goedert, whom Hurts found for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The game was punctuated by a sideline incident with 2 minutes, 2 seconds to play in the first half as the Eagles prepared to punt. Head coach Nick Sirianni ran 30 yards down the sideline toward the touchy wide receiver Brown, who, in Sirianni’s view, was taking too much time exiting the field. Brown stopped and appeared to heatedly argue the point. Security chief Dom DiSandro separated them.
A few seconds later Brown left the bench and shouted in Sirianni’s direction, and was ushered away by sideline personnel and teammates.
Some of the stars starred.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs off the field after the loss to the 49ers.
Goedert, who this season set an Eagles record with 11 touchdown catches, tied for the league lead, ran for one touchdown — the first tight end to do so in NFL playoff history — and caught another.
Quinyon Mitchell, the team’s best defensive back since Brian Dawkins, collected his third and fourth interceptions in his five career playoff games.
Barkley ran 26 times for 106 yards and caught a 20-yard pass.
Brown? He managed just three catches for 25 yards. He failed on two consecutive deep shots to connect with Hurts, disconnects that immediately preceded his latest sideline incident.
Brown often has expressed frustration with the Eagles offense the past two seasons. Sunday, as he has done for more than a month, he left the locker room without fulfilling his league-mandated obligation to speak with reporters.
In the end, the Eagles offense couldn’t rise to the occasion, a shortcoming it had all season long.
With under a minute remaining in the wild-card round Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Jalen Hurts was tasked with driving down the field and leading a touchdown drive to erase the Eagles’ 23-19 deficit. Upon reaching the 49ers’ 20-yard line, Hurts was sacked and threw three straight incompletions, ending the Eagles’ aspirations of repeating as Super Bowl champions.
There were three lead changes in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The 49ers managed to pull off the win without injured inside linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa, and tight end George Kittle, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the second quarter.
Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ loss to the 49ers:
Nick Sirianni’s first home playoff loss was a story of missed opportunities.
Tale of two halves, again
The Eagles offense followed an all-too-familiar script — it came out strong in the first half, only to disappear at times in the second.
In the first half, Kevin Patullo and Nick Sirianni opted to run early and often to great success. On the second play of the Eagles’ opening drive, Saquon Barkley took a handoff from Hurts in the shotgun, bounced to his right, and scampered upfield for a gain of 29 yards. His run helped set up the Eagles’ first touchdown of the day, a 1-yard run by Dallas Goedert to make it 7-6, 49ers, after a missed Jake Elliott point-after.
Barkley finished the first quarter with nine carries for 48 yards (5.3 yards per carry).
Barkley had an up-and-down showing in the passing game. First, the good. In the second quarter, Hurts had an unblocked defender in his face on second-and-6 from midfield, and dumped the ball off to Barkley, who turned a routine checkdown into a 20-yard gain.
His play eventually led to Goedert’s second touchdown of the game, a 9-yard catch that made it 13-7, Eagles.
Then, the not-so-good. On third-and-3 from the Eagles’ 37-yard line early in the third quarter, Barkley dropped a pass in the open field, causing the Eagles to go three-and-out for a second straight possession.
His woes continued in the second half. After averaging 4.7 yards per carry (71 yards on 15 carries) in the first, Barkley went for 0.8 yards per carry (six carries for 5 yards) in the third quarter.
Patullo and Sirianni seemed to lean conservative in their play calls in the third quarter as they clung to their 13-10 lead. Three plays after Quinyon Mitchell’s first interception of the night in the third quarter, Barkley was stuffed for a loss of a yard by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir on a second-and-18 zone run.
The Eagles lost nine yards on the four-play drive and punted. On the following possession, still up by three, the Eagles settled for a 41-yard field goal. They had seemingly waved the white flag on third-and-13 with a Hurts 4-yard keeper, appearing content to take the points. However, Sirianni pushed back on the notion that he had grown conservative in the second half.
“I think that’s always the go-to [perception] if it [doesn’t] go the way you want,” Sirianni said. “If it goes the way you want it to go in the first half and then not the second half, I think that’s the go-to of people [thinking] you take your foot off the gas, but we were playing more balanced, got the run game going a little bit, trying to mix our play actions in, trying to get our passes in to create explosives. At the end of the day, we didn’t create enough explosives.”
Barkley was slightly more effective in the fourth quarter, and was able to return after being hobbled by a leg injury after a hard hit that caused him to miss snaps. But at that point, the Eagles were often in catch-up mode due to the 49ers scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Rare drops plagued A.J. Brown. The 28-year-old receiver had three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards. On the Eagles’ final possession, he dropped a third-down pass over the middle of the field, only to be bailed out by Goedert’s conversion on the ensuing fourth down. With the season on the line, Goedert was targeted later in the drive on fourth-and-11 from the 49ers’ 21, but linebacker Eric Kendricks broke up Hurts’ pass.
As a passer, Hurts went 20-for-35 (57.1%) for 168 yards and one touchdown. While the Eagles won the turnover battle, they didn’t win the explosive play battle. Hurts’ longest pass went for 20 yards and Barkley’s longest run was 29, marking the Eagles’ only plays of 20-plus yards.
“I take ownership for not being able to put points on the board,” Hurts said postgame. “It all starts with me and ends with me. And so there’s a sense of a lot there that you can learn from. I think as a team, as a collective group and personally for me as a quarterback, how you see the game, how you feel the game, and ultimately just, ‘OK, how can I find a way to win?’ We weren’t able to do that today.”
Quinyon Mitchell logged two interceptions in a losing effort for the Eagles.
Mitchell’s two picks for naught
Quinyon Mitchell, named to his first All-Pro team on Saturday, stepped up in the second half in an attempt to reinvigorate the Eagles offense.
The 24-year-old cornerback contributed a pair of interceptions, keeping the surging 49ers offense off the field and giving Hurts & Co. an opportunity to put points on the board.
However, the Eagles only mustered a field goal off his picks. On his first interception in the third quarter, Mitchell undercut an erratic play-action pass intended for Skyy Moore, giving the Eagles offense prime field position at their own 48.
They punted after four plays, one of which was a Cam Jurgens holding call on second-and-10.
One series after the 49ers took a 17-16 lead on a fourth-quarter trick play — a 29-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey — Mitchell struck again. Again, he undercut Brock Purdy’s pass, this time intended for 49ers tight end Jake Tonges.
The Eagles began the series at their own 38 and managed to move the ball 32 yards on eight plays. But the wind proved problematic in the passing game. Late in the drive, a deep pass intended for Jahan Dotson in the end zone died in the wind, eventually leading the Eagles to settle for a field goal. Elliott made the 33-yard attempt, putting the Eagles up, 19-17, with eight minutes remaining.
Ultimately, Mitchell’s interceptions proved to be missed opportunities for the Eagles offense.
The Eagles defense made some big plays but also had key miscues and allowed Christian McCaffery to get into the end zone twice.
Mistakes haunt Eagles
A litany of mistakes crippled the Eagles on both sides of the ball. The Eagles lacked detail, one of Sirianni’s core values, reflected by their seven penalties for 48 yards. The 49ers, conversely, were flagged once for 15 yards.
The Eagles’ mistakes led to 49ers points. Late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles up 19-17, Reed Blankenship was flagged for holding Tonges on second-and-6 just outside the red zone. His transgression wiped away a Jalen Carter sack and gave the 49ers a fresh set of downs at the 20.
The 49ers took advantage of his mistake, as Purdy connected with McCaffrey on a 4-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead, 23-19.
“I should have never held him,” Blankenship said. “I thought I was pretty late. But at the end of the day, I’ve just got to be better doing that and be better doing my job.”
The defense also had breakdowns in coverage. Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson’s 61-yard reception against Mitchell on the second play of the game brought the 49ers into the red zone. Robinson caught a 2-yard play-action pass for a touchdown, also against Mitchell, putting the 49ers up, 7-0.
In the second quarter, Jennings had a 45-yard reception while aligned in the slot, slipping past Cooper DeJean to make the grab. His big play eventually led to points, too, in the form of a 36-yard field goal.
Elliott’s missed extra point was also costly. Had he made it, the Eagles could have played to tie the game with a field goal on their final possession.
When it comes to tailgating, Philly is among the best to do it. Whether it’s grilling camel or belly dancing in the snow, Eagles fans know how to step it up for the playoffs — and this year’s pregame tailgate for the Birds’ wild-card matchup with the San Francisco 49ers didn’t disappoint.
Here’s what you missed from the tailgating lots …
Darius Slay back in Philly
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team, appearing on the sideline before the game and even in the parking lots.
The former Birds cornerback posed for photos with fans at the 4th and Jawn tailgate ahead of Sunday’s game. Standing beside his wife, Slay looked at the crowd of Birds fans and smiled as they yelled out “Big Play Slay” and erupted in Eagles chants.
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team. pic.twitter.com/XsSPgLKuRp
Although Slay was released last offseason before signing with the Steelers, he still means a lot to Eagles fans after spending five seasons in Philly, capped off by a Super Bowl victory in February.
“Darius Slay means everything,” said 30-year-old Chris Mallee. “He’s kind of a blue-collar guy like all the people coming to the games. He’s someone that keeps his head down and works really hard, family oriented, he’s a really solid guy.
“We definitely miss him here but we’re glad he’s doing well.”
How do fans feel about Darius Slay making an appearance at the Eagles tailgates pic.twitter.com/G2Akdi8KOQ
Slay was released by the Steelers last month, and subsequently claimed by the Buffalo Bills. However, he informed the Bills he was considering retirement and did not report to the team.
At the same time Slay was hanging with Birds fans Sunday, the Bills were in Jacksonville for their own playoff game. They came back in the final minutes to beat the Jaguars, 27-24, and advance to the divisional round.
John Hirschbuhl and Doug Steinbrecher’s Philly Football Finger caught the eye of George Kittle during his rookie year.
Kittle’s favorite middle finger
Most players who have played in Philly have had at least one memorable interaction with Eagles fans. And George Kittle is no different. The veteran tight end was one of several 49ers players to discuss his relationship with the fan base, and even shared his favorite story, which had to do with a giant middle finger he saw his rookie year.
“There were like four 10-year-old kids holding a seven-foot-tall papier-mâché middle finger that had a rotating thing on it that made the middle finger come up,” Kittle told reporters. “That was the coolest thing, I’ll never forget it. That was my rookie year and I was like, this is excellent.”
That middle finger was back on Sunday.
John Hirschbuhl and Doug Steinbrecher have been building the Philly Football Finger for 25 years. The finger gets displayed for every home game and they bring it with them on the road twice a year.
“George Kittle happened to see it, enjoyed it, sent a police officer over to tell us how he appreciated coming to Philadelphia and how the fans are a little bit nuts here,” said. “We all love football. That’s what it comes down to.”
Kittle was carted off Sunday after suffering what was later reported to be an Achilles injury.
Walking through C Lot, you’ll likely find fans playing cornhole, grilling, and throwing a football around as they prepare for the day’s game. You may also see a grown man wearing a beak on his head as he drags a 49ers helmet through the parking lot with a leash.
That’s 64-year-old David Schofield, also known as “Beak.” He has been “walking the dog” for 21 years.
“The rescues, we just like to bring them out here in the sun and get them some exercise,” Schofield said of his “helmet dog.”
Schofield has made this into a pregame ritual, and owns a helmet for each NFL team.
“It started with a road trip in Buffalo when we took a helmet home to smash,” he said. “But, it was a good helmet so it didn’t smash too easily. So, I ended up putting it on a dog leash. Hence the birth of the helmet dog.”
An Eagles fan watches as the players leave the field after losing to the 49ers.
With less than a minute remaining in Sunday’s game, fans crowded together in McGillin’s Olde Ale House with the Eagles down 23-19 and their back-to-back Super Bowl aspirations on the line. As a way to motivate one another and keep their hopes alive, fans in the bar began to erupt into Eagles chants.
Unfortunately, Jalen Hurts was sacked and threw three straight incompletions to end their playoff run early.
Brandon Lasalata was just one fan in attendance to watch the Birds night end in a loss. The 24-year-old made the drive from Richmond, Virginia to watch Sunday’s wild-card matchup surrounded by Eagles fans. However, it wasn’t the ending he expected.
“I don’t know what happened,” Lasalata said. “We need to get rid of Kevin Patullo. I think that hopefully next year we’ll be a better playoff contender. We should have gotten through this round. I don’t know what happened. I’m very upset.”
On the other side of the room, 27-year-old Lancaster native Dominic Polidoro sat with his head hanging low in defeat.
“I feel pretty deflated,” Polidoro said. “I feel like this team was probably the most talented team in the league. It’s really disappointing to see them fall short, especially scoring less than 20 points in this game. The offense has so many talented players and the defense is even more talented. So, it’s really disappointing to see them fall short this early in the playoffs. We had higher hopes. We thought this team was good enough to go to the Super Bowl and win.”
In terms of what’s next for the Birds, Polidoro has a few ideas in mind.
“Fire both [Nick] Sirianni and Patullo,” Polidoro said. “I like Sirianni but I think a more strategic offense might be more complimentary for the team.”
Eagles season ends on failed comeback attempt against 49ers
Offensive tackle Fred Johnson sits on the bench after the Eagles’ loss to the 49ers.
In the end, the Eagles offense couldn’t rise to occasion, a shortcoming it had all season long.
With under a minute remaining in the wild-card round against the San Francisco 49ers, Jalen Hurts was tasked with driving down the field and scoring a touchdown to erase the Eagles’ 23-19 deficit. Upon reaching the 49ers’ 20-yard line, Hurts was sacked and threw three straight incompletions, ending the Eagles’ aspirations of a repeat Super Bowl championship.
There were three lead changes in the fourth quarter. The 49ers managed to pull off the win, without inside linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa, and tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles in the second quarter.
NFL playoffs: What we know about the divisional round schedule
So much for the Eagles facing off against the Chicago Bears.
With all the NFC wild-card games now finished, here’s what we know about the playoff matchups we’ll see in the divisional round next weekend:
NFC:
No. 1 Seahawks vs. No. 6 49ers
No. 2 Bears vs. No. 5 Rams
AFC:
With just one game played, things are a bit more fluid in the AFC.
All we know is the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos will either face the No. 6 Buffalo Bills, who won Sunday, or the No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers if they upset the No. 2 New England Patriots tonight.
If the Patriots win, the Bills will face the Broncos and New England will host the winner of Monday night’s wild-card matchup between the No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers and No. 5 Houston Texans.
A 10-play, 66-yard 49ers drive ends with a Brock Purdy pass to Christian McCaffrey on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The Eagles pressured Purdy, but the quarterback was able to get the ball out and into the hands of his best player to give San Francisco the lead.
The Eagles are on the brink of elimination with 2 minutes, 54 seconds to go. They trail 23-19 and need a touchdown to win. Their offense has 65 yards in the second half.
Quinyon Mitchell celebrates an interception during the third quarter.
The Eagles are clinging to a 16-10 lead as the third quarter ends, but San Francisco will begin the fourth quarter with a first down on the Eagles’ 29-yard line.
The Eagles’ offense has stalled a bit. Jake Elliott just extended the lead by three points with a 41-yard field goal, but the Eagles punted on their three previous drives.
Execution has been an issue, too. Saquon Barkley dropped a pass in the flat for a first down. Cam Jurgens was also called for a holding penalty on a Jalen Hurts run that would have resulted in a first down.
We'll see if those conservative calls on second and third down come back to haunt the #Eagles. But their defense is playing outstanding, and Nick Sirianni seems to expect them to maintain that level to finish.
Jake Elliott 41-yard FG expands lead over 49ers to 16-10.
Saquon Barkley has 15 carries for 71 yards in the first half
The Eagles lead the San Francisco 49ers, 13-10, at halftime.
A lot happened.
The Eagles’ running game got rolling. Saquon Barkley has 15 carries for 71 yards. Tank Bigsby ran three times for another 20.
Jalen Hurts is 11-for-16 for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Kevin Patullo’s red-zone magic with tight end Dallas Goedert continued. Goedert ran for a touchdown and caught another.
Jake Elliott missed an extra point as his season from hell rolls on.
The 49ers lost George Kittle to an Achilles injury. They got just 13 yards on eight carries from Christian McCaffrey.
Oh, and Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown got into it on the sidelines.
The Eagles’ defense needs to cut down on big plays, but Vic Fangio’s unit is in a pretty good spot. The running game should be able to control the second half. But the Eagles are probably regretting not getting points out of that last drive and building on their lead.
The Eagles receive the kickoff to start the second half.
After halftime, Sirianni told Fox’s Erin Andrews things are fine between him and his star receiver.
“Emotions, they run high, especially in the playoffs,” Sirianni said, according to Andrews. “Of course, after this game, we’ll go back to loving each other. But look, this is just the way it is. We’re just fine, thanks.”
“I just don’t think you can expect everyone to be super balanced and chill,” Brady said. “You’re a warrior, you’re a gladiator down on the field. Emotions are running high every single play.”
Fox NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan had a different perspective on the exchange.
“I don’t understand why Sirianni is running down there yelling at one of his star players,” Strahan said at halftime. “I don’t think that brings out the best in your player… In my opinion as a player, I wouldn’t have taken very well from my coach on the sideline.”
Eagles take the lead after refs pickup flag on Birds
Dallas Goedert’s second touchdown catch of the game was nearly called back after officials initially called Cam Jergens with a penalty for being downfield.
After a brief discussion, officials picked up the flag. Fox NFL rules alalyst Dean Blandino explained why it was a good decision.
“If you’re an offensive lineman, if there’s a pass you can’t be downfield when the pass is thrown,” Blandino said. “Jurgens was downfield, but the exception — if you’re blocking within a yard, you can drive that defender five, six, ten yards downfield.”
Haven't see much of Quinyon Mitchell getting beat this season, but the 49ers went at the All pro CB on their first pass that went 61 yards and on a 2-yard TD pass. 49ers jump down the #Eagles on their opening drive, 7-0.
A strong cold front is forecast to incite winds perhaps gusting 40 mph during the Eagles-49ers playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.
The winds evidently won’t be taking sides: The stadium’s orientation is more or less north-south, and the winds will be blowing from the west and then “swirling around in the Linc,” said Matt Benz, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
In any event, they won’t be much help to the quarterbacks or the kickers — San Francisco’s Eddy Piñeiro or Elliott, whose 74.1% field goal percentage this season was the second-lowest of his nine-year career. Piñeiro hit on 28 of 29 attempts.
Temperatures at kickoff are in the the mid-40s and are expected to drop into the upper 30s during the game. Steady winds of 20 mph may drive wind chills into the upper 20s.
Josh Allen and the Bills defeated the Jaguars earlier Sunday.
Here’s an updated look at the NFL 2025 playoff schedule and results (so far).
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
Full 2025 NFL playoff schedule
Wild-card round: Saturday, Jan. 10, to Monday, Jan. 12
Divisional round: Saturday, Jan. 17, to Sunday, Jan. 18
Watch Gameday Central: Live Eagles-49ers pregame show
// Timestamp 01/11/26 4:11pm
Bills advance past Jaguars in AFC wild-card opener
Josh Allen and the Bills are moving on in the playoffs.
The first AFC playoff game picked up right where the NFC left off Saturday night: with a thrilling finish.
In a back-and-forth affair that included four fourth-quarter lead changes, the Bills edged out the Jaguars, 27-24, thanks to a go-ahead Tush Push touchdown from Josh Allen with a minute left in the game.
If the Patriots beat the Chargers Sunday night, the Bills will travel to Denver next week for the divisional round as the conference’s lowest remaining seed.
If the Chargers pull off the upset, the Bills will face the winner of Monday night’s game between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 49ers, meanwhile, will be missing wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, and perhaps more crucially, will be without a pair of linebackers in Dee Winters and Luke Gifford. They lost another linebacker, Tatum Bethune, last week. On the flip side, they will be getting back left tackle Trent Williams, who missed the regular-season finale with a hamstring injury.
Ricky Pearsall and Dee Winters are inactive for today's game.
Johnson was officially listed as questionable following practice on Friday after participating in all three practices this week in a limited fashion.
Johnson suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot in the Eagles’ Week 11 win over the Detroit Lions. This week was his first week back on the practice field, but he was not yet fully ready to return to game action.
With Johnson out, Fred Johnson figures to continue starting at right tackle.
Cameron Williams just walked on the field with his game pants on, which would indicate that he will be one of the three OL reserves active today in addition to Matt Pryor and Drew Kendall. https://t.co/FDpRLaNqh2
This Eagles fan walks a ‘helmet dog’ to get ready for games
Walking through C Lot, you may find Eagles fans playing cornhole, grilling their favorite meats, or throwing a football around as they prepare for today’s game. Or you may see a man wearing a beak on his head as he drags a 49ers helmet on a leash through the parking lot.
That’s 64-year-old David Schofield, also known as “Beak.” He has been “walking the dog” for 21 years.
“The rescues, we just like to bring them out here in the sun and get them some exercise,” Schofield said of his “helmet dog.”
Schofield has made this into a pregame ritual, and owns a helmet for each NFL team.
“It started with a road trip in Buffalo when we took a helmet home to smash,” Schofield said. “But, it was a good helmet so it didn’t smash too easily. So, I ended up putting it on a dog leash. Hence the birth of the helmet dog.”
Darius Slay tailgates with Eagles fans as Bills open playoffs
Jennifer Slay (left) and former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (center) attend a tailgate before the Eagles play the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team.
The former Birds cornerback posed for photos with fans at the 4th and Jawn tailgate ahead of the Eagles’ wild-card matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Standing beside his wife, he looked at the crowd of Birds fans and smiled as they yelled out “Big Play Slay” and erupted in Eagles chants.
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team. pic.twitter.com/XsSPgLKuRp
Although Slay was released last offseason before signing with the Steelers, he still means a lot to the city of Philadelphia after spending five seasons here, capped off by a Super Bowl victory in February.
“Darius Slay means everything,” said 30-year-old Chris Mallee. “He’s kind of a blue collar guy like all the people coming to the games. He’s someone that keeps his head down and works really hard, family oriented, he’s a really solid guy. We definitely miss him here but we’re glad he’s doing well.”
How do fans feel about Darius Slay making an appearance at the Eagles tailgates pic.twitter.com/G2Akdi8KOQ
Slay was released by the Steelers last month, and subsequently claimed by the Buffalo Bills. However, he informed the Bills he was considering retirement and wouldn’t report to the team. At the same time Slay was hanging with Eagles fans Sunday, the Bills were in Jacksonville for a playoff game of their own. They currently lead the Jaguars, 10-7, late in the first half.
How confident are Eagles fans heading into the playoffs?
// Timestamp 01/11/26 1:32pm
Eagles all over: Fans fly in from Texas for first game at the Linc
Steven Booth, 30, and Brandon Casas, 26, flew in from El Paso, Texas, on Friday night to watch the Eagles compete against the San Francisco 49ers in their wild-card matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.
Booth has been an Eagles fan since 2005, when he was a kid and the Birds played the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Sunday’s game will be the first game he’s attending at the Linc.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the [Eagles] fan base,” Booth said. “How crazy it gets in there in a playoff environment. And of course a [win].”
The two teams previously met twice in 2023, first in January in the NFC championship, a dominant win for the Eagles. They met again during the 2023 regular season, when it was the 49ers turn to dominate the Birds in a 42-19 win to avenge the postseason loss. Booth sees Sunday’s game as a chance for the Eagles to take back their loss in their last contest.
Remember Eagles Court? It was a Birds-Niners game that started it all.
A stadium security member escorts two fans out of the Vet after they urinated on the wall in the 700 Level in 2002.
On Nov. 10, 1997, Jimmy DeLeon, a municipal court judge, was watching from home when a blowout loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football became more about what was happening in the stands. There were over 20 fights, a gang of fans broke a man’s ankle, two folks ran onto the Vet turf, and a New Jersey man was arrested after firing a flare across the stadium.
The concrete and steel fortress at Broad and Pattison had long been a haven for rough and rowdy football fans. There was the time the fans stole the headdress from the Washington fan who dressed like a Native American. And the whistling Cowboys fan who was chased out of the 700 Level.
“It was a nightmare,” said Bill Brady, a retired traffic cop who spent game days patrolling the 700 Level. “Fights galore. People passed out in the bathroom. One of the security guys up there used to box in the Blue Horizon. It was nothing but aggravation. You’d have roll call in the police room and go up to the 700 Level. By the end of the day, you were beat up.”
But this Monday night game against the 49ers was too much. The flare gun — the man said he saw people firing them in the parking lot and then brought one into the Vet — became national news as Philadelphia’s unruly stadium was now portrayed as a war zone.
DeLeon called Judge Seamus McCaffery as the two volunteered as judges in the city’s nuisance night courts, a program in which people who committed “quality of life crimes” such as loitering, underage drinking, and curfew violations would be brought immediately to a judge and receive a fine. DeLeon told McCaffery that they had to do something about the Vet.
“He was right on it,” DeLeon said. “He took it over.”
McCaffery was soon in a meeting with Jim Kenney — the future mayor who was then on City Council — along with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and president Joe Banner.
The night nuisance court was Kenney’s idea, and he thought it could work at the Vet. Arrested fans could be charged immediately, plead guilty, and be issued a fine by a judge.
Too often, an arrested fan would fail to show up to a court date and nothing more would happen. The city didn’t spend the resources to chase down fans from the 700 Level. McCaffery said it was a fine idea, but the stadium didn’t have a courtroom.
“Without missing a beat, Jeff Lurie said, ‘We’ll build you a courtroom here,’” McCaffery said.
Thus began the legend of Eagles Court.
“The hardest part sometimes was keeping a straight face,” added McCaffrey, who oversaw the court until the team moved to the Linc in 2003.
In wide-open NFL playoffs, it’s hard to count out the Eagles
Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert begin their Super Bowl defense in earnest on Sunday.
The Rams were a double-digit favorite and still needed last-minute heroics to win on the road against 8-9 Carolina. The Bears advanced past Green Bay after a fourth-quarter comeback that seemed impossible, and will probably be a home underdog once again vs. their divisional round opponent.
Wild-card Saturday was certainly wild, but it underscored a major storyline of this season’s NFL playoffs: It’s wide open.
After what was a pretty whacky regular season — the offense took a step back under a first-year coordinator; A.J. Brown fired off a few cryptic social media posts; Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter were hurt; Brandon Graham came out of retirement — the Eagles are firmly in the mix, and it’s hard to rule them out of making a Super Bowl run.
They will take the field later this afternoon as a six-point favorite (up from 3.5 points to open the week) against a 49ers team that is banged up and may be running out of gas. A win would send the Eagles to Chicago next week, and while they lost a brutal Black Friday game to the Bears in Week 13, they will most likely be favored to advance next weekend at Soldier Field.
Their reward could conceivably be a home NFC title game vs. the Rams, or a trip to Seattle for a matchup between two of the best defenses in the NFL. Seattle winning would require Sam Darnold to at least do enough to win against a healthy Vic Fangio defense. The Eagles may not be favorites in that game, but they’d be a live ‘dog.
FanDuel as of Sunday morning has the Eagles at +750 to win the Super Bowl. The Seahawks (+380) and Rams (+380) have shorter odds as far as NFC teams go, but they’re already in the second round. NFC title odds look like this: Seahawks +175; Rams +200; Eagles +380. Then there’s the Bears at +550 and the 49ers at +1900.
The Eagles have talent and experience on their side, despite whatever schematic advantages they may theoretically no longer have with their offense. Besides Jalen Hurts, only Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers have Super Bowl wins among the 12 teams that remained in the playoffs as of Sunday morning.
Hurts’ efforts to try to get back to another start Sunday, and the path started taking shape on a wild Saturday of football that made it easier to imagine the Eagles getting to the final weekend. And easier to see their season ending in disappointment on Sunday. It’s been that kind of season, and it’s that kind of playoff bracket.
Tom Brady seen here speaking to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, is back in the booth to call Birds-49ers Sunday.
Eagles fans will hear a familiar voice — and a former foe — calling Sunday’s wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, Fox’s No. 1 crew, will be in the booth at the Linc to call all of Sunday’s action. Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the sidelines.
It will be the duo’s seventh Eagles game this season, and while Birds fans have strong opinions about Brady, Burkhardt has unquestionably been a rabbit’s foot.
The Eagles are 12-5 in games Burkhardt has called (including playoffs) since he replaced Joe Buck as the Fox’s top NFL voice in 2022, when he was initially paired with Greg Olsen. That seems appropriate for the North Jersey native who grew up rooting for the Eagles despite living in Giants country.
You can also mute the TV and tune into 94.1 WIP, where Merrill Reese will be calling his 28th Eagles playoff run (and 18th alongside longtime partner and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick). The NFL’s longest-tenured announcer, Reese, 83, has said he has no intention of hanging up his headset once his 48th season comes to a close.
Eagles-49ers TV and radio details
When: Sunday, Jan. 11
Where: Lincoln Financial Field
Time: 4:30 p.m. kickoff
TV: Fox 29 (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
Radio: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Devan Kaney)
Spanish radio: Tico (Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, David Gerhardt)
National radio: Westwood One (Ian Eagles, Ross Tucker
The Eagles would face Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears if they defeat the 49ers Sunday.
If the No. 3 seed Eagles manage to defeat the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers Sunday, they’ll travel to Chicago to take on the No. 2 Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend.
The No. 1 Seattle Seahawks will take on the lowest-remaining seed, the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams, who eked by the No. 4 Carolina Panthers, 34-31, Saturday afternoon. That would leave the Eagles facing the Bears, who defeated the Birds 24-15 earlier this season. If the 49ers win, they would travel to Seattle and the Bears would host the Rams.
The Seahawks have entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed three previous times (2014, 2013, and 2005), and each time have advanced to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking to become the first No. 3 seed in the NFC to make it to the Super Bowl since Washington did it in 1987.
The NFL is expected to announce the full divisional round playoff schedule Sunday night during NBC’s broadcast of the AFC’s No. 7 seed Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 2 New England Patriots.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will face off Sunday at the Linc.
When it comes to our writers, it’s a consensus: the Eagles will advance to the divisional round. Here’s a look at how they see it playing out:
Jeff McLane: “There’s a push when it comes to the Eagles’ underperforming offense vs. the 49ers’ subpar defense; but I give the edge to a great Eagles defense over a very good, but not great 49ers offense.” | Eagles 23, Niners 17.
Jeff Neiburg: “It hasn’t been an encouraging season from the Eagles’ offense, to put it mildly, but the 49ers are down multiple linebackers and don’t have an abundance of talent in the secondary. If the Eagles don’t beat themselves, which you can’t rule out, they should be able to establish a running game that gets the offense back on track.” | Eagles 24, Niners 20.
Olivia Reiner: “Maybe the Eagles can finish what the Seahawks started last week and continue to punish the 49ers on the ground. Maybe Jalen Hurts and the passing attack can exploit the 49ers’ thin inside linebacker corps with passes over the middle of the field. Neither have been characteristic of the offense this season, though. Or, maybe, the defense will stifle Shanahan’s offense while Nick Sirianni, Kevin Patullo, and the Eagles offense do just enough to get by. It wouldn’t be the first time.” | Eagles 24, Niners 20.
Matt Breen: “The Niners had a great finish to the season before their dud against the Seahawks, but they just seem too banged up to hang with the Eagles.” | Eagles 24, Niners 13.
Eagles injury report: ‘Some concern’ Lane Johnson could miss game
Offensive tackle Lane Johnson could return to the field Sunday.
The Eagles have listed Lane Johnson, who suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in Week 11, as questionable to play in Sunday’s wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Johnson, the 35-year-old right tackle, was a limited participant in all three practices this week. He hadn’t practiced since mid-November, as he missed the last seven games of the regular season after his injury against the Detroit Lions.
On Saturday, Fox’s Jay Glazer reported that Johnson was dealing with some soreness and swelling in his injured foot and will be a game-time decision. That report that was confirmed by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport.
“There is some concern he could miss this game,” Garafolo said Saturday. “He was limited in practice all week, he looked good in spurts, but that’s a tough injury, it’s a painful injury. I would say that this is a legitimate game-time decision. We’re going to watch this [Sunday], so we’ll have an update for you on Sunday.”
In addition to Johnson, the Eagles listed Brett Toth (concussion) and Azeez Ojulari (hamstring; injured reserve) as questionable to play against the 49ers. Toth was a limited participant in Friday’s practice after sitting out on Wednesday and Thursday.
Everyone else on the Eagles’ active roster is available to play, including Grant Calcaterra (ankle), Jalen Carter (hip), Nakobe Dean (hamstring), Landon Dickerson (rest), Marcus Epps (concussion), Dallas Goedert (knee), and Jaelan Phillips (ankle).
Dean, the 25-year-old inside linebacker, is set to suit up for his first game in three weeks. He was sidelined for the final two games of the season with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders.
Dean revealed his intention to play against the 49ers earlier in the week. Dean last appeared in the postseason last season in the wild-card round win over the Green Bay Packers, when he tore the patellar tendon in his knee.
49ers injury report: San Francisco could be without several starters
49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams is questionable for Sunday’s game.
The San Francisco 49ers are listing five starters as questionable, including left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring), wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle), inside linebacker Dee Winters (ankle), outside linebacker Luke Gifford (quadricep), and cornerback Renardo Green (foot).
Williams, the three-time All-Pro tackle, was a limited participant in practice all week. Pearsall did not practice, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday he could still play. Green had not been listed on the injury report going into Friday’s practice.
Depth players defensive lineman Keion White (groin/hamstring) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring; injured reserve)are also questionable to play.
