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The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into the playoffs with their defense playing great, and will now face the San Francisco 49ers . Overall, Eagles ' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has pointed the team in the right direction. But they will have to face the 49ers' offense, which includes star running back Christian McCaffrey .
Philadelphia is favored to win by 4.5 points, according to DraftKings. Ultimately, this means oddsmakers are leaning more toward the Eagles.
But can this defense replicate what the Seattle Seahawks' defense did to McCaffrey and the 49ers last weekend? So far, the Eagles' defense has played pretty well. But that could come crashing down this weekend. Here is why.
There was a lot of criticism of the team after they elected to rest their starters against the Washington Commanders . Jalen Hurts had a down season, passing for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 421 yards and eight scores. Nick Siriani alleged the offense is ready , and they will be ready to move the chains.
But that was not the case against the Buffalo Bills . In that game, the offense struggled mightily in the second half. That allowed Josh Allen and the Bills to rally to give themselves a chance to win the game. Had the Bills not gone for two, they might have tied it and gone into overtime and won the game. But the offense's struggles have hindered the defense before.
The loss to the Hawks happened at the best time for the Niners. Usually, when the offense slumps, Kyle Shanahan makes adjustments, and the offense bounces back.
The 49ers have not had back-to-back bad games on offense this season. When they struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars , they adjusted and beat the Los Angeles Rams the following week. After struggling against the Houston Texans , the Niners exploded for 34 points against the New York Giants . Shanahan saw what did not work, and realized that the Eagles defense will attempt to do what Seattle did.
But the 49ers offense could offer some surprises . If the screen to George Kittle is not effective, Shanahan will move pieces around and find another way. But there is another possible factor in the equation.
As of press time, Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall have not practiced in the lead-up to the battle with the Eagles. If one of them returns, it could be a massive boon for the Niners.
Assuming Williams returns, that changes the dynamic of the offensive line completely. Having him back on the offensive line gives San Francisco another key piece to protect Brock Purdy in the pocket. Pearsall's possible return would give Purdy another option to throw to. But even if both are unable to play, the Niners have overcome so many injuries that they have allowed others to step in. Because of that, it has given reserves key playing time.
In the worst-case scenario that neither play, Shanahan still has Purdy and his exceptional vision of the football field. If Purdy gets that extra second, he can make the choice to find an open receiver, get McCaffrey in the dump-off, or take off and run. Purdy's ability to scramble makes him dangerous, and it's ironically something the Eagles like to do with their own quarterback.
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