Brendan O’Sullivan takes you through his preview, prediction and pick for the Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers NFL Wild Card Weekend matchup.
The NFL playoffs kick off with Wild Card Weekend’s six-game slate. Games will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
One of the premier matchups is between the Eagles and 49ers at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 11. This is the NFC’s No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed with the Eagles earning home-field advantage despite an inferior record.
Philadelphia is a 5.5-point favorite and -250 on the moneyline, while San Francisco is +205 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 44.5 points.
Here’s a preview, prediction and pick for Sunday’s Eagles vs. 49ers matchup.
Eagles vs. 49ers prediction, preview
The Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions, so there’s been a target on their back this season. They kept the core pieces of their roster, and the 2025 season looked promising early on. A 4-0 start with wins over the Cowboys, Chiefs, Rams and Buccaneers was impressive.
Philadelphia’s big issue this year was consistency. After its 4-0 start, it went on a two-game losing streak. The Eagles then rattled off four straight wins again to improve to 8-2. Then, a three-game losing streak sent the team into a spiral at 8-5. The season ended with a loss to the Commanders, keeping the Eagles from earning the No. 2 seed. That was a major loss as they could’ve played the 9-7-1 Packers instead of the 12-5 49ers.
The 49ers also ended the regular season on a loss, keeping them from earning the No. 5 seed to face the 8-9 Panthers. Both the 49ers and Eagles could have had much better matchups, but they instead face each other for the first time this year.
San Francisco’s offense runs through Christian McCaffrey. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team struggled without him last year. Now that he’s fully healthy, he’s proven why he’s still one of the best running backs in the league. McCaffrey finished the regular season with 1,202 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in addition to 924 receiving yards, 102 receptions and seven receiving touchdowns.
Jauan Jennings and George Kittle are also key factors in the passing game, but everything goes through McCaffrey first. Brock Purdy and Mac Jones split time this season, as Purdy dealt with injuries, but he was great when healthy. Purdy finished with 2,167 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns on a 69.4% completion rate in nine starts.
The biggest issue with Purdy is his interceptions. He had 10 interceptions this season despite playing only nine games. He had 11 picks in 16 games in 2023 and 12 picks in 15 games in 2024. This could be troublesome against the Eagles, who feature a great pass defense. Philadelphia allows the fewest passing touchdowns and eighth fewest passing yards. This defense also ranks 12th in pressure percentage.
On the bright side, the 49ers’ defense is great against the run, which is Philadelphia’s primary form of attack. San Francisco allows the eighth fewest carries and rushing touchdowns in addition to the 11th fewest rushing yards. The pass defense, however, is a different story, and could be problematic if Jalen Hurts can connect with A.J. Brown often.
Eagles vs. 49ers pick, best bet
Had either team won in Week 18, this matchup wouldn’t be happening. These are two quality teams seeking a deep playoff run, but only one will advance.
Although the Eagles have been inconsistent at times this season, they feature too many weapons on both sides of the ball. Their defense is elite against the pass, and a trio of Hurts, Brown and Saquon Barkley make for a dominant offense.
Purdy is susceptible to interceptions, and will likely struggle against a solid pass rush. Just one interception could swing this game big time, which is why Eagles’ -5.5 spread is the play.