A win on Saturday would have given the 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan an extra week of rest.
Instead, they will face the defending champions in the wild-card round.
Shanahan provided his evaluation of his team’s first-round foe, the Philadelphia Eagles, during a conference call with local reporters on Monday.
“We’re still really early into [preparation], but we know how good Philly is and how good they’ve been,” Shanahan explained. “We know they have a great defense. They’ve got a very talented and good offense in terms of how well they run the ball and some of the playmakers they have and the issue that their quarterback presents.”
The Eagles won the NFC East for the third time in four seasons, but did not look as fearsome as they were in their 14-win 2024 season. Their offense scuffled this season in particular, averaging just 22.3 points per game (19th in the NFL) compared to 27.2 points per game last season (7th).
But even in a down year, their offensive star power remains with key players such as quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver A.J. Brown. Shanahan is not overlooking their talent in the wake of a lower output this season.
The Philadelphia defense remains stout, allowing just 19.1 points per game this season. It’s the fifth-best scoring defense in the NFL in 2025.
“They’ve had a Super Bowl defense for a few years now, so we know those will be the biggest challenges,” Shanahan noted.
Moving the ball in the cold Philadelphia weather against a solid defense will be a key concern for Shanahan and the 49ers.
In the six games since Brock Purdy’s return in Week 11, the 49ers averaged 35.7 points per game, the best in the NFL in that span. That production came to a screeching halt against the Seattle Seahawks in their 13-3 loss on Saturday. It was the lowest point total for San Francisco since Shanahan’s first game as head coach.
Shanahan was asked if the Eagles’ defense presents a similar challenge to that of the Seahawks’ defense.
“Yeah, I mean they’ve got a really good pass rush and then they’ve got tight coverage, so that is a similar part of it,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan was dealt a tough hand with a short week of preparation ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks, but the 49ers now have an extra day to prepare for the first-round matchup against the Eagles.
“We were excited that it was on a Sunday so we can have a normal seven-day week,” Shanahan explained. “So, came in this morning treating it like a true Monday, just finished with the players and put Seattle game all to bed with them and now we’re getting going on Philly.”
Shanahan and the 49ers obviously would have preferred a first-round bye to rest up and have homefield advantage for their playoff run, but there hardly was any lamentation after Saturday’s loss as Shanahan told his team to embrace the hard road ahead.
“I think that’s what our guys are ready for. I mean, to go all into that game, I don’t think we cared who we played…” Shanahan said. “…Right now, you can’t get picky about who you play, whether it’s the defending champs or whether it’s the seventh seed. This is the playoffs. Everyone’s earned the right to be here.
“If you want to reach your ultimate goal, you’ve got to be good enough to beat anybody.”
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