Jan. 11, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PT

The San Francisco 49ers‘ miraculous season will continue after they upset the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

In an ugly, back-and-forth affair that featured plenty of mistakes, we learned a ton about a 49ers club that is banged up and still managing to find ways to overcome adversity to win games in 2025.

Here are our takeaways from a thrilling 49ers victory in the wild card round:

George Kittle update is the worst news

Kittle made a catch in the flat with 6:03 to go in the second quarter. He got hit and while battling for yards ruptured his Achilles. He went down holding his lower leg and was carted off to the locker room. Head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game confirmed the 49ers’ worst fears that Kittle had torn his Achilles. He’s out for the rest of this year and likely to miss all of next year. San Francisco has to try and figure out how to generate offense without their star TE, but they also have to find the emotional lift he brings to that side of the ball.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.49ers defense comes through big-time

What an effort from a beat up San Francisco defense. They held the Eagles offense to 19 points and 307 total yards on 72 plays (4.3 yards per play). Unlike the 49ers loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18, Sunday afternoon was the result of the 49ers making plays in all three levels of their defense. They tackled soundly, were good in coverage, and came up with just enough pass rush to make an impact in big moments. A huge tip of the cap to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and his group.

Eric Kendricks, Garret Wallow show out

The linebacking corps was a massive question mark for the 49ers entering Sunday since neither Kendricks nor Wallow, their starters, had played significant snaps this season. That duo was sensational. Kendricks came up with the play of the game when he broke up Jalen Hurts’s fourth-and-11 throw in the final minute to seal the win for San Francisco. Even before that he was excellent with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. Wallow started as the Will LB and led the club with 11 tackles. He also notched a pass breakup. If Kendricks and Wallow are going to play well it’s a great sign for the 49ers defense as they move on the playoffs.

49ers unlikely offensive hero

San Francisco needed a wide receiver to step up with Ricky Pearsall still on the sidelines nursing knee and ankle injuries. It was veteran Demarcus Robinson on Sunday. He was stellar from the jump with a 58-yard grab on the first drive to get the 49ers offense going. He finished the game with six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. This was the type of player the 49ers hoped Robinson could be for them where he could step into a bigger role if they were banged up. He hasn’t been that player so far this season, but he was a star in their most important game of the year.

A moment for Kyle Juszczyk

Shoutout to Juszczyk. He became a go-to target for Brock Purdy with Kittle out and hauled in all four of his targets for 49 yards. He made a sweet catch in the red zone on the game-winning drive to help set up their touchdown, and another time he caught a ball short of the sticks, but had the awareness to roll across the first down marker. Juszczyk is a seldom-used weapon for San Francisco’s offense. He was needed Sunday and responded with his most yards in a game since the 2024 season finale, and his most receptions in a game since Week 5 of the 2023 season.

Kyle Shanahan gets in his bag

I mean, come on.

Brock Purdy overcomes mistakes to come up big

Purdy threw two bad interceptions Sunday and it looked like the turnovers might cost the 49ers the game. The first one ended a strong drive by San Francisco’s offense, but their defense forced an Eagles punt. The second one not only ended a drive in the fourth quarter with the 49ers leading 17-16, but it led to a go-ahead field goal by Philadelphia with eight minutes to go. Despite the two mistakes, Purdy was cash on their game-winning drive. He completed five-of-seven throws for 42 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled once for five yards. The 49ers need Purdy to be better moving forward. Sunday they needed him at his best in the biggest moment and he was.

Christian McCaffrey keeps finding a way

There wasn’t much room on the ground for McCaffrey who ran 15 times for only 48 yards. However, he grinded out some tough yards, created some decent runs from nothing, and turned in six catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets. His sixth catch turned into the game-winning touchdown. McCaffrey isn’t the player he once was, but he continues finding ways to be impactful without the same explosiveness. What a player.

Kyle Shanahan’s playoff record

The 49ers have never been one-and-done in the playoffs under Shanahan, who is now 9-4 in the postseason in his career. He has more career playoff wins than Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, and his nine playoff wins are three more than the 49ers had from 2000-2016.

49ers vs. Seahawks Part 3

There was never going to be an easy path for the 49ers, but now they get the worst outcome. They visit the Seahawks, who held them to three points at Levi’s Stadium just two weeks ago. Seattle also had a first-round bye so they’ll be well-rested with a dominant performance over the 49ers in their back pocket, and the 49ers will go in without Kittle. San Francisco did win at Seattle back in Week 1, but both clubs are dramatically different now than they were at that point of the season. Given how Sunday went, it’s hard to count the 49ers out.

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