{"id":660334,"date":"2026-01-07T05:43:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T05:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/660334\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T05:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T05:43:13","slug":"how-kyle-shanahans-49ers-will-challenge-eagles-per-vic-fangio-nbc-sports-bay-area-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/660334\/","title":{"rendered":"How Kyle Shanahan\u2019s 49ers will challenge Eagles, per Vic Fangio \u2013 NBC Sports Bay Area & California"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an abysmal three-point scoring performance against the Seattle Seahawks<\/a>, the 49ers offense will have to bounce back\u00a0against the Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They will have to do it against a familiar face: Former 49ers and current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kyle Shanahan has gone up against Vic Fangio’s defense only four times. The last time was 2018. Shanahan\u2019s offenses scored 11, 6, 15 & 9 points. His QBs were John Beck, Robert Griffin, Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens. Shanahan tried to hire Fangio in 2017, but Bears blocked it.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Although Fangio has had past success against 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan\u2019s offenses in previous matchups, the longtime NFL coach sees\u00a0many challenges that he will face on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a really good scheme \u2013 it\u2019s all packaged together very nicely,\u201d Fangio told reporters during a press conference Tuesday. \u201cThey give you a lot of good motions. Everything they do is with a purpose, and they do a really\u00a0good job\u00a0with it…\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c… I mean, they had a run where they were [the] hottest offense in the league for like six, seven weeks in a row.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the first six games since quarterback Brock Purdy\u2019s return from injury in Week 11, the 49ers were indeed the hottest offense in the NFL, scoring a league-leading 35.7 points per game in that span before their screeching halt against Seattle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fangio noted that Shanahan\u2019s use of motion, a staple of his offense, helps the 49ers decipher defensive pressure before the\u00a0snap, which can\u00a0provide\u00a0an\u00a0additional\u00a0challenge for his defensive play-calling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re really good at the motion,\u201d Fangio explained. \u201cThey have variety in it,\u00a0different types\u00a0of it. They do it for a reason and\u00a0they’re\u00a0good at it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

San Francisco used pre-snap motion on 73.8 percent of its offensive plays this season, the fourth-most in the NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with motion helping Purdy\u00a0make\u00a0pre-snap identifications, Fangio also praised Purdy\u2019s\u00a0mobility after the snap\u00a0as a source of the 49ers\u2019 offensive potency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he’s very good at that.\u201d Fangio noted\u00a0when asked about Purdy\u2019s scrambling.\u00a0\u201cHe’s a scrambler and when\u00a0he’s\u00a0scrambling,\u00a0he’s\u00a0looking\u00a0down\u00a0the field. His eyes go down the field.\u00a0He’s\u00a0wanting to throw out of the scramble before he decides to run it, and\u00a0he’s\u00a0very good\u00a0at it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fangio also singled out star running back Christian McCaffrey and star tight end George Kittle as impact players for the 49ers. Those two could\u00a0make life hard for the Philadelphia front seven.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a big game for everybody,\u201d Fangio\u00a0stated. \u201cI mean, you play an offense this good and this diverse, all 11 [players] have got to be cooking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

San Francisco put up a whopping 42 points in their last game at Philadelphia in Week 13 of the 2022 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Fangio was not with the Eagles then. In the past two seasons, the Philadelphia defense has finished\u00a0top-five\u00a0in the NFL for\u00a0points allowed per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s safe to say, Shanahan and Purdy will have their hands full in the wild-card matchup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t