Game Overview ::
By >> Mike johnson
- San Francisco is coming off a disappointing week 18 loss to the Seahawks which dropped them from the #1 seed and a bye to a trip to Philadelphia.
- 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and seems to be highly questionable for this matchup, while all-pro tackle Trent Williams has a realistic shot to play after returning to practice Thursday.
- The 49ers have one of the best offenses in the league, but arguably the worst defense among all 14 playoff teams.
- Philadelphia rested their starters in Week 18 and should be healthy and fresh for this home matchup to start their attempt to defend their Super Bowl crown.
How san francisco Will Try To Win ::
The 49ers offense has been incredible this season, ranking 2nd in DVOA for the season despite dealing with a litany of injuries over the course of the year. While the offense has dealt with a lot, elite offensive minded head coach Kyle Shanahan has been able to scheme his way through it and keep things ticking. The offensive injuries have been minor compared to the defense, however, as at least the offense’s issues were short-term things while the defense has played almost the entire season without major pieces and they are now down additional bodies after suffering more injuries in last week’s loss to the Seahawks. This is all to lay the groundwork for the reality that if San Francisco is going to pull off the road upset this week, it will likely have to be carried by their offense once again.
The injury issues continue for San Francisco, as WR Ricky Pearsall did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and seems to be highly questionable for this matchup, while all-pro tackle Trent Williams has a realistic shot to play after returning to practice Thursday. Pearsall has been terrific when he has been able to be on the field this year, while Williams is huge for the team’s pass protection and rushing efficiency. They can probably survive without Pearsall, but they might be dead in the water if Williams is unable to play.
As for “how” they will play, the game plan will certainly revolve around all-world RB Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle. The matchup with the Eagles defense is a tough one, but the 49ers have made a habit of finding ways to move the ball in all matchups this season. CMC is likely to touch the ball 25+ times in this spot and be heavily involved in the passing game. Kittle and Jauan Jennings will be the primary physical targets in the short to intermediate areas, while if Pearsall is out we should see a lot of Kendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson on the perimeter for San Francisco. The Eagles are very strong on the perimeter, so we can expect Kittle and CMC to be the focal points here. The 49ers also know that their defense is leaky at best and even an Eagles offense that has struggled for much of the year will probably be able to move the ball well and score on them. We could see an increased rate of multi-TE personnel groupings from the 49ers if Pearsall is out as they may try to slow things down and simply get to the fourth quarter in a close game and banking on the Eagles beating themselves in crunch time.
