Is a Rivalry Developing Between the 49ers and Eagles?

The most anticipated game on the 49ers schedule has finally arrived.

San Francisco will take on the Eagles this week in a rematch of the NFC Championship. It is a matchup that was immediately circled right when the schedule was released. This is the 49ers' chance to rewrite history. They get to go back to Philadelphia and see if they can beat the Eagles.

That chance wasn't possible for the 49ers as soon as Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury on the opening offensive series. Because of that, the 49ers believe that they could've won had Purdy essentially not been knocked out of the game. Well, the Eagles remember the 49ers lamenting about that game, especially pass rusher Haason Reddick. He is already kicking off the week with a bit of trash talk in the lead up to the game.

"Talk is cheap," Reddick told KYW's Dave Uram. "They get to come back in the Linc. It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying a lot of 'what if?', a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that s*** up, and prove it again."

These comments got me thinking: is a rivalry developing between the 49ers and Eagles?

I certainly think so. Going into that NFC Championship game, the excitement and buildup was astronomically high. The 49ers were on a double-digit winning streak, while the Eagles were a complete juggernaut. It was going to be a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Unfortunately, everyone was robbed of what was to be a brilliant game once Purdy was injured.

So much trash talking due to hypotheticals ensued following that week. It all started during Super Bowl week when players like Deebo Samuel were asked about that game. So of course some Eagles players were going to respond. A lot of venom is pent up between these two teams towards each other. It has made this game mean so much more than a simple regular season matchup. This game feels like a playoff between two rivals.

Now, a rivalry needs more games and time for one to fully develop. However, I envision the 49ers and Eagles as being cornerstones in the NFC for the foreseeable future. As it stands, they are easily the two best teams in the conference, and then there's everyone else such as the Lions and Cowboys. The 49ers and Eagles are a cut above the rest. The NFC is going to go through these two teams. Last year's NFC Championship is not going to be the lone playoff matchup between them.

There is going to be so much drama between the 49ers and Eagles in such a limited time already. And if you're the NFL, you're absolutely loving this. These two are developing a rivalry that is bound to trump the one between the Bengals and Chiefs with their elite quarterbacks.