The San Francisco 49ers need this to beat the Philadelphia Eagles

They despeately need this one thing.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have not created enough explosive plays on offense this year. Whether it be the injuries, the play calling, the quarterback, the explosive nature of this offense is not what you see from typical Super Bowl-winning units.

This could end up being the determining factor for the 49ers as soon as this weekend in the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

San Francisco must create explosive plays to beat the Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles rank sixth in explosive plays allowed this season. They rank 11th in giving up explosive plays in the run game and 4th in the passing game. Even more notable is that they rank 1st in explosive plays allowed in the past four weeks. 

Offensive and defensive explosive play rates (playoff teams in blue): pic.twitter.com/hKqfr6dvkk

— Sam Hoppen (@SamHoppen) January 6, 2026

To be fair, Philadelphia faced Kenny Pickett, Marcus Mariota, and Josh Johnson in three of those games. However, they faced Josh Allen in the other, and their season metrics prove what they can do. 

This is a defense built on letting teams take what is there and preventing the big play. It is what defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has done for his entire career. This will be interesting for Kyle Shanahan as a play caller, because on one hand, he could fall into the trap of taking what is given. 

However, it means being perfect and avoiding mistakes while going on long drives against a defense that has a lot of talent and some players who are known to turn the ball over. 

Shanahan could try to find ways to create explosive plays. This would help his defense and put the Eagles' offense into a tough spot. When the 49ers have been able to get plays in big chunks, they have looked unstoppable. 

Still, right now they do not have the pieces to do it, and Philadelphia will be trying to prevent it. 

Christian McCaffrey has been excellent on a down-to-down basis. He is leading the way as a receiver and runner, so it is hard to poke holes. However, it is limiting his explosiveness, and the run game is 26th in explosive rushes. 

When Ricky Pearsall is healthy, the 49ers can create down the field, but the second that he gets hurt, the deep passing game is gone. The addition of a healthy Trent Williams would also go a long way in buying Purdy the time to make these passes. 

It is hard to say that three players can impact whether the 49ers win. However, if Pearsall and Williams are healthy and McCaffrey can give them a few long runs, it may be the difference.