Why the 49ers Will Beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Playoffs

There's a good reason the Eagles are favored to beat the 49ers by nearly a touchdown this afternoon.

The Eagles have the homefield advantage and the rest advantage considering they sat their starters last week while the 49ers lost a brutal game to the Seattle Seahawks just a few days before flying across the country.

What's more, the Eagles are the defending Super Bowl Champions. Most of their stars from last season's championship team are still there. And their defense, led by Vic Fangio, still is one of the best in the league.

But there's something decidedly dysfunctional about this season's Eagles, as opposed to this season's 49ers.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni paces the sideline during first half action against the Philadelphia Eagles at — Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2024 49ers were dysfunctional. Brandon Aiyuk held out and never fully reintegrated himself into the team. DeVondre Campbell quit midgame. Deebo Samuel socked a longsnapper for defending a kicker who kept missing kicks.

This 2025 49ers are less talented and more injured than last year's team, and yet they're much more tight-knit, in the sense that they're an actual team, not a collection of disgruntled egos. That's a big reason they doubled their win total from last year despite losing Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are the team that seems disgruntled and dysfunctional this season. They don't throw the ball enough to keep their star wide receivers happy. And their offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, is one of the worst play-callers in the league and probably will get fired if the Eagles lose to the 49ers.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during the first quart — Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

And the Eagles absolutely could lose, considering they lost to the Giants and Bears, two teams the 49ers beat this season. Granted, the Eagles played those teams on short weeks. Still, they also lost to the Cowboys, a team the 49ers probably would beat.

Despite all the talent the Eagles have, their offense objectively isn't good. They led the league in three-and-outs this season. And most of the time, it seems like all they try to do is not turn the ball over and score just enough to let the defense win the game.

Which means they most likely will let the 49ers hang around. And if the 49ers can shut down Saquon Barkley the way they shut down Jonathan Taylor a few weeks ago, they'll have a good chance to win, considering the weather should be extremely windy, which will make passing the ball downfield difficult for both teams.

Expect a low-scoring game that could come down to field goals. And for what it's worth, the 49ers have the best kicker in the league.

Game on.

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