Eagles Last-Second Look, X-Factor For Wild Card Round

After a long regular season, it's finally time for the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon with kick-off scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. The clock is ticking and as of writing, there's less than one hour to go. It should be a good one. Before the contest, there are things you should know.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

First off, Lane Johnson will not be returning in the Wild Card round. There was optimism throughout the week about a potential return, but when the Eagles released their list of inactives on Sunday, Johnson was on the list. In total, the Eagles have seven players inactive for the game: Johnson, Joshua Ucha, Sam Howell, Jakorian Bennett, AJ Dillon, Brett Toth, and Ty Robinson.

The Eagles have a big one coming up

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) looks on during warmups prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles Inactives

Today's Inactives. #SFvsPHI pic.twitter.com/dirvwf5TbA
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 11, 2026

49ers Inactives

The 49ers also shared a list of seven inactives for the game, including wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The 49ers' complete list of inactives are: Pearsall, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan Watkins, Kevin Givens, Dee Winters, Luke Gifford, and Chase Lucas.

Ricky Pearsall and Dee Winters are inactive for today's game.

Full @DignityHealth inactives: https://t.co/ksaMR9WI2M pic.twitter.com/rrCWftrvPN
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 11, 2026

Eagles X-Factor
The guy to watch on Sunday is going to be Saquon Barkley. He finished the regular season with 1,140 rushing yards and was red-hot to finish the season. In his final four games of the season, Barkley had 400 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. ESPN's Seth Walder pointed out that the 49ers are allowing a 47 percent success rate on rushes since linebacker Fred Warner went down with an ankle injury.

"Stat to know: Since Week 7 -- the week after LB Fred Warner's ankle injury -- the 49ers are allowing opponents a 47 percent success rate on designed runs (third highest)," Walder wrote. "Though the Eagles haven't been nearly as successful on the ground this season as they were in 2024, San Francisco's defense could present the opportunity for RB Saquon Barkley to have a big game."

On top of this, when the 49ers faced the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18, Ken Walker had 97 rushing yards and Zach Charbonnet had 74 rushing yards. The defense is vulnerable and Barkley should be the focal point.

More NFL: NFL Punishes Eagles Duo Before Wild Card Round