Niners-Eagles Playoff Stock Market: Reigning Champs Fall Short

PHILADELPHIA - The reigning Super Bowl champions were on the brink.

It was 4th-and-11 with 43 seconds left in the wild-card round of the playoffs and Jalen Hurts tried to fit the football into Dallas Goedert in the midst of triple coverage.

The ball fell harmlessly incomplete and that was it. Like a scene from "The Sopranos," the Eagles' quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions went dark into an offseason of uncertainty where the biggest questions will be the future of embattled offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and the future of unhappy receiver A.J. Brown.

The final score read 23-19 San Francisco, who will move on to face Seattle in the divisional round of the playoffs next week, while the Los Angles Rams will visit the Bears.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni took his first of three timeouts before the fourth down try, eschwing any ability to get the football back from the 49ers on the back end.

"We wanted to see what defense we were in," Sirianni explained. "We didn’t think that there was going to be a great opportunity to get the ball back with enough time to do anything if we stopped them. We knew that that was going to be the last possession, so we took a picture of what they thought they were going to do to give ourselves some information, and that’s why."

Hurts took ownership of what was a failed decision.

"They played a quote cover-four structure, and I just didn’t make the play," Hurts said. "I own it. I own it all.”

THE BULLS

Q RATING - It's not often that Quinyon Mitchell gets picked on but it happened to the All-Pro cornerback a couple of times early in the game. Mitchell proved to be no shrinking violet, however, and responded by intercepting two Brock Purdy second-half passes, the second of which set the Eagles up to g back on top of a see-saw game.

Mitchell has four career interceptions, all of which have come in postseason games.

FIVE-STAR - 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings was once a five-star, dual-threat quarterback recruit out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, ahead of current NFL stars like Sam Darnold, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson. He showed off his throwing skills on a 29-yard TD throw to Christian McCaffrey early in the fourth quarter that put San Francisco on top 17-16.

DALLAS DOES IT - Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. The veteran tight end had a career-high 13 TDs this season and became the first tight end to have a rushing TD in the postseason, and only the sixth TE in NFL history to have a rushing and receiving TD in the same game.

THE BEARS

LANE CHANGE - Optimism that star right tackle Lane Johnson would return from the Lisfranc sprain that cost the future Hall of Famer the last seven games in the regular season turned dark pre-game when Johnson didn't join his fellow offensive linemen in pre-game warmups.

When Fred Johnson began working on combination blocks with right guard Tyler Steen, it was a clear indication that Lane Johnson would not be making a return and shortly thereafter he was among thw Eagles' seven inactives, a list that also included emergency quarterback Sam Howell, edge defender Josh Uche, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, running back A.J. Dillon, offensive lineman Brett Toth, and defensive tackle Ty Robinson.

Tyler Steen and Fred Johnson working combo blocks. Clear indication Lane Johnson will be inactive. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/3B1HqjItJ9
— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) January 11, 2026

All but Johnson and Toth (concussion) were healthy scratches.

Its windy pic.twitter.com/Seg1bTx9Sy
— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) January 11, 2026

WIND GAME - The Eagles would have been set to visit the Windy City next week had they won and they should have been well-equipped after another "wind game" at Lincoln Financial Field. Unfortuantely, the hometoen team came up short.

Things picked up in South Philadelphia in the afternoon and by game time winds were sustained at 15 miles per hour with gusts up to 35 MPH.

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