49ers report card: Defense steps up in big moment to beat Eagles
PHILADELPHIA – Here is how the No. 6-seed 49ers graded in Sunday’s wild-card 23-19 win over the No. 3 Eagles:
PASS OFFENSE: A-
George Kittle’s second-quarter Achilles injury cast a familiar pall over the playoff proceedings, three years after Brock Purdy sustained an elbow-ligament tear here in an NFC Championship Game defeat. This time, the 49ers persevered and it was Purdy directing a fourth-quarter comeback and ultimately throwing a game-winning, third-and-goal touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey from the 4 with 2:54 remaining. McCaffrey caught another fourth-quarter touchdown pass, on Jauan Jennings’ 29-yard trickery to open the fourth quarter for a brief lead. Purdy (18-of-31, 262 yards) overcame two second-half interceptions to Quinyon Mitchell and was 5-of-7 on the penultimate series, with the actual final drive consisting of three Purdy kneeldowns. Sacked just once, Purdy targeted nine different receivers, led by Demarcus Robinson with 111 yards and an opening-drive touchdown.
RUN OFFENSE: C
McCaffrey had just 13 yards on eight carries in the first half, he finished with 48 yards on 15 carries, and none of that seemed to matter considering how he finished the game. Yes, he had two fourth-quarter touchdown catches, but he also had a 4-yard run to the Eagles’ 25 and a 10-yarder to the Eagles’ 10, setting up his winning score. Purdy (nine carries, 24 yards) twice converted on third-and-1 plunges, the last of which ended the third quarter and was followed by Jennings’ touchdown pass.
PASS DEFENSE: A-
The Eagles’ final four plays: sack by Keion White, incompletion (hurried by ex-Eagle Bryce Huff), incompletion (high off DeVonta Smith’s hands, Malik Mustapha drills Smith), and incompletion (off linebacker Eric Kendricks’ hands at the 8-yard line, after he backpedals from the right hashmarks to bat away a throw over the middle to Dallas Goedert). That sequence should be celebrated in 49ers lore. The Eagles, meanwhile, imploded, and Hurts’ longest completion all day was a 20-yarder to Barkley on their final drive. Another key play: Upton Stout broke up a fourth-and-2 pass toward Smith at midfield with 1:29 left in the first quarter, earning Stout immediate congrats from Kyle Shanahan.
RUN DEFENSE: B
Opening the playoffs without their four best linebackers invited Saquon Barkley to run roughshod through a patchwork defense. On the second play, Barkley delivered a 29-yard run as Sam Okuayinonu and Deommodore Lenoir lost outside contain, thus sparking a drive that yielded a 1-yard touchdown run by Goedert. Barkley still ran for 106 yards (26 carries) but the 49ers had 21 combined tackles from the starting debuts of linebackers Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow. Kendricks and Huff each had two tackles for loss, and one apiece came from Lenoir, White and C.J. West. Okuayinonu and Marques Sigle stopped Barkley for no gain on separate runs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C+
Eddy Piñeiro made his only field goal attempt (36 yards) but he missed his final point-after kick, which wasn’t going to kill the 49ers’ chances, regardless. Brian Robinson and Skyy Moore averaged 21.2 yards on six combined kick returns, so not great, but even worse was Moore making a fair catch at the 5 while battling wind after the 49ers’ defense forced a three-and-out to open the second half. That chilly wind surely didn’t help Thomas Morstead, who had 35- and 25-yard punts but also a 43-yarder that Sigle downed at the 6.
COACHING: A
This gritty comeback was one of the best wins in 49ers history, albeit in just the wild-card round. But rallying an already patchwork lineup after Kittle’s first-half exit was remarkable. Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sang each other’s praises, as merited.