Inman: 10 things that caught my eye in 49ers’ wild-card win at Eagles

PHILADELPHIA – John Lynch was beaming as he stepped back into the 49ers’ victorious locker room on a most eventful day.

Sunday started with a nice family breakfast at a French bistro across from Rittenhouse Square. By 7:45 p.m., his patchwork roster was celebrating a wild-card win on Lincoln Financial Field, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.

Not so tasty was tight end George Kittle sustaining an Achilles tear in the second quarter. That prompted Lynch, the Niners’ ninth-year general manager, to visit the 49ers’ fallen captain in the locker room, along with owner Jed York and Kittle’s adoring wife, Claire.

Rather than wait to hit the 49ers’ sideline for the game’s final minutes like usual, Lynch made his way there for the entire fourth-quarter fireworks, disguised by a ski cap. “I was pretty chill,” Lynch said. “Those guys battle so hard.”

The No. 6-seed 49ers’ 23-19 triumph propelled them into Saturday’s divisional-round visit to Seattle, where they’ll face a Seahawks squad that beat them a week ago 13-3 for the No. 1 seed.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Lynch said.

Here are 10 things that I saw and heard from one of the most improbable playoff wins in 49ers history:

1. SHORT TURNAROUND

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he “very strongly” preferred playing at Seattle on Sunday, rather than, like the regular-season finale, getting shorted a day of recovery and facing the two-weeks-rested Seahawks on a Saturday. “Hopefully if the NFL is cool to understanding, they’ll make it Sunday,” Shanahan said.

Nope. The NFL has debuted No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s divisional round the past five years. Jauan Jennings enthusiastically shouted he “CAN’T WAIT! CAN’T WAIT” for the rematch, so now he won’t have to wait an extra day.

“I’m glad we get another shot. They played us real well,” Shanahan said. “Definitely beat us, but I know we can play better than that. I’m glad we have another shot.”

2. WILD SUCCESS

No team in NFL history has more playoff wins than the 49ers’ 40, two more than the Patriots. Where does this rank? On a scale of improbability, difficulty and superstar availability … it’s up there.

They’ve won five straight wild-card appearances dating back to their 2002 team’s epic comeback from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to eliminate the New York Giants 39-38. That team was the 49ers’ last to lose a divisional round game, at Tampa Bay in Steve Mariucci’s finale.

Brock Purdy delivered second-half comebacks in each of the 49ers’ three previous playoff games two seasons ago: NFC wins over Green Bay (21-14 fourth-quarter deficit) and Detroit (24-7 halftime deficit) before repeatedly rallying in the Super Bowl, only to lose in overtime to Kansas City.

3. WINNING POINTS

That winning drive saw Purdy complete 5-of-7 passes, the last of which found Purdy quickly go through his progressions, step up in the pocket and find his last option getting open, with Christian McCaffrey catching the 4-yard winning touchdown pass.

“I just stepped up and knew Christian should be right where he was and he was,” Purdy said. “So, it was just perfectly drawn to play and then executed greatly by Christian.”

McCaffrey said the 49ers worked on that play all week, with him faking on a flat route before taking an angle inside that can be dicey in terms of timing. “He did an awesome job stepping up, finding space. O-line did a great job protecting and I was kind of wide open,” McCaffrey said.

Shanahan called Purdy’s performance unbelievable as he shook off two second-half interceptions. “He kept letting it rip. The guy was not scared to fail at all, which you can’t be to make some of those plays,” Shanahan said. “And they weren’t easy plays either. It wasn’t like it was always to No. 1 or anything like that.  He was going through some progressions with a really good pass rush, and the touchdown to Christian at the end was probably the most impressive.”

Shanahan also praised Kyle Juszczyk’s 5- and 6-yard receptions on the drive, and the longest catch was a 16-yarder by Demarcus Robinson, whose 111-yard night included an opening-drive touchdown.

4. SKYY BANG REVERSE

This comeback required not one but two go-ahead 49ers touchdowns, and too much will be made of the first one because it came startlingly on the first play of the fourth quarter: Jauan Jennings, on a reverse from Skyy Moore, threw a touchdown pass to McCaffrey that officially went 29 yards.

The play name: Skyy Bang Reverse Pass. It was formerly Deebo Bang Reverse Pass, when Deebo Samuel started the seqence in New Orleans in 2019, culminating in an Emmanuel Sanders touchdown throw to Raheem Mostert in that 48-46 thriler.

Who called it: Shanahan, noting that offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak made “a hell of a suggestion.” Kubiak declined to take credit, saying: “Kyle calls the plays. I suggest things but he pulls the trigger.”

How it went: Jennings unleashed it at the 38-yard line, and McCaffrey made an over-the-shoulder snag at the goal line. “After I heard the screams, I’m just like ‘Yeah, CMC had to make a great catch,’ because coming off my hand, I definitely thought I threw it a little bit too far,” Jennings said.

The passer: “You know he can throw. He was a high school quarterback,” Jake Tonges said of Jennings, a four-star dual-threat quarterback out of Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The receiver: “Oh man, Jauan ripped it. It was in the air for what felt like 15 seconds. Great play call, well executed, good momentum play.” — McCaffrey.

5. CLUTCH, CLUTCH, CLUTCH

At downtown Philly’s Good Dog Bar postgame, an employee grated on the Eagles and cried aloud: “Choke! Choke! Choke!” On the flip side, the 49ers defense came through in the clutch. Again. And again.

A handful of their regular-season wins saw defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s unit make win-clinching plays and late-game stops or takeaways (see: Week 1, Seattle, Nick Bosa’s strip-sack fumble recovery).

Once the NFL’s No. 1 red zone offense reached the 49ers’ 20-yard line, the 49ers’ defense clutched up, starting with Keion White’s sack on Hurts as he tried escaping up the gut. Then came three consecutive interceptions, one hurried by Eagles outcast Bryce Huff, one dropped by DeVonta Smith, and the last broken up by Eric Kendricks’ athletic backpedal.

So I asked Saleh, in the locker room entryway, what he was thinking on that last drive. “There were a lot of different plays where you felt they were about to hit an explosive,” Saleh said. “But our guys’ ultimate strain, ultimate effort put themselves in position to make the plays they needed to make.”

6. KITTLE’S SACRIFICE

Apparently, 49ers fans think every superstar’s season-ending injury is a tradeoff to keep McCaffrey healthy through every start this season. It’s silly. It’s also morbidly working.

Kittle’s right Achilles ruptured as he backpedaled on a 6-yard, second-quarter catch. It was surreal seeing the eight-time captain carted off, three years after Purdy’s elbow-ligament tear triggered a loss on the same field with the NFC title on the line.

Get that man some tequila. That is what Kittle requested after hobbling into the locker room, and owner Jed York sent down a bottle from his suite, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

While Shanahan said it wasn’t necessary to address his team at halftime about Kittle’s plight, fullback Kyle Juszczyk said Kittle smiled while telling him during intermission: “I’m not dead yet, man. I’ll be back. Go win it.”

The sadder story: Kittle is out the rest of this improbable season, and an Achilles injury surely will sideline him into next season, if not for all of it. Kittle, 32, has the 49ers’ second-most career receptions (595) behind Jerry Rice (1,281) and third-most yards (8,008) behind Rice (19,247) and Terrell Owens (8,572).

McCaffrey emotionally said of Kittle: “When you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him, because his presence is still in this locker room, his energy is still here. He’s the leader and heart and soul of this team, so I’m praying for him, love him and will play for him the rest of the way.”

7. TONGES TIME

Jake Tonges won the 49ers’ season-opening visit to Seattle with a late touchdown catch, after Kittle exited with a first-half hamstring injury. The 49ers will call on Tonges again in Saturday’s return to Seattle, even if he had only a 14-yard catch just before halftime here, one drive after Kittle left. Purdy’s second interception Saturday was on an underthrown target to Tonges.

“Our guys take it upon themselves to be prepared for when the moment comes,” Tonges said of the 49ers. “It’s been happening all year, right? So we just take it as it comes and if someone needs to pop in and play, we have great depth and we have all the confidence in the world in our guys.”

Tonges had 34 receptions for 293 yards and five scores in the regular season, helping cover for Kittle’s absences due to hamstring and ankle injuries.

8. LINEBACKER DUO DO IT

Eric Kendricks signed Nov. 26. Garrett Wallow was claimed off waivers from the Broncos on Dec. 8. That linebacker duo made its starting debut in this playoff opener and tallied 10 and 11 tackles, respectively.

Kendricks iced the win with a fourth-down pass breakup, but only after bluffing a blitz, backpedaling from the right hashmark and into the spine of the field to deflect Hurts’ pass toward Dallas Goedert at the 8-yard line.

“As soon as I started dropping, I saw Saquon (Barkley) go across to (pass) protect, I knew I had to get to the other hash klind of quick,” Kendricks said. “I wish I would have picked it off. I should have picked it off. I usually do that. But I was happy I was able to make the play and get from hash to hash.”

Kendrick is still new here, after initially decommitting from a 2024 free agent deal. But Shanahan voiced his trust in him at Wednesday’s team meeting, saying: “Guys, I don’t really know Eric that well, but I’ve been going against him on the silent team forever and that’s why I feel like I do know him and from going against him, I promise you guys, this guy’s going to be ready.’”

Even though Fred Warner was spotted Thursday running on his surgically repaired right ankle, Shanahan said the chances of a divisional-round comeback were “not very high.”

9. SIGLE IN AT SAFETY

Rookie Marques Sigle, a starting safety the first seven games, figures to move back into the lineup after playing well in place of Ji’Ayir Brown, who exited with a hamstring injury and isn’t expected back next game.

“He’s done a hell of a job on special teams, and he’s been waiting and he’s been practicing doing everything, hasn’t gotten discouraged,” Shanahan said. “And his moment came in the playoff game, and he was ready for it.”

10. CHAMPS DETHRONED

The 49ers had help in keeping the Eagles under 20 points: Philadelphia’s offense resumed its season-long woes. After two touchdowns on its first three drives, the Eagles had four punts, two field goals and then the final series with a fourth-down throw Kendricks deflected.

“Felt like that was kind of our story as the year progressed,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Like you said, good first half. Didn’t do a good enough job coaching, didn’t do a good enough job executing in the second half, in that third quarter, particularly. Some penalties got us behind the sticks, and we had a hard time overcoming them.”

The Eagles were penalized seven times (48 yards) but not once on the final drive. The 49ers were penalized only once, that coming on Sigle’s hit of a sliding Hurts on the final drive.

“We didn’t create enough explosives. They did, give them credit,” Sirianni said. “They made more plays than we did. They coached better than we did, and that’s why they won.”

BONUS NOTE

Shanahan had the final say, with this locker room address: “As I’ve said every week, I can’t tell you guys how proud of this team I am. The fact we had two linebackers play that game that weren’t on our team a month ago — Garret and Eric, the fact you guys were ready for that, not to mention you guys balled your (butts) off, you were all over the place. So much love, so much respect, thank both of you. Guys, losing George like that at the beginning — is George in here? Love you, dude, thank you for everything, man. Hey guys, all we asked for was another shot, dude. We wanted another shot. You guys earned that in the best way possible. I can’t thank you guys more for allowing us to do this. Enjoy the night. Love you guys.”