Postseason football is defined by grit and narrow margins.
The San Francisco 49ers looked right at home in that environment, beating the Eagles 23-19 at a raucous Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Entering Sunday as the No. 6 seed in the NFC, Kyle Shanahan’s squad ignored the oddsmakers, the hostile environment, and, most critically, the difficult-to-stomach Achilles tendon injury to George Kittle to advance to a second-round matchup, a rematch with the Seattle Seahawks.
Here were the studs and duds from a game that won’t be forgotten anytime soon:
STUDS 💪
Demarcus Robinson — WR
» Because it’s the San Francisco 49ers and nothing about them makes a lick of sense, Robinson—one of the worst man-to-man receivers in the NFL this season per routes per yard run—sparked the 49ers’ first touchdown (which he scored) beating arguably the best cornerback in the NFC, Quinyon Mitchell, man-to-man for 63 yards on the second play of the game. Of course, the touchdown he followed with was also in man-to-man defense. Robinson didn’t stop there. He was the Niners’ No. 1 target on the day, catching six passes for 111 yards.
Brock Purdy — QB
» Delivered some sweet layered passes in this game and gave the Niners a fighting chance in a game where they couldn’t effectively run the ball until late. Yes, Purdy had two interceptions in this game, but he was far and away the better quarterback in this game, and it’s the reason the Niners won. He ended the game with 262 yards passing, two touchdowns, and 24 key rushing yards.
Jauan Jennings — WR
» Stepped in as the de facto tight end in the run game after Kittle’s injury. He caught a pass for 45 yards. Oh, and he also threw a beautiful 29-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey to give the 49ers a 17-16 fourth-quarter lead. He’s a hell of a football player.
Christian McCaffrey — RB
» It took a while, but McCaffrey saved his best for last, showing some serious burst in the run game late, making an all-world catch on the touchdown pass (fighting the wind) on Jennings’ throw, and then catching the game-winning touchdown with five minutes to play.
Upton Stout — NB
» The Niners’ best defender over the last month-plus, he continued his strong play Sunday, reaching the point where the Eagles stopped testing him.
Marquese Sigle — FS
» The biggest mystery of the 2025 San Francisco 49ers has been why Sigle was not able to see the field in the second half of the year. Because when he was forced into action Sunday with Ji’Ayir Brown’s injury, he was exceptional in both the pass and run game.
Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow — LBs
» The Niners went with two linebackers who were signed to the roster in recent weeks as starters in a playoff game, and they… looked really good! Kendricks, in particular, was fantastic and made the game-winning pass breakup.
DUDS 📉
Kendrick Bourne — WR
» It’s the 19th week of the season. Why does Bourne not know the plays yet? Every week, something like this shows up, but this week it proved critical: the Niners had to take their third timeout of the first half after he lined up incorrectly in a two-minute drill. Had the Niners been able to hold onto that timeout, they likely would have been able to kick a field goal before halftime.
Deommodore Lenoir — CB
» The Niners put Lenoir on the boundary (short) side of the field for this game, breaking with their standard practice of playing him solely on the right side (offensive perspective). Yeah… that didn’t work. The Eagles attacked Lenoir relentlessly, and he conceded early and often. To his credit: He did have some strong run stops in the second half.
Colton McKivitz — RT
» The Niners’ most steady and reliable offensive lineman this season was worked over by Jaelen Phillips in this contest. Purdy did a good job avoiding pressure from the right side, but it was constant.
All 49ers’ defensive tackles not named C.J. West
» The Eagles have a one-read quarterback with a noodle arm. It didn’t matter for most of the game because the Eagles could run double teams and wham blocks against the Niners’ defensive tackles.
