Eagles host 49ers in matchup of two of NFC’s top teams
SAN FRANCISCO (8-3) at PHILADELPHIA (10-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX
AGAINST THE SPREAD: San Francisco 6-5; Philadelphia 6-2-3
SERIES RECORD: San Francisco leads 19-14-1
LAST MEETING: On Jan. 29, 2023, the Eagles won 31-7 over the 49ers in the NFC championship game.
LAST WEEK: Niners won at Seattle 31-13; Eagles beat Bills 37-34 in overtime.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (8), PASS (13), SCORING (T-3).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (3), PASS (29), SCORING (20).
49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (7), PASS (8), SCORING (T-3).
49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (2), PASS (12), SCORING (1).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: 49ers plus-11; Eagles minus-2.
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts just keeps on winning and is part of the conversation for NFL MVP. The Eagles are 27-2 in Hurts’ last 29 regular-season games, and Philadelphia’s quarterback has 14 consecutive victories over teams with winning records. Against the Bills last week, he combined for five touchdowns through the air and on the ground. The 49ers defense will have their hands full trying to contain Hurts’ dual threat passing and running attack.
49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Deebo Samuel. The talented 49ers receiver had critical comments for Philadelphia CB James Bradberry, calling him “trash.” Earlier this week, Samuel said he doesn’t regret anything he has said. In nine games this season, the star wideout has just one TD reception. Samuel would love to find the end zone against Bradberry and the Eagles.
KEY MATCHUP: Offensive lines vs. defensive lines. Both the Eagles and 49ers have a supremely talented defensive front. San Francisco had a season-high six sacks against Seattle last Thursday and now has 15 sacks in three games since acquiring defensive lineman Chase Young from Washington. The Eagles also present problems on the defensive line, and 49ers RT Colton McKivitz and RG Jon Felciano will need to perform better on Sunday than they did when allowing seven pressures, according to PFF, against the Seahawks.
KEY INJURIES: The 49ers already were thin at safety when they placed George Odum (torn biceps) on injured reserve after his injury on Thursday. … Neither Dallas Goedert (forearm) nor Lane Johnson (groin) played against the Bills, but they could play against the 49ers.
SERIES NOTES: The Eagles knocked both San Francisco quarterbacks out of the contest in the NFC championship game last season, leading to a rules change in the NFL that now allows teams to dress a third QB for emergency situations. Haason Reddick’s hit on Brock Purdy caused an elbow injury that limited the 49ers QB’s ability to throw. Josh Johnson sustained a concussion, and San Francisco had no functioning QB for most of the second half.
STATS AND STUFF: 49ers: San Francisco leads the NFC West by two games. … After running for two scores against Seattle, RB Christian McCaffrey has rushed for a franchise-record 11 TD’s. … Defensive lineman Javon Hargrave has six sacks this season after finishing with 11 for the Eagles in 2022 in his third year with the club. … The 49ers have a league-best plus-11 turnover margin. Eagles: Philadelphia has trailed at halftime in four consecutive games. … WR A.J. Brown, who has been dealing with a thigh injury, has just 45 yards and six catches in his last two games. ….Philadelphia is 5-0 at home. … The Eagles are first (76.5%) in fourth-down conversions and third (47.3%) in third-down conversions.
FANTASY TIP: Brown is due for a breakout game. His last two subpar performances have caused the star wideout to slip to fourth in receiving yards (1,006) in the NFL. Earlier this season, he caught passes for at least 125 yards in six games in a row.
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