The 49ers overcame the Philadelphia Eagles. San Francisco didn’t just overcome Philly, they overcame themselves. To overcome is to succeed in dealing with adversity. The Niners have been overcoming adversity all season long. On Sunday afternoon, the 49ers conquered significant adversity one more time.
Philadelphia is not an easy place to play on a good day. Add a 35 mile an hour bone chilling wind, to notoriously hostile Eagles crowd and you have a recipe for disaster. No one thought the Niners had a chance against the defending Super Bowl Champions.
The Eagles were favored to win by 5.5 points. Why? The Niners rolled into Philadelphia without Nick Bosa, Mychel Williams, Fred Warner, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall and Dee Winters amongst other key contributors. The world views the 49ers as a wounded animal…and their perceptions were seemingly enabled as the game unfolded.
During the game the Niners lost Ji’Ayir Brown to a hamstring injury. Worse, the Niners lost George Kittle to an achilles injury. Despite these losses , the Niners kept on rolling, and found a way to win.
The Good and the Bad.
Yesterday’s game was a roller coaster of events. To simplify, I categorized it between the good and the bad. Lets start with the bad. Brock Purdy threw two interceptions and had a scary fumble that cost the Niners a potential field goal right before halftime. Skyy Moore muffed a punt, but managed to secure the ball and make some yards. Eddie Pinero missed an extra point in a game where points came at a premium. Worst of all, George Kittle exited the game on a cart. Kittle is the emotional leader of the locker room, and we all wondered how the team would respond.
Moving on to the good, the Niners responded in a big way. Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings on a deep over route for a 45-yard completion as the Niners marched on to score a field goal. The Niners went on to win the game, responding well to Kittle’s exit. Though Brock threw two interceptions, he also threw two touchdown passes. Brock overcame his three big mistakes to lead his team to victory. Christian McCaffrey collected yet another 100 yards from scrimmage game. Finally, Coach Shanahan pulled out a trick play that Purdy, Skyy Moore, Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey executed to perfection.
Skyy Bang Reverse Pass is the name of the coolest play of the game. Coach Shanahan set the play up earlier in the game when he ran a simple jet sweep with Moore. Then, later in the second half, the Niners built off that play where Moore tossed the ball to Jennings who was running a reverse. Jennings continued his arc and found McCaffrey streaking towards the end-zone on a go route. Jauan Jennings is the only non-quarterback to throw multiple touchdowns in the playoffs. His first touchdown pass occurred in the Niners last Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
Unsung Heroes.
The leadership on the 49ers roster has led to a laundry list of unsung heroes. In yesterday’s game, I thought there were five individuals who stepped up in big ways: Marques Sigle, Eric Kendricks, Garret Wallow, Demarcus Robinson and Kyle Juszczyk.
From the start of the game, it felt like the game plan centered around Demarcus Robinson. The first pass of the game went to him for a 61-yard gain. Brock’s third pass went to Robinson for a touchdown. The 49ers executed shock and awe as they completed a six play 76-yard drive to open the game with a score. Robinson went on to collect a total of six receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Juszczyk stepped up mightily when Kittle exited the game. Late in the third quarter, he executed a late release. No one was around him and he continued to work for depth. Purdy, under duress, saw “Juice” and connected with him for an eventual 27-yard play. This drive starter ended with the Jauan Jennings trick play touchdown pass. Juszczyk went on to collect a total of four passes for 49 yards.
Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow appeared to have joined the team at just the right time. Wallow had several key drive-ending run stops while Kendricks’s veteran leadership was felt throughout the game.
Eric Kendricks’s Play of the Game.
Kendricks made the defensive play of the game during the Eagles last snap of the season. It was fourth down. The Eagles needed 11 yards for a first down, and they were on the Niners 21-yard line. More importantly, they needed a touchdown to win.
Philadelphia lined up in eleven personnel (one running back one, tight end). The formation was shotgun. AJ Brown was in the right slot, with Dallas Goedert aligned just outside AJ on the line of scrimmage. Both players were in tight splits, with Devanta Smith and Jahan Dotson split wide to the left. AJ motioned out of the slot wide to the right, causing Malik Mustapha to back off the line of scrimmage to his two deep coverage post.
At the snap the Niners moved into cover four while Kendricks continued to work for depth as he kept his eye on Jalen Hurts. Goerdert took off on a go route, suddenly stemming his route to deep post in the center of the field at the five-yard line. Kendricks timed his jump well enough to tip the ball up and away from Goedert’s hands, effectively ending the game.
Kendricks tied Sigle for the most solo tackles in the game (7). Sigle showed up big when Brown exited the game. He flew all over the field and was in on the aforementioned coverage of Goedert the last play of the game. Marques Sigle picked up where he left off when Mustapha came back after his injury recovery.
Faith is Mighty!
Christian McCaffrey reminded us that God is Good. One must wonder what that phrase really means. As a man of faith, I believe that phrase is everything. How do you apply it to the 49ers season? Despite all the adversity, trials and tribulations, the Niners have found a way to continue to succeed. Their best players fall to injury, yet the team’s faith in God, faith in themselves, faith in each other and faith in their coaches have carried them through every game this season. Do I believe God favors one team over another? No. But I do think he blesses individuals in accordance with their faith. This year’s team has a lot of faith.
The season was a success before the Wild Card victory in Philadelphia. It will be a success if Seattle sends them home on Saturday afternoon. Why? The team’s faith in each other shows the core leadership values that permeate the 49ers organization top to bottom. The 49ers are organically growing new leaders as the elder veterans continue to heal.
The Niners can continue to win. Brock Purdy has shown that he can use all the resources available to win. More importantly, he has shown that he can overcome significant in-game mistakes. Purdy’s steady leadership despite multiple mistakes builds faith and trust from his squad.
Some may wonder why Purdy doesn’t bark at his team on the sideline. He doesn’t need to. The players position groups police each other up. Jauan Jennings yelling at Kendrick Bourne for screwing up the formation during the game is one such example.
Eric Kendricks may prove to the player the Niners needed to shore up deficiencies at linebacker. He has great instincts and he covers well. Kendricks is a veteran leader who is rapidly gaining the faith, respect and trust of his teammates. He has the intelligence and feel to execute Coach Saleh’s intent and scheme game in and game out. He also is fresh and rested as the Niners make this play off run.
On to Seattle!
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