Sean Selby

Here. We. Go. A game that has been circled on the calendar since the schedules were released is finally upon us. Since the Eagles demolished them in the NFC Title game, the 49ers and their fans have been crying, chirping, and whining about going down in a whimper despite believing they had the better team last year. Well, in a Rematch at Lincoln Financial Field, we can hopefully put an end to all of that and send them back with their tails between their legs once again.

There is a slight issue, though. The Eagles have been scratching and clawing their way through games over the past few weeks and racking up very important victories on the way. They have had some highly intense, emotional wins in that stretch, so it’s fair to question if they can keep that energy going this week. You would think that eventually this would catch up to the Eagles and give them a letdown, and this could be the week. Especially with a Dallas matchup coming up next week.

The Niners are loaded at offense, with Christian McCaffrey leading the league in rushing, and the duo of Ayuik and Debo Samuel (the lead cry baby). Following a week where the Eagles defense was shredded by Buffalo, I would expect the Niners to have similar success….unless the defensive line can get in Purdy’s face often. Last week, Josh Allen used his legs quite a bit to extend drives, and Purdy doesn’t have that same trait, although he can move a bit. If the line can’t force hurries and hopefully a few mistakes, it could be a long game.

The Eagles offense is going up against one of the better defenses in the league.. again. To this point, after slow starts, they have passed those previous tests. I think they will be able to do the same this week, but I would be surprised if they can get to the 30 point mark once again. The problem is, they may have to in order to win this game. Jalen Hurts has been unreal this season and is trying to make a case for MVP. If he pulls it off this week, he has to get serious consideration.

As we said on this week’s podcast, the Eagles may not actually be the best team right now, but they are hardest to beat. I honestly think, as a full unit, the Niners hold that crown. Perhaps the Eagles can finally put together a full game of football and prove me wrong here, but I just have a weird feeling about this one. I think the Eagles fight, but they run out of gas this week. 49ers 31, Eagles 24

Pat Mulranen

I never totally disliked the San Francisco 49ers, except when the Eagles were playing them. But I dislike them now. After losing 31-6 in the NFC Championship game last January, all we heard was complaining from both Niners fans and players, including Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. San Francisco’s 95.7 The Game radio host Joe Shasky even bashed Eagles fans after the Niners lost. Yup, always blame Eagles fans when your team loses. That’s just how it works, right? No one likes us and we don’t care. I circled this game when the schedule came out. I have been waiting for this game since the summer. The wait is finally over! Brock Purdy is healthy. Their defense is still one of the best in the league. The 49ers shouldn’t have any excuses if they lose. The only question left is will they be able to back up all their offseason crying? 

Before the season, I did not know what to expect from Purdy. Was he just a one-hit wonder? Can he be a good quarterback in this league? I think the answer is yes. Purdy has completed over 70% of his passes this season and has a league-leading QBR of 75.6. His passer rating is 112.3. He has the weapons through the air and has Christian McCaffrey at his disposal. The Eagles are ranked 29th against the pass (255.7 yards per game and allowed the most passing touchdown in the NFL (23). The Eagles secondary has to figure something out to stop this offense. Even the run defense, which has been great, needs to step up to stop McCaffrey, who will be the best running back the Eagles face this season. The Eagles are allowing the third-fewest yards per game on the ground, averaging just 85.3. However, they allowed 346 rushing yards the last two weeks, so McCaffery presents a whole new level of toughness for the Birds. Stopping him will be a difficult challenge.The Eagles have started slow these last few weeks. So, it’s no secret they need to score early. They cannot keep coming back in games, especially against teams like the 49ers, who average  15.7 points per game in the first half. Their defense allows 6.6 points per game in the first half, so that does not bode well for the Eagles, who have been down 17-7 at the half against the Chiefs and Bills. The Eagles are averaging almost 15 points per game in the second half, but that might not matter if they can’t do anything early against the Niners, who are by far a better team than the Bills and, arguably, have a slight advantage over the Chiefs. 

If the Eagles start slow again and trail by 10 or more points at halftime, I don’t see them coming back for a third straight week. But assuming they play a clean first half (and by clean, I mean absolutely no turnovers… turnovers have been killing the Eagles all season) and keep it up in the second half, the Eagles walk away with a massive conference win. Again, assuming they play better early and stay with the Niners, I think the Eagles win. The difference will be being at home and, of course, Jalen Hurts. He will be the difference. As long as he’s the quarterback, anything is possible. Eagles 35, 49ers 32

Mike Sliwinski

After the Eagles lost to the Jets in Mid October, they faced a gauntlet of a schedule. High flying Dolphins team, Washington as a division foe that always plays them tough, a Cowboys team where the game either put them ahead 2.5 games in the division, or a half game behind via a tiebreaker, followed by Andy Reid and the world champion chiefs coming off a bye in KC on Monday night in bad weather, followed by a Sunday game in more bad weather traveling home on short rest. It wasn’t always pretty but the Eagles won them all. I am shocked they won ALL of them. In almost every one of those games people were saying this would be the stiffest test yet. Here we are again playing arguably the best team in the league with little to no weaknesses.

Brock Purdy is proving that he is for real even as a late round pick, some even putting him in the MVP conversation. CMC as the best RB in the game having a stellar year, who should be the MVP if it wasn’t so QB focused, he will need to settle for, and is a shoe in for, offensive player of the year. Aiyuk, and Deebo as dynamic playmaking receivers. Then TE Kittle, a phenomenal blocker who has big games every once in a while if you don’t pay attention to him and there are mismatches he can exploit. Trent Williams is still one of the best tackles solidifying their offensive line. The Eagles could be missing Fletcher Cox and will be down another LB in Cunningham. Their defensive line is not as scary as last year but is still very good, they upgraded safety at the trade deadline with Kevin Byard who is now more comfortable in the system. CBs Slay, Bradburry and Robe have been average, a downgrade for the first two whom were pro bowl caliber players last year. Will they gear up for this game with Deebo calling Bradberry trash?

Defensively, the 49ers have a daunting line with Defensive player of the year Bosa, big free agent signing from the Eagles in Hargraves, and big trade deadline pick-up, Chase Young. A LB core headlined by Fred Warner, and a decent, albeit banged up, secondary led by CB Charvarius Ward. If the Eagles want to prove to the world that they have the best offensive line, opening holes in the running game and slowing down the pass rush will go a long way in proving that. This will allow WRs Brown and Smith to get open and exploit the 49ers banged up secondary missing their top safety.

I picked against the Eagles for the first 2 times the past 2 weeks . This game I am not doing that and hope it’s not a jinx. The Eagles are on full rest and home for the 2nd week in a row. Granted SF benefits from a longer rest playing Thursday last week before traveling here. SF has had this game circled since the schedule was released talking trash and trying to prove last year’s blow out was a fluke. They are treating it like an in season superbowl and are really hyped up. The Eagles need the game too for that # 1 seed and first round bye. If not they only have a half game lead with two road games against the Cowboys and Seahawks. Spoiler alert in Dallas I think they lose. SF may be too hyped for this game, getting out to an early lead will deject the 49ers and have them relive last year’s nightmare. We also know they don’t play as well from behind. That will be key. I don’t expect another blow out, but at the position where it matters most, while closer then I’d like to admit, the Eagles have the better and more clutch player. I’m riding with Hurts to continue to prove to the world that the Eagles are the top dogs and he is the league MVP. Followed by another week of haters talking about how they aren’t that good. When you are on the top of the mountain, everyone tries to bring you down. Not happening this week. Eagles 30 49ers 24