Somehow, some way, the San Francisco 49ers are moving on to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
Despite key mistakes, another devastating injury, and the second-half incompetence of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, the 49ers held on for a 23-19 victory to survive and advance and take on the Seattle Seahawks next week.
There were plenty of heroes on both sides of the ball for the 49ers on Sunday, but only three can earn a star. Here are the three that earned the top honors for the upset in Philadelphia:
Third star: LB Eric Kendricks
The defense as a whole is deserving of a star, but Kendricks is the player who slides into the slot and is the unit’s standout performer.
After making spot appearances on the 49ers’ defense over the past several games, Kendricks was thrown into the starting lineup due to injuries to Dee Winters and Luke Gifford, and the veteran came up big. He finished Sunday with 10 tackles, a pair of tackles for loss, and the game-sealing pass breakup.
Both of Kendricks’ tackles for loss came on drives that ended in points, but were important nonetheless. His first came in the second quarter, stopping a Saquon Barkley run for a loss of two yards to set up a third-and-5. Philadelphia was unable to convert the third down, but would score a touchdown on the fourth down to go up 13-7.
His next tackle for a loss came with Philadelphia in plus-territory in the third quarter. The Eagles gave Tank Bigsby a first-down carry, and Kendricks was able to break through the line to stop the play for a loss of one. While the Eagles were able to get a first down to extend the drive, it ended with a Jake Elliott 41-yard field goal to extend their lead to six, keeping the 49ers within one score.
Kendrick’s play of the game would be the play that sent the Eagles home. With Philadelphia facing a fourth-and-11 where a stop would end the game, Jalen Hurts would drop back and fire a pass to the heavily-covered Dallas Goedert. Kendricks had a fantastic read the whole way, getting in between the ball and the tight end and nearly coming up with an interception. While the pass wasn’t picked, Kendricks interference was enough to force an incomplete pass and seal a 49ers win.
The defense is deserving of the star, but Kendricks was such a standout that he earns his first star of the season. With all the injuries on the defense, his game on Sunday could not have come at a better time.
Second star: WR Demarcus Robinson
No Brandon Aiyuk. No Ricky Pearsall. George Kittle was lost in the second quarter. But thank god the 49ers had Demarcus Robinson.
After his first reception, Robinson set a new season-high in receiving yards and still had 59 and a half minutes to improve on it, and he did just that. When the game was finished, Robinson finished with 111 receiving yards – his first 100-yard game since 2022 – on six receptions on seven targets.
No play was bigger than his first reception. Brock Purdy found Robinson with his first pass of the game, and while Robinson caught the ball about 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, there was still work to be done. The receiver put his foot in the ground and made a nifty move to get past safety Marcus Epps. Robinson then used a well-placed block from Kittle to gain even more space, and from there it came down to whether he had the speed to take it to the house.
Robinson would make one more move to get past Zack Baun before Adoree’ Jackson would prevent the score, but when the dust settled, it was a 61-yard gain for the receiver. Four plays later, Robinson would close the drive with a two-yard touchdown catch to give the 49ers the quick 7-0 lead.
Robinson would add five more catches, including a 16-yard catch on what would prove to be the game-winning drive, but that first catch proved to be important. With a lack of pass-catching options, Robinson gave Purdy a legitimate option on the outside to help the 49ers offense stay moving throughout the game.
Playoff games are often decided by players you’d never expect, and Kendricks and Robinson were the two who helped determine the game in the 49ers’ favor on Sunday.
First star: RB Christian McCaffrey
But sometimes, it’s the players you expect to come up big, and it was McCaffrey who did just that in Philadelphia.
While there was plenty left to be desired in the run game from McCaffrey, just 48 rushing yards on 15 attempts, it was once again McCaffrey in the passing game that proved to be the difference. He finished Sunday with six receptions for 66 yards, but it was the two touchdowns and the timing of them that earned him the top spot on Wild Card weekend.
McCaffrey found himself on the receiving end of what might prove to be the play of the 49ers’ season. Trailing by six entering the fourth quarter, San Francisco was nearing the red zone with a first-and-10. Kyle Shanahan decided that’s when he’d reach deep into his bag for a play that we’ve seen before.
After the snap, Purdy pitched the ball back to Skyy Moore on an end-around, who would then pitch it back to Jauan Jennings. The threat of Jennings turning upfield with the ball was enough to force safety Reed Blankenship to commit towards the line of scrimmage, allowing McCaffrey to sneak behind him. When Jennings pulled up to throw, it was too late. The receiver uncorked a deep shot, and with a hell of an adjustment, McCaffrey pulled the ball down in the end zone to tie the game with the ensuing point after touchdown, giving the 49ers their first lead since it was 7-0.
Philadelphia would take the lead back with another Elliott field goal, giving the ball back to the 49ers with a two-point lead and eight minutes left in the game. The 49ers’ offense would work its way down the field, and nine plays into the drive, they’d put themselves within five yards of paydirt. And typically, when the 49ers are in that area of the field, that’s where McCaffrey is at his most dangerous.
Purdy dropped back on the third-and-goal and stepped up in the pocket to avoid some pressure. McCaffrey ran his route and was able to get some free space against linebacker Nakobe Dean – McCaffrey versus any linebacker is always a gross mismatch – and all Purdy had to do from there was find McCaffrey. And find McCaffrey, he would for what would prove to be the game-winning score.
The 49ers would be nowhere near where they are right now without McCaffrey, and that proved to be the case once again against the Eagles. And thanks to McCaffrey’s heroics, the 49ers move on to Seattle next week.
Throughout the season, I will track the three stars of the season, tallying points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Wild Card weekend, the standings are:
- RB Christian McCaffrey – 20 points
- LB Fred Warner – 11 points
- TE George Kittle – 11 points
- QB Brock Purdy – 11 points
