Sunday’s Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles will be a fistfight. The 49ers offense is looking to bounce back after its showing against Seattle, and the Eagles will look to shake
their regular-season offensive woes.
Vic Fangio and Robert Saleh aren’t working with the same talent level on defense, but both have similar philosophies on defense. More specifically, coverage-wise.
The Eagles don’t blitz much, but can generate pressure with their front four. The 49ers don’t blitz much, but the defensive line is at the bottom of the league in pressure rate and sacks.
So, how are the two similar? That would be due to their use of zone coverage rather than man coverage. Take a look at the coverage splits between the two defenses.
Man Coverage (Week 1-17)
Overall EPA/DB: Philadelphia -0.05 & San Francisco 0.15
Philadelphia: Cover 0 (4%), Cover 1 Man (22%), and Cover 2 Man (1%).
San Francisco: Cover 0 (2%), Cover 1 Man (17%), and Cover 2 Man (0%)
Last six weeks
Philadelphia: Cover 0 (6%), Cover 1 Man (20%), Cover 2 Man (0%)
San Francisco: Cover 0 (3%), Cover 1 Man (17%), Cover 2 Man (1%)
How have both teams fared passing against man coverage?
Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt
Jalen Hurts/Tanner McKee: Cover 0 (7.5), Cover 1 Man (7.6), Cover 2 Man (9.9)
Brock Purdy/Mac Jones: Cover 0 (11.7), Cover 1 Man (7.8), Cover 2 Man (6.8)
The 49ers have fared better with defenses up on the line, while the Eagles have done better against a two-safety shell in man coverage. Hurts and Purdy won’t have to deal much with those coverages on Sunday.
The similarities continue with zone coverages.
Zone Coverage (Week 1-17)
Philadelphia: Cover 2 (4%), Cover 3 (29%), Cover 4 (15%), Cover 6 (21%)
San Francisco: Cover 2 (5%), Cover 3 (38%), Cover 4 (21%), Cover 6 (12%)
Last six weeks
Philadelphia: Cover 2 (3%), Cover 3 (31%), Cover 4 (14%), Cover 6 (22%)
San Francisco: Cover 2 (3%), Cover 3 (39%), Cover 4 (23%), Cover 6 (8%)
Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt
Jalen Hurts/Tanner McKee: Cover 2 (6.9), Cover 3 (7.0), Cover 4 (4.2), Cover 6 (6.7)
Brock Purdy/Mac Jones: Cover 2 (7.9), Cover 3 (7.4), Cover 4 (5.3), Cover 6 (3.8)
The numbers are very similar. However, the 49ers’ passing attack has been more efficient facing zone coverages all season. Hurts has been much better against man coverages, but putting him in a position to throw into windows and spots in zone has been a struggle. The hope for Saleh and his defense is that the tendencies continue.
As far as the 49ers, the Eagles’ pass defense has been very tough in the short/intermediate areas, but with some time, Purdy can attack the zone and more specifically, Adoree Jackson. The clear difference is the Eagles’ ability to generate pressure.
One more stat for both quarterbacks. How have Purdy and Hurts fared when kept clean, under pressure, blitzed, and not blitzed?
Jalen Hurts: 0.20 EPA/clean, -0.38 EPA/under pressure, 0.02 EPA/blitzed, and 0.01 EPA/no blitz
Brock Purdy: 0.37 EPA/clean, -0.32 EPA/under pressure, -0.10 EPA/blitzed, and 0.21 EPA/no blitz
