In another potential Game of the Year candidate, the San Francisco 49ers finally return to Philadelphia to seek revenge on the Eagles and keep pace in the NFC.
Everyone remembers last January’s NFC title game when Brock Purdy injured his elbow and doomed the 49ers to the 31-7 loss that ultimately sent the Eagles to Super Bowl 57. But the last time these teams met in the regular season, it was a different story. Then, in Week 2 of 2021, both teams had just come off of losing seasons in 2020, Jimmy Garoppolo was still the 49ers’ starter, and Jalen Hurts had just assumed the Eagles’ starting job full-time after Carson Wentz left for Indianapolis. The 49ers won that day, 17-11. This time should be different, as both clubs enter with the No. 3 and No. 4 overall scoring offenses in the league and average an identical 28.2 points per game.
This will be Purdy’s 17th career start, and he has thrown for at least one touchdown in 15 of his 16 prior outings. To keep pace in what should be a high-scoring affair, he’s going to need to rely on his entire receiving group, including George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, who are both closing in on continuing their streaks of catching at least 50 passes in a season (Aiyuk for the fourth consecutive season, Kittle for a sixth). On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers’ big deadline pickup, Chase Young, knows these Eagles well, having recorded 3.5 sacks in four career outings against them when he was a member of the Commanders.
The Eagles are now the fourth team in NFL history to have started back-to-back seasons winning at least 10 of their first 11 games. To improve to 11-1 and secure the NFL’s first playoff spot this season, the Eagles will need just win or tie and have one of the Rams, Lions, Packers, Falcons, or Saints lose or tie.
Jalen Hurts can keep his streak of rushing for at least one touchdown against the 49ers if he runs for another Sunday afternoon. D’Andre Swift should be as much of a factor on the ground and in the receiving game, as he racked up 104 total yards (65 receiving on eight catches, and 39 on the ground) the last time he faced the 49ers as a member of the Lions in 2021.
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Game Info
Date: Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023
Start time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia, Penn.
Stadium: Lincoln-Financial Field
TV Info: FOX, NFL+, Sunday ticket
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Point Spread: SF +3 (-102), PHI -3 (-118)
Moneyline: SF (+155), PHI (-130)
Over/Under: O/U 47 (-110)
The 49ers open as three-point underdogs on the road.
What To Watch For
Ten months removed from last season’s NFC championship game, the 49ers and Eagles may be previewing another rematch come January with this game. With two of the highest-scoring offenses in the league, there will be very few mistakes made on either side of this matchup. The first team to blink and make mistakes will find themselves walking out of Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night having lost.
If that team is San Francisco, their hope to gain home-field advantage and be the host team of any possible January rematch will vanish. If that team is Philadelphia, and the Cowboys win this weekend, the Eagles’ grip on the NFC East could start to slip with a pivotal matchup between the teams awaiting for next weekend in Dallas.
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