49ers-Eagles. There is no bigger game on the schedule this season.
From week to week, one regular-season NFL game typically doesn’t mean much more than any other regular-season game. But there are exceptions. Sunday’s showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles is one of them.
The defending NFC champion Eagles will host the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field exactly 304 days after meeting in the NFC Championship Game, which Philadelphia won, 31-7, to advance to Super Bowl LVII.
Related: Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: Eagles and 49ers are Nos. 1-2
Although there is no Super Bowl berth at stake in the rematch, the situation isn’t much different because they return to the Linc as arguably the two best teams in the NFL.
For that reason alone, this won’t be like any other regular-season game on the calendar. Especially through the first 12 weeks, 49ers-Eagles is the ultimate must-see game.
49ers-Eagles: Battle for the No. 1 seed
The Eagles (10-1) enter the game as the No. 1 team in the NFC, with a two-game cushion over the 49ers, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, who are all 8-3.
If the season ended today, the 49ers would be the No. 2 seed because they have a better conference record (6-1) than the Lions (5-2) and own a head-to-head victory over the Cowboys.
Despite being on the road and having a worse record, the 49ers opened as 1.5-point favorites Sunday. If the 49ers win, the best they can do is narrow the gap between them and the Eagles by one game. A victory would put them in position to grab the No. 1 seed – but only if Philadelphia stumbled over the final five games.
And that is entirely possible; following the 49ers, the Eagles play back-to-back road games at Dallas and Seattle (6-5).
Of course, if the Eagles beat the 49ers, they will further cement their No. 1 standing. At that point the only way Philadelphia would lose its footing on the NFC pedestal is if it lost to both Dallas and Seattle.
After that, the Eagles’ schedule lightens considerably; over their final three games, the Eagles play two against the New York Giants (4-8) and one against Arizona (2-10).
So, in some ways, the 49ers represent the last hope of catching the Eagles. Barring a complete collapse, the NFC crown would go through Philadelphia again in January.
49ers-Eagles: Retribution for the NFC championship game
This game has implications beyond just the No. 1 seed. For the 49ers, it’s a chance to prove that the Eagles’ dominant victory in January was a fluke based on one factor – the health of Brock Purdy.
San Francisco lost its young quarterback midway through the first quarter when Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick hit Purdy’s arm as he was throwing a pass and knocked him out of the game.
That was the beginning of the end for the 49ers, who later saw Josh Johnson – their fourth quarterback of the season – go down with a concussion, leaving them with no QB for the rest of the game.
Although Purdy needed offseason elbow surgery to repair his damaged ulnar collateral ligament, “Mr. Irrelevant” has come back strong and played at an MVP level. While Jalen Hurts has led the Eagles to the league’s best record and to comeback victories the past four weeks, Purdy ranks at the top of nearly every significant passing stat in the NFL.
Aside from Purdy, though, the 49ers have been so intent on overcoming the Eagles and ascending the NFC ladder that this past offseason they signed one of their best defensive players, Javon Hargrave. The move bolstered an already formidable 49ers defensive line while weakening the Eagles’ unit.
49ers-Eagles: There’s bad blood
There is no love lost between these two teams. Regarding the NFC Championship Game, the Eagles are tired of hearing the “what if” conversations about how the 49ers would have won the game if Purdy had been played the entire game.
Reddick, for one, isn’t buying that narrative.
On the other side, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was asked Monday about comments he made in January, when he called Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash.” Think he was ready to retract his words? Uh … no.
For that reason, Eagles receiver A.J. Brown gave “permission” to Philly fans to troll the 49ers’ playmaker on social media this week.
If the off-the-field battle of words is any indication, the 49ers-Eagles matchup on the field is likely to be better than advertised and as close to a Super Bowl as any regular-season game can be.