T
he San Francisco 49ers are set for a tough test this weekend. Hitting the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, the 49ers will take on an Eagles team that is hungrier than ever to defend their Super Bowl title. Last time the 49ers went to Philadelphia, it did not go well, losing 31-7 and having both their starting and backup quarterback leave the game with injuries. The 49ers surely want their revenge in the quest for the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl.
But the 49ers are going into Philadelphia as the underdogs. Down several key players because of injuries and going into a hostile environment against one of the NFL’s best teams, the odds are not in the 49ers’ favor. However, one former 49er thinks that the team has all they need to take home a win and keep their season alive. Speaking on his podcast, NFL legend Richard Sherman gave his thoughts on the 49ers’ ability to beat the Eagles.
Why Sherman Thinks the 49ers Can Win
It is no secret going into this game– a majority of people are picking the Eagles to win this game. The 49ers are beat up, and despite finding ways to win, the playoffs is where wins become even harder to get. But Sherman spoke on ‘The Richard Sherman Podcast’ and said to calm down on being so quick to take the Eagles, believing the 49ers have a legitimate shot at winning the game.
“This ain’t going to be the walk in the park the Philadelphia Eagles believe it’s going to be,” Sherman said. “And I think Kyle Shanahan knows that. I think the San Francisco 49ers know that. And I think a little bit of the Philadelphia Eagles fans know that because if the San Francisco 49ers wanted a matchup, this was the one.”
Sherman added that while the talent on the Eagles is there, there have been certain area where the team has not reached its full potential– particularly on offense. In fact, under the guidance of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the Eagles offense ended the regular season ranked at No. 24 in total yards.
“The tape is the tape. Maybe it’s not being executed the way you expected it to be executed, but right now it’s hard to explain it any other way,” Sherman said. “This offense was not broken. It did not need to be fixed… You can see the obvious differences in the scheme. The explosive runs aren’t what they used to be. The explosive passes aren’t what they used to be. It just looks really conservative.”
Can the 49ers Bounce Back?
In a game to determine who would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the 49ers came up well short, losing 13-3 to the Seattle Seahawks, with a usually red-hot offense struggling to get anything going. And even though the 49ers lost, Sherman alluded to the tenacity of the defense for keeping the score close and says that the Eagles are not the same type of team that the Seahawks are this season.
“They held the Seattle Seahawks offense for all it’s done — and obviously some of this was Seattle’s self-infliction — but they held them to 13 points,” Sherman added. “That’s the second-highest scoring offense in the National Football League by points… … They gave up a lot of yards, but they held them out the end zone, and that’s what matters.”
49ers Legend Explains Why Team Can Beat Eagles in the Wild Card