Former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy didn’t waste any time taking aim at the San Francisco 49ers ahead of their playoff trip to Philly.
On the “Speakeasy” podcast, McCoy predicted the Eagles would handle the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game at Lincoln Financial Field (4:30 p.m. ET on Fox). But, it wasn’t just a former Eagles player declaring his team a winner, it was the manner in which he guaranteed the victory over the 49ers that’s catching fire online.
“[The 49ers] will not win this game, and it won’t be pretty,” McCoy said, adding that Philadelphia was going to “beat the hell out of them.”
One early “why this matters today” nugget: oddsmakers have moved toward Philadelphia since the matchup locked in. Action Network listed the early line at Eagles -3.5, and by midweek multiple trackers had Philadelphia closer to -4.5. Part of the reason is surely due to mounting injuries to the 49ers, a bad regular season loss to the Seahawks in their finale, and the Eagles getting healthy at just the right time.
What McCoy Said About Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey
McCoy’s whole case was built around defense and pass rush. He compared Philadelphia’s unit to the Seattle Seahawks defense that just held San Francisco to three points.
“We strap up and get to the quarterback,” McCoy said. “It’s going to be a night in hell for [Christian McCaffrey] and little [Brock] Purdy.”
That Seahawks game is fresh for 49ers fans for a reason. In Saturday’s 13-3 loss in the regular-season finale, Purdy took three sacks and the offense never found rhythm.
What It Means for the 49ers Game Plan
If the 49ers are going to flip the script, the formula is pretty straightforward: protect Purdy and get the run game back on schedule.
Emmanuel Acho, McCoy’s co-host, pointed to what he described as Philadelphia’s shakier run defense as a place Kyle Shanahan can attack. After that Seahawks loss, Shanahan openly pointed to the lack of a consistent run game as a problem, and the numbers backed it up, with McCaffrey held to 23 yards on eight carries in Seattle.
San Francisco’s protection plan matters even more because Philadelphia did finish the regular season with 42 sacks. That’s not the league lead, but it’s enough to punish obvious passing situations, exactly where the 49ers ended up too often in Week 18. It’s almost impressive given Jalen Carter’s absence for 6 games this season. The Eagles young defensive lineman entered the season with 10.5 sacks, but only registered three for the Eagles this season, in part due to injuries.
Key details to know before kickoff
- Matchup: (6) 49ers at (3) Eagles — Sunday, Jan. 11, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
- Last game: Seahawks beat 49ers 13-3; Purdy sacked 3 times
- Injuries to monitor: ESPN’s game injury report lists Trent Williams (questionable) and Tatum Bethune (out) among notable names.
- Weather snapshot: early forecast calls for a typical Philly winter day in the low-to-mid 40s with some wind
- Line movement: early Eagles -3.5 drifting toward -4.5
What happens next
There’s still time for Shanahan and the 49ers to settle the biggest questions that will decide whether McCoy’s prediction becomes bulletin-board fuel or a brutal postgame quote: Williams’ status up front, how healthy the offense is overall, and whether San Francisco can keep Purdy clean long enough to make McCaffrey (and the play-action game) matter again.
49ers Receive Explicit Threat From Former Eagles RB Ahead of Playoff Game