If you're asking what's the score for the 49ers, you probably caught the tail end of a heart-stopper or missed the Sunday afternoon madness entirely. San Francisco just walked out of Lincoln Financial Field with a 23-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't pretty. Honestly, it was a gritty, ugly, beautiful mess of a Wild Card game that probably took five years off every Niners fan's life.
The Final Score: 49ers 23, Eagles 19
The scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story. It never does. Down 19-17 in the fourth quarter, things looked bleak. The Philadelphia crowd was deafening. But Brock Purdy did that thing he does—staying cool when the pocket collapses like a cheap tent—and found Christian McCaffrey for a 4-yard touchdown pass that basically silenced the Linc.
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That score held. It stayed 23-19 because the defense, led by guys who were basically on the practice squad a month ago, stood tall on a final fourth-down attempt. Eric Kendricks, who has been a massive mid-season addition for this injury-plagued roster, swatted away a Jalen Hurts pass to seal the deal.
Scoring Breakdown
The game was a see-saw. San Francisco jumped out early with a 2-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson, but the Eagles answered with a Dallas Goedert run. Yeah, a tight end run. At halftime, the Niners were trailing 13-10 after a 36-yard Eddy Pineiro field goal.
Then came the play of the game. Jauan Jennings—the man who apparently thinks he's a starting quarterback—took a pitch and fired a 29-yard touchdown strike to McCaffrey. It was a "Philly Special" style trick play used against the team that practically invented it. Absolute poetry.
Why This Win is Bittersweet
You can't talk about the score without talking about the cost. George Kittle is gone. He went down in the second quarter clutching his lower leg, and the news is as bad as it gets: a torn Achilles.
Losing Kittle right before a Divisional Round matchup in Seattle is brutal. He’s the emotional heartbeat of the team. Without him, the offense loses its best blocker and its most reliable safety valve for Purdy. Kyle Shanahan now has to reinvent the wheel in six days.
The Seattle Hurdle
The Niners are heading back to Lumen Field this Saturday, January 17. If you remember the regular season finale just a couple of weeks ago, the Seahawks handled the 49ers 13-3. It was a dominant defensive performance by Seattle that secured them the #1 seed.
- Matchup: San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Date: Saturday, Jan 17, 2026
- Time: 5:00 PM PST
- TV: FOX
Seattle is currently favored by 7.5 points. That’s a massive spread for a playoff game between divisional rivals, but given the 49ers' injury list, it’s not surprising.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Team
People keep waiting for the Purdy "regression." It’s become a meme at this point. "He's just a system QB," they say. "He can't win if the stars aren't healthy."
Well, the stars aren't healthy. Brandon Aiyuk has been double-teamed all year, McCaffrey is carrying the literal weight of the city on his shoulders, and now Kittle is out. Yet, Purdy finished the Wild Card game with 262 yards and two touchdowns. He’s winning games with Demarcus Robinson and Jauan Jennings.
The defense is the real question mark. Robert Saleh’s unit has been "mangled," to put it lightly. They’ve lost their top defensive interior players, yet they held the Eagles to just 19 points in a playoff atmosphere. It’s not about the scheme anymore; it’s about survival.
Looking Ahead to the Divisional Round
To beat Seattle and keep the 2026 season alive, the 49ers have to fix the red zone issues. They moved the ball well against Philly but settled for field goals twice when they should have had six. In Seattle, field goals are a death sentence.
The "12th Man" is going to be a nightmare. Purdy struggled with the noise in the regular-season finale, leading to a few uncharacteristic mistakes.
Next Steps for 49ers Fans:
- Monitor the practice reports for Fred Warner. He returned to practice but sat out the Wild Card game. If he’s back for Seattle, the defense becomes a different animal.
- Watch how Shanahan uses the extra tight ends. Eric Saubert or whoever is next on the depth chart needs to step up as a blocker.
- Check the weather for Seattle on Saturday; currently, it looks like typical Pacific Northwest rain, which usually favors the team that can run the ball better.
The 23-19 win over Philly proved this team has "it"—that weird, unquantifiable grit. But going into Seattle without Kittle? That’s the ultimate test of the Shanahan era. Keep an eye on the injury wire this week, as the roster is likely to see more elevations from the practice squad before Saturday's kickoff.