San Francisco came into Lincoln Financial Field as a 6.5-point underdog, without Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Mykel Williams — and left with a 23-19 win that ended Philadelphia’s Super Bowl defense. Brock Purdy threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey with 2:54 remaining, a 10-play, 66-yard drive that the Eagles never answered.
No Philadelphia fumbles. No Philadelphia punt returns.
Team Stats Comparison
Stat
San Francisco
Philadelphia
Total Yards
361
307
Total Plays
58
72
Yards Per Play
6.2
4.3
Passing Yards
286
167
Completions/Attempts
19/32
20/35
Yards Per Pass Attempt
8.7
4.6
Sacks-Yards Lost
1-5
1-1
Rushing Yards
75
140
Rushing Attempts
25
36
Yards Per Rush
3.0
3.9
1st Downs
20
19
— Passing
13
7
— Rushing
5
11
— Penalty
2
1
3rd Down Efficiency
6-11 (54.5%)
5-16 (31.3%)
4th Down Efficiency
0-0
3-5 (60.0%)
Red Zone (Made-Att)
2-3
2-3
Turnovers
2
0
Fumbles Lost
0
0
Interceptions Thrown
2
0
Penalties
1-15
7-48
Time of Possession
24:21
35:39
Total Drives
11
10
Scoring Summary
Quarter
Time
Team
Play
Drive
Score
1st
11:51
SF
Demarcus Robinson 2-yd pass from Brock Purdy (Eddy Pineiro kick)
6 plays, 76 yds, 3:09
SF 7 – PHI 0
1st
6:16
PHI
Dallas Goedert 1-yd rush (Jake Elliott PAT failed)
10 plays, 63 yds, 5:35
SF 7 – PHI 6
2nd
6:08
PHI
Dallas Goedert 9-yd pass from Jalen Hurts (Jake Elliott kick)
16 plays, 94 yds, 9:00
SF 7 – PHI 13
2nd
2:50
SF
Eddy Pineiro 36-yd field goal
6 plays, 59 yds, 3:18
SF 10 – PHI 13
3rd
2:11
PHI
Jake Elliott 41-yd field goal
10 plays, 23 yds, 5:11
SF 10 – PHI 16
4th
14:52
SF
Christian McCaffrey 29-yd pass from Jauan Jennings (Eddy Pineiro kick)
5 plays, 67 yds, 2:19
SF 17 – PHI 16
4th
8:00
PHI
Jake Elliott 33-yd field goal
8 plays, 47 yds, 3:55
SF 17 – PHI 19
4th
2:54
SF
Christian McCaffrey 4-yd pass from Brock Purdy (Eddy Pineiro PAT failed)
10 plays, 66 yds, 5:06
SF 23 – PHI 19
Game Notes
The trick play that decided the fourth quarter. On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Purdy pitched back to Jennings, who rolled right and threw a 29-yard touchdown to McCaffrey on an over-the-shoulder catch — turning a six-point deficit (PHI 16, SF 10) into a 17-16 lead. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak drew up the call, which the team named the “Skyy Bang reverse pass” after wide receiver Skyy Moore. With it, Jennings joined Purdy, Joe Montana, and Steve Young as the only 49ers quarterbacks with multiple career postseason touchdown passes.
Turnovers that didn’t turn. Quinyon Mitchell picked off Purdy twice and returned both a combined 3 yards. Philadelphia scored three points off those two turnovers. San Francisco converted neither takeaway into points, yet still won.
Goedert’s first-half double. Goedert scored on a 1-yard rush in the first quarter — the first rushing touchdown by a tight end in NFL postseason history — then caught a 9-yard score in the second quarter on a 16-play, 94-yard drive that took nine minutes off the clock.
Kittle lost in the second quarter. George Kittle went down with a right Achilles tendon injury late in the first half and was carted off the field. He finished with one catch for 6 yards. Lane Johnson was also ruled out before kickoff. San Francisco entered the game without Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Mykel Williams.
Elliott’s missed extra point. Jake Elliott converted both field goal attempts (41 and 33 yards) but missed one of two extra point tries in the first quarter, a detail that mattered less than it could have only because Philadelphia never built enough of a cushion to make it irrelevant.
How it ended. With 43 seconds left and Philadelphia needing 11 yards, Hurts’ fourth-down pass to Goedert was batted away by Eric Kendricks — a linebacker the 49ers had signed just a month earlier. San Francisco advanced to the NFC divisional round in Seattle.
Philadelphia lost the turnover battle despite creating two takeaways, converting fewer than half its third downs, and drawing seven penalties for 48 yards. San Francisco outgained them 361 to 307 total yards and finished at 6.2 yards per play to Philadelphia’s 4.3 — numbers that tell a cleaner story than a four-point final margin suggests.
NFC Wild Card Playoff | January 11, 2026 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Bobby A. Smith is a Senior Sports Analyst with over nine years of professional experience, specializing in forensic analysis of game strategy and player performance.
His work provides a definitive lens on a broad spectrum of professional sports, delivering expert commentary on the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Soccer, Boxing, Cricket, F1, and NASCAR. Unlike surface-level reporting, Bobby’s analysis is known for identifying the critical, game-deciding patterns that raw statistics often obscure. Every article is grounded in rigorous, fact-based research and an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity.
