For the Eagles to take down the 49ers in Sunday's Wild Card matchup, they'll need to capitalize on several vulnerabilities in San Francisco's defense. Let's dive into five areas where Philadelphia can exploit their opponent.
Firstly, the 49ers are severely depleted at linebacker. With top four linebackers Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune, and Luke Gifford all nursing injuries, Eric Kendricks will be starting in place of them. The Eagles can try to force Kendricks to make defensive calls on the fly by making positive plays on first down, exploiting his limited experience.
Secondly, the Niners' pass rush is severely lacking. San Francisco had a league-low 20 sacks this season, with only two players – Bryce Huff and Clelin Ferrell – having more than four sacks between them. The Eagles can look to extend plays by keeping the ball out of quarterback Brock Purdy's hands longer, making it harder for the Niners to get pressure.
Thirdly, the Niners' run defense was abysmal in their last game against the Seahawks. Missed tackles and physical plays allowed Seattle to rack up 272 yards after contact. Philadelphia will look to exploit this weakness by running the ball effectively with Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and Lane Johnson.
Fourthly, San Francisco's corners are small and vulnerable to bigger receivers. Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout may struggle to keep up with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith after the catch, particularly in 50-50 balls.
Lastly, the Eagles' offense needs to find something that works for them early on. After a lackluster regular season, Philadelphia still doesn't have an identity. They'll need to identify an area where they can exploit the Niners defense – whether it's through tempo, designed runs, or explosive plays with their receivers – and make that their focus for the game.
For one day at least, the Eagles' offense needs to find a spark and hang its hat on something. With the 49ers defense looking vulnerable across the board, Philadelphia can take advantage of this matchup if they're able to execute their game plan effectively.
Firstly, the 49ers are severely depleted at linebacker. With top four linebackers Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune, and Luke Gifford all nursing injuries, Eric Kendricks will be starting in place of them. The Eagles can try to force Kendricks to make defensive calls on the fly by making positive plays on first down, exploiting his limited experience.
Secondly, the Niners' pass rush is severely lacking. San Francisco had a league-low 20 sacks this season, with only two players – Bryce Huff and Clelin Ferrell – having more than four sacks between them. The Eagles can look to extend plays by keeping the ball out of quarterback Brock Purdy's hands longer, making it harder for the Niners to get pressure.
Thirdly, the Niners' run defense was abysmal in their last game against the Seahawks. Missed tackles and physical plays allowed Seattle to rack up 272 yards after contact. Philadelphia will look to exploit this weakness by running the ball effectively with Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and Lane Johnson.
Fourthly, San Francisco's corners are small and vulnerable to bigger receivers. Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout may struggle to keep up with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith after the catch, particularly in 50-50 balls.
Lastly, the Eagles' offense needs to find something that works for them early on. After a lackluster regular season, Philadelphia still doesn't have an identity. They'll need to identify an area where they can exploit the Niners defense – whether it's through tempo, designed runs, or explosive plays with their receivers – and make that their focus for the game.
For one day at least, the Eagles' offense needs to find a spark and hang its hat on something. With the 49ers defense looking vulnerable across the board, Philadelphia can take advantage of this matchup if they're able to execute their game plan effectively.
, can't rely on Kendricks holding it down for them all day. Need some explosive plays & tempo to take down those 49ers 
Anyway, back to this year's game... I think they gotta focus on exploiting those weaknesses in San Francisco's defense, you know? Like how the 49ers are missing some key linebackers and their pass rush is pretty lacking. And Philly's run game could be a big deal for them - just look at all those yards they got against the Seahawks! 
The thing is, Eagles' offense needs to find an identity already... it's kinda like when Donovan McNabb was struggling back in the day and we were all like "Dude, get it together!" 
But seriously, if they can capitalize on those weaknesses, they might just have a shot.
think the eagles need to mix up there plays or else they'll get stuck in a rut like last season... also gotta wonder how much kendricks is gonna be able to handle with all those injured linebackers... 49ers defense does seem pretty weak, but you can never count out san fran... hope the eagles can find that spark and make it to the next round 
. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are gonna look to exploit those smaller corners on the 49ers' side, so if they can't shut 'em down, it could be a long day for the Eagles.
. If Philly's offense can identify a weakness in the 49ers defense and exploit it, they might just have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs.
. And with Philly's run game, I think they can pound it out and control the clock. Just hope they don't get too predictable early on... gotta find that spark and ride it! 
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. That could definitely give the Eagles an edge. I'm a bit skeptical about Philly's offense though... they did struggle in the reg season and don't really have a clear identity yet 
they got like only two good pass rushers and Kendricks is a total rookie lol what's gonna stop the Eagles from taking it easy on them 
I'm low-key hyped for this one! The Eagles have got a great chance at taking down the 49ers, and it's all about exploiting those weaknesses in San Francisco's defense. I mean, who wouldn't want to take on a team with that depleted linebacker corps? Eric Kendricks is gonna be struggling big time. 
I mean, the Eagles are in the perfect spot to exploit the 49ers' weaknesses. They need to get that run game going ASAP and make the Niners' defense miss tackles like crazy 
I love how the article highlighted Landon Dickerson's potential - he's been looking beast all season. And can we talk about A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith just being straight-up dominant after the catch? 
I'm feeling good about the Eagles this weekend! They've got some huge vulnerabilities in San Francisco's defense that they can exploit, especially with their speedy receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The 49ers pass rush is almost non-existent 
, which means the Eagles can keep Brock Purdy on his heels all game long. And don't even get me started on Eric Kendricks at linebacker 
. Their pass rush is basically non-existent 
. And if DeVonta Smith can get open, watch out because SF's corners are lookin' like they're in for a long day 
. One thing's for sure, Eagles fans are gonna be on the edge of their seats Sunday!
. I mean, Eric Kendricks starting at linebacker? That's like giving them a participation trophy in the wild 
. And have you seen the Niners' pass rush stats this season? 
. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are gonna have a field day against those tiny corners 
. If they can't identify what works for them and stick to it, they'll be in trouble 
. But overall, I think this one's gonna be a close game 
. I think the Eagles can exploit that by keeping Brock Purdy under pressure 
. The run game could also be a big factor, especially against a 49ers' defense that struggled to stop it last week 
... it's not gonna be a cakewalk for Philly but if they play smart, I think they can pull this one off 
and tried the craziest ramen at a tiny stall in Tokyo 
... I mean, have you ever had pork bone broth with a soft-boiled egg and spring onions in it? Mind blown! Anyway, back to football... so the 49ers defense is all over the place 
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