{"id":1127875,"date":"2026-01-10T18:41:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/?p=1127875"},"modified":"2026-01-10T18:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:41:45","slug":"eagles-news-why-brock-purdy-could-struggle-in-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/eagles-news-why-brock-purdy-could-struggle-in-philadelphia\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles News: Why Brock Purdy could struggle in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Eagles Question of the Day:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Which team is the most underrated team in the playoffs? Head over to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleedinggreennation.com\/post\/new\">The Feed<\/a><\/strong> and weigh in with your answer and explanation!<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em><strong>Let\u2019s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links \u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/news\/bet-nfl-wild-card-weekend-betting-notebook-2025-2026\">NFL Wild-Card Weekend Betting Notebook \u2013 PFF<\/a><br \/>I think there\u2019s a decent chance that the San Francisco offense struggles against a defense of Philadelphia\u2019s caliber. Brock Purdy has played only four defenses in the top half of the NFL in EPA per play allowed (Seahawks twice, Jaguars and Browns). He has a 74.0 PFF passing grade, 6.8 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and five interceptions in those four games, compared to a 91.7 PFF passing grade, 8.3 yards per attempt, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in the other five games against lesser defenses. San Francisco\u2019s offense is still capable of success, but I think the Eagles\u2019 defense has a talent advantage. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has fared well against 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (granted, prior matchups were pre-2018).<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ftnfantasy.com\/nfl\/49ers-vs-eagles-dvoa-preview\">49ers vs. Eagles: DVOA Preview \u2013 FTN Fantasy<\/a><br \/>While they got off to a slow start, Philadelphia\u2019s defense has a DVOA of -14.6% since Week 7, fourth in the league. And, apart from their potential issues with CMC, they match up very well with what San Francisco does good on offense. George Kittle\u2018s an all-world tight end, but the Eagles are first by a mile defending tight ends with -51.9% DVOA. They struggle to contain WR2s, but the 49ers don\u2019t have a WR2 to worry about \u2013 Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, arguably the best cornerback duo in football, can team up to shut down all of San Francisco\u2019s relevant wideouts and tight ends, and there\u2019s only so much damage Adoree\u2019 Jackson or Kelee Ringo can do against the likes of Kendrick Bourne or Skyy Moore Shanahan\u2019s an expert at scheming guys into open space, but Philly\u2019s not going to falter there \u2013 since midseason, they\u2019ve allowed just 35% of their targets to players charted as \u201copen\u201d or \u201cwide open,\u201d best in the league. The midseason addition of Jaelan Phillips has boosted their pass rush; they rank fourth since Week 10 with a 34.1% pressure rate and seventh in adjusted sack rate despite having the fifth-lowest blitz rate. Getting pressure with four, not having coverage lapses against top wideouts or tight ends \u2013 that\u2019s the recipe for shutting down San Francisco\u2019s offense, and Fangio has his guys rolling ever since midseason. We could very well see a repeat of what Seattle did to San Francisco last week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/espn\/betting\/story\/_\/id\/47562066\/2025-nfl-playoffs-wild-card-odds-lines-spread-betting-picks-dfs-tips-sunday-football-preview-49ers-eagles\">2025 NFL wild-card betting: Odds, picks for 49ers-Eagles \u2013 ESPN<\/a><br \/>Brock Purdy UNDER 1.5 passing TDs (-170). Maldonado: The Eagles allow the lowest passing touchdown rate in the league. Vic Fangio\u2019s defenses squeeze red zone windows, forcing long drives and field goals. Purdy can move the ball, but finishing through the air against this coverage profile won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"http:\/\/the%20eagles%20ruled%20three%20players%20questionable\/\">Eagles-49ers Final Injury Report: Lane Johnson questionable \u2013 BGN<\/a><br \/>The Eagles ruled three players QUESTIONABLE: Lane Johnson, Brett Toth, and Azeez Ojulari. Johnson was limited for all three practices this week. The team probably would\u2019ve liked to see him get at least one full session in. Lane might start at right tackle anyway but it doesn\u2019t seem like a lock at the moment. The expectation is that\u2019ll try to play at less than 100%. If he can\u2019t go or has to leave the game early, it\u2019ll be Fred Johnson in his place once again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninersnation.com\/san-francisco-49ers-nfl-playoffs\/154984\/5-questions-bleeding-green-nation-fangio-best-shanahan\">5 Questions with Bleeding Green Nation: Will Fangio get the better of Shanahan? \u2013 Niners Nation<\/a><br \/>The 49ers are clear underdogs for their wild-card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, despite a hugely impressive 12-win season. San Francisco has not played a playoff game against Philadelphia since the 2022 season, when an injury to Brock Purdy ended their hopes in the NFC Championship Game. Much has changed since that defeat, and the 49ers got a measure of revenge with a blowout win in Philadelphia in the subsequent season en route to the Super Bowl. But, as the 49ers aim to upset the odds and make amends for that disappointment at Lincoln Financial Field, I checked in with Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to get the Eagles\u2019 perspective on Sunday\u2019s matchup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/nfl\/1099230\/nfl-playoffs-head-coach-rankings-for-2026-ben-johnson-kyle-shanahan\">NFL Playoffs head coach rankings for 2026, from No. 1 to No. 14 \u2013 SB Nation<\/a><br \/>No. 10: Nick Sirianni \u2014 Philadelphia Eagles It feels wrong to have a Super Bowl winning coach this low, but there\u2019s plenty of criticism to go around when it comes to Nick Sirianni. Far too often he\u2019s overly emotional, which clouds the needed logic to win football games \u2014 and there\u2019s a very high degree of \u201cfairweather coaching\u201d to his ethos. When the Eagles are thriving, he\u2019s on Cloud 9, but when things fall apart there\u2019s a tendency to play the blame game and check out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com\/nfl\/philadelphia-eagles\/roobs-observations-jalen-hurts-devonta-smith-dallas-goedert-eagles-49ers-playoffs\/705950\/\">Roob\u2019s Observations: Will the Eagles finally let Jalen Hurts take off and run? \u2013 NBCSP<\/a><br \/>DeVonta Smith has been quite a postseason weapon for the Eagles over the years, with two 100-yard games, 169 yards in the two Super Bowls and a 13.8 per-catch average. His 595 postseason receiving yards in nine posteason games is already an Eagles postseason record and 8th-most ever by a player in his first four seasons. The only other Eagles with multiple 100-yard postseason receiving games are Fred Barnett and Keith Jackson, with two each. Smith has always been a very good regular-season player, but the truly elite are the ones who raise their level in the postseason, and Smith has routinely done that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/2025-2026-nfl-playoff-predictions-bracket-eagles-seahawks-rams-packers-bears-49ers-panthers-chargers-patriots-jaguars-bills-texans-steelers-broncos\/\">2025-2026 NFL playoff predictions \u2013 PhillyVoice<\/a><br \/>In the Divisional Round, the Seahawks earned the 1 seed only to have to face the Rams in their first playoff game. I see that ending in a loss. The Eagles played one of their worst games of the season against the Bears Week 13, but I like their chances of avenging that loss in Chicago in the Divisional Round. In the NFC Conference Championship Game, the Rams finally get the best of the Eagles, after two close losses in Philly Week 3 this season and in last year\u2019s Divisional Round.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/igglesblitz.com\/2026\/01\/tommy-update\/\">Tommy Update \u2013 Iggles Blitz<\/a><br \/>It is January and the Eagles are in the playoffs, with a legitimate shot to challenge for back-to-back Super Bowls. So why the heck is IgglesBlitz not getting updated with stories? I was diagnosed with colon cancer last Saturday. Yeah, that sentence was as tough to type as it was for you to read. The good news is that the doctors (and there are so, so many doctors) think we have a good plan for how to handle this. We\u2019re not all gloom and doom. This isn\u2019t a 3rd &amp; 26 draw play to Will Shipley. [BLG Note: On behalf of BGN, we\u2019re all rooting for Tommy.]<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/nfl-playoff-picks-wild-card-round-2025-nfl-season\">NFL playoff picks: Score predictions and matchup analysis for every Wild Card Round game \u2013 NFL.com<\/a><br \/>Why Tom picked the Eagles: Gennaro nailed it; this one is tough. In the end, I had to make a decision between what I want and what I think is right, which is really the dilemma at the heart of this cursed exercise every week. I wanted to pick the 49ers for a number of reasons, including Brock Purdy\u2019s renewed swagger, Kyle Shanahan\u2019s coaching acumen and, ultimately, because I just like them more. As far as defending champs go, the Eagles have been, let\u2019s say, unconvincing. They\u2019ve notched some recent solid wins against competitive teams, like low-scoring squeakers over the Bills (13-12 in Week 17), Lions (16-9 in Week 11) and Packers (10-7 in Week 10), and they\u2019ve handled themselves against also-rans like the Commanders and Raiders, but there is exactly one victory over a fellow playoff contender in which they broke the 20-point mark: that wild 33-26 win over the Rams back in Week 3, which was, don\u2019t forget, padded out by a freak return TD from a 336-pound nose tackle. Over the last nine games of the regular season, Philly ranked 22nd in the NFL in EPA per play on offense \u2014 that\u2019s Panthers\/Cardinals territory, folks. And much worse than the 49ers\u2019 extremely appealing placement of third in the span, with Purdy returning from injury in Week 11. I don\u2019t have much faith in the Eagles\u2019 ability to move the ball, especially compared to the significantly livelier operation coming to town.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6958340\/2026\/01\/10\/eagles-49ers-preview-kyle-shanahan-vic-fangio-saquon-barkley\/\">Eagles-49ers preview: Kyle Shanahan-Vic Fangio matchup, Niners vs. Saquon Barkley \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><br \/>Tafur: 49ers fans love going back to the Purdy money, and whether or not he is really worth $245 million. Many \u2014 not to mention San Mateo native and famous broadcaster\/owner Tom Brady \u2014 were calling for the Niners to stick with Mac Jones after he won five games for an injured Purdy. Purdy obviously came back and won six straight games, scoring 10 touchdowns over a two-game span. This is a high-stakes game for Purdy, who has to outplay Hurts for the 49ers to win Sunday. Part of that will be leaning on McCaffrey (30 touches?) and taking advantage of his great chemistry with Kittle, despite the Eagles\u2019 success covering tight ends. Getting back Williams (likely) and Ricky Pearsall would be a huge help. The 49ers\u2019 defensive woes are well-documented. They don\u2019t rush the quarterback well, miss tackles and they\u2019re down to their fourth starting middle linebacker. Even when it is at its worst, though, the defense has shown a penchant for making a key third-down or red-zone stop, and they have a lot of confidence in coordinator Robert Saleh to find them an edge. Rookie cornerback Upton Stout is coming off his best game (which is saying something) and could make a name for himself Sunday. San Francisco has a lot of belief in themselves, and the team chemistry is off the charts, all of which leads to giving the Eagles a real scare. However, the health and talent disparities are just too much to overcome. Eagles 27, 49ers 24.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/eagles\/2026\/01\/eagles-bounty-hunter-was-rejected-two-years-ago-now-hes-the-key-to-another-super-bowl-run.html\">Eagles\u2019 \u2018bounty hunter\u2019 was rejected two years ago. Now, he\u2019s key to another Super Bowl run \u2013 NJ.com<\/a><br \/>But Fangio has rebounded with the Eagles, whom he joined a year later, helping them win their second Super Bowl last February behind the league\u2019s best defense. And although Fangio has evolved, he has always been demanding at his core. \u201cI can\u2019t think of many coordinators like him,\u201d said Brendon Ayanbadejo, a former Ravens linebacker who played under Fangio and still speaks with him regularly. \u201cEvery handful of years, he\u2019s been around (a new team), right? It\u2019s a blessing and curse. He\u2019s a bounty hunter for hire. Just brings you instant defense.\u201d With Philadelphia\u2019s offense ranking near the bottom in nearly every category this season, the defense will need to carry them in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.philadelphiaeagles.com\/video\/2025-eagles-hype-video-wild-card-round\">2025 Eagles Hype Video | Wild Card Round \u2013 PE.com<\/a><br \/>Repeats are earned The Hard Way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloggingtheboys.com\/dallas-cowboys-discussion\/194560\/fans-grade-head-coach-brian-schottenheimer-first-season-performance\">Cowboys fans grade head coach Brian Schottenheimer\u2019s first season in charge \u2013 Blogging The Boys<\/a><br \/>The Cowboys had plenty of problems, but what about at head coach? How much was first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer at fault for what happened? Well, if you listen to the fans, Schottenheimer was not a reason. In fact, in our poll of the Cowboys fanbase, a majority rated his performance as either an \u2018A\u2019 (9%) or a \u2018B\u2019 (53%). That\u2019s a pretty decent endorsement for the head coach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hogshaven.com\/washington-commanders-news\/397752\/the-washington-commanders-are-hiring-david-blough-as-their-new-oc\">The Washington Commanders are hiring David Blough as their new OC \u2013 Hogs Haven<\/a><br \/>The Washington Commanders have quickly moved on from former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, reportedly hiring current assistant QB coach David Blough as his replacement. He was one of three known candidates to interview for the job, and he\u2019s now getting a big promotion in a critical season for the franchise. Blough already had an interview request from the Lions for their recently opened OC job. Head coach Dan Quinn made several coaching staff changes after a disappointing 5-12 season. Kingsbury and the team \u201cmutually agreed to part ways\u201d after reported conflicts over offensive philosophy and player usage. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson were also fired. Former QB coach Tavita Pritchard left during the season to become Stanford\u2019s head coach, giving Blough more responsibilities at the end of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigblueview.com\/new-york-giants-news\/151654\/john-harbaugh-coaching-search-interviews-kevin-stefanski-mike-mccarthy\">John Harbaugh to the NY Giants? \u2018I think both parties really want each other\u2019 \u2013 Big Blue View<\/a><br \/>If things go according to plan, the New York Giants will be introducing John Harbaugh as their newest head coach by the end of next week. That is the belief of one prominent New York sports columnist. \u201cI think both parties really want each other, and I don\u2019t see a reason why it wouldn\u2019t work out,\u201d Ian O\u2019Connor, columnist for The Athletic, said on the \u2018Valentine\u2019s Views\u2019 podcast. \u201cIf you said I have to put down 20 bucks on a candidate today, absolutely, John Harbaugh will be the head coach of the Giants by the end of next week. That\u2019s what I believe.\u201c Nothing, of course, is guaranteed. Every team with an opening for a head coach would like to talk to Harbaugh. A couple of teams ousted this weekend in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs could also enter the mix.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><strong>Social Media Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN Facebook Page: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Bleeding-Green-Nation\/57835308051\"><strong>Click here to like our page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleedingGreen\"><strong>Follow @BleedingGreen<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN BlueSky: <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bleedgreennation.bsky.social\"><strong>Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bleedinggreeninsta\/\"><strong>Follow @BleedingGreenInsta<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrandonGowton\">Twitter<\/a><\/strong> | <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:347sapgyqpp2ukrikt4ipubb\">BlueSky<\/a><\/strong> | <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@brandongowton\">Threads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">BGN Radio Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BGN_Radio\"><strong>Follow @BGN_Radio<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/eagles-news-why-brock-purdy-184145805.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/eagles-news-why-brock-purdy-184145805.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eagles Question of the Day: Which team is the most underrated team in the playoffs? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1127876,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1127875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1127875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1127876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1127875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1127875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1127875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}