Eagles’ run defense will be put to the test against the 49ers
On Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles will meet the 49ers for a chance to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVII. If the Eagles want to make their third Super Bowl appearance since 2000, stopping the 49ers’ run game should be a top priority.
In what’s shaping up to be an NFC slugfest between two heavyweight contenders, haymakers will most definitely be thrown. Stopping the 49ers’ run will leave them vulnerable and will give the Eagles an opportunity to knock them out of the playoffs.
The 49ers were a top-10 rushing team in 2022, per StatMuse. They’ve gotten this far with their third starting quarterback of the season: rookie Brock Purdy. While Mr. Irrelevant has showed promise, no rookie quarterback has won a championship game.
Purdy will be the fifth rookie quarterback to start in a championship game. The other four were Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez, per CBS Sports. Each of them lost.
The 49ers’ run-heavy offensive attack has benefitted Purdy. It opens up the passing game and the play-action pass, letting Purdy drop easy passes to weapons like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Even though the Cowboys lost to the 49ers last week, they succeeded at stopping the run. The Cowboys held them to 113 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per carry, according to ESPN. It helped Dallas keep the game close.
If the Eagles manage to stop the run, it’ll put pressure on Purdy to throw against a defense that is fourth in takeaways, per StatMuse. The Eagles’ defense also led the league in sacks with 70. Putting the 49ers’ offense in passing situations against a rookie quarterback will help them win the Xs and Os of this game.
But it won’t be an easy task for the Eagles. Their run defense has been their Achilles’ heel. They allowed 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, per NFL.com.
Their run defense struggled after rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis went down with an ankle injury in a Week 8 win over the Steelers. The Eagles gave up 168 yards the following week to the Texans and suffered their first loss of the season to the Commanders the next week (152 yards).
The Eagles signed NFL veterans Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph to beef up their defensive line. Their run defense improved, especially when Davis came back. But it’s still their biggest weakness.
In their back-to-back losses against the Cowboys and Saints, they gave up 115 yards or more in each game.
The 49ers will be the Eagles’ biggest test so far this season. Stopping the 49ers’ run game would be a defining moment for the team’s defense. It could be the only thing standing in their way to Super Bowl LVII.
