Breakdown for Eagles-49ers: Which Team has the Edge?

The position by position and coaching breakdowns are very close; here's what we came up with

USA Today

Here is a look at how the Eagles and 49ers match up by position as they prepare to play in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday (3 p.m./FOX) at Lincoln Financial Field:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

SF: Brock Purdy, Jimmy Garoppolo

PHI: Jalen Hurts

NOTES: Niners coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters heading into Sunday’s game against the Cowboys that there's a chance Garoppolo could return for the NFC Championship. It’s not likely he would replace Purdy in the lineup but would provide good depth and experience behind Purdy if he were to struggle in the hostile environment of Lincoln Financial Field.

Meanwhile, Hurts’ throwing shoulder may not yet be 100%, but it’s plenty good enough to direct one of the best-scoring offenses in the NFL. He threw for two scores and ran for another in beating the Giants.

EDGE: Eagles, by a lot

RUNNING BACK

SF: Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Kyle Juszczyk

PHI: Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenny Gainwell

NOTES: The Cowboys did a nice job slowing the running game, allowing the 49ers 113 yards, slightly below their average of 138.8 per game. McCaffrey had just 57 total yards combined between rushing and receiving.

Deebo Samuel s one of several positionless players coach Kyle Shanahan uses and he will get a few carries, so the Eagles will need to limit his ability for explosives in this facet of the game.

The Eagles ran for 268 yards against the Giants, with Gainwell putting up 112 and Sanders adding 90. The Eagles average close to 150 on the ground.

EDGE: 49ers, slightly

RECEIVERS

SF: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McLoud

PHI: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Zach Pascal, Quez Watkins

NOTES: Both Aiyuk and Samuel are dangerous anywhere on the field, short, intermediate, and deep, but only Aiyuk went over 1,000 yards.

The Eagles have two 1,000-yard pass-catchers in Brown and Smith and have a deep threat in Watkins, someone who could play a factor because San Fan is in the bottom five of the league in pass plays over 25 yards.

EDGE: Eagles, slightly

TIGHT END

SF: George Kittle, Charlie Woerner

PHI: Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra

NOTES: Kittle plays just about every offensive snap while the Eagles like to play more 12 personnel with Goedert and Stoll on the field.

Kittle gets most of the national acclaim, but Goedert doesn’t take a backseat to him.

Statistically, Kittle is a much greater threat in the red zone, with 11 touchdowns to Goedert’s three. In three fewer games played than Kittle, Goedert had 55 catches on 69 targets for 702 yards to Kittle’s 60 catches on 86 targets for 765 yards.

EDGE: 49ers, slightly

OFFENSIVE LINE

SF: LT Trent Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Spencer Burford, RT Mike McGlinchey

PHI: LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Jason Kelce, RG Isaac Seumalo, RT Lane Johnson

NOTES: The two best tackles in the game will be on display in Williams and Johnson, both first-team All-Pros, while McGlinchey is making a return home having grown up in Bucks County.

It was encouraging to see Johnson play all but three snaps vs. the Giants as he continues to manage his way through a torn muscle in his groin.

It’s hard not to like the Eagles’ O-line in this matchup, even though the 49ers’ defensive front is very strong. So, too, however, is the Eagles’

EDGE: Eagles

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

SF: DE Nick Bosa, DE Samson Ebukam, DT Javon Kinlaw, DT Arik Armstead, DE Drake Jackson, DE Charles Omenihu, DT Kevin Givens

PHI: EDGE: Haason Reddick, DE Josh Sweat, DT Fletcher Cox, DT Javon Hargrave, DE Brandon Graham, DE Robert Quinn, DT Linval Joseph, DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Milton Williams

NOTES: The two best pass rushers in the league this season will be worth watching with Bosa and Reddick. Obviously, the Eagles have a very deep group that allows DC Jonathan Gannon to send wave after wave of pass rushers while having the ability to keep them fresh with a solid rotation.

EDGE: Eagles

LINEBACKERS

SF: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles, Oren Burks

PHI: T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, Nakobe Dean, Patrick Johnson, Christian Elliss

NOTES: Warner is one of the best in the game at this position; Edwards may be one of the most underrated at this spot. Both groups are very good, but Warner puts SF over the top.

EDGE: 49ers, slightly

CORNERBACKS

SF: Deommodore Lenoir, Charvarius Ward, Jimmy Ward (nickel)

PHI: Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (slot), Josiah Scott (slot)

NOTES: Gardner-Johnson is listed here due to the uncertainty of Avonte Maddox, who has been out since suffering a toe injury on Christmas Eve in Dallas.

SF’s Ward has three interceptions, but Slay and Bradberry have been top 10 corners all season.

EDGE: Eagles, slightly

SAFETIES

SF: Tashaun Gipson, Talanoa Hufanga, Tarvarius Moore, George Odum

PHI: Marcus Epps, Reed Blankenship, K’Von Wallace

NOTES: Blankenship is an undrafted rookie free agent who has really stepped up and Epps has been a steady force all season long, but this group of safeties for the Niners is very talented and is a big reason why they tied for the league lead in interceptions with 20.

Gipson had five picks; Hufanga, a first-team All-Pro, had four.

EDGE: 49ers

SPECIAL TEAMS

SF: P Mitch Wishnowsky, K Robbie Gould, PR/KR Ray-Ray McLoud

PHI: P Brett Kern, K Jake Elliott, PR Britain Covey, KR Boston Scott

NOTES: Elliott and Gould are two of the best in the game. Wishnowsky averages more than 43 yards per punt with 32 inside the 20. Obviously, Kern doesn’t have that body of work. He punted well vs. the Giants, but he averages about 40 yards per punt with only one inside the 20 in just four games with the Eagles.

Perhaps Arryn Siposs returns this week.

EDGE: 49ers

COACHING

SF: HC and play-caller Kyle Shanahan, DC DeMeco Ryans, STC Brian Schneider

PHI: HC Nick Sirianni, OC, and play-caller Shane Steichen, DC Jonathan Gannon, STC Michael Clay

NOTES: Shanahan is regarded as one of the best schemers and play-callers in football with a heavy emphasis on play-action and the running game. Ryans the ex-Eagles LB, is a rising star and future head coach. 

Sirianni's team has taken off since he stepped back to being a CEO coach and allowed Steichen, who has a great feel for the game, to take over the play-calling on game day while Gannon, like Ryans, is a future head coach. Neither team excels at special teams.

Shanahan can get bogged down in-game and is susceptible to game management mistakes.

EDGE: Eagles, slightly

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.