'We Were Unlucky!’ 49ers CB 'Excited' for Eagles Rematch

Charvarius Ward discusses how the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship motivates the San Francisco 49ers.

Just how much can a single loss impact a team? If you want a good answer to that question, look no farther than the San Francisco 49ers and how their players have handled the 31-7 blowout handed to them by the Philadelphia Eagles in last season's NFC Championship game.

From Christian McCaffrey to Deebo Samuel, several key starters have voiced strong opinions this offseason about how “unlucky” they were. The most popular argument being the injuries their quarterback room suffered, most notably Brock Purdy.

Adding his name to the list of 49ers using that game as motivation is cornerback Charvarius Ward, who opened up about the loss in an appearance on The Tracy Sandler Show.

"That loss … I feel like it's going to motivate us to come out strong, come out hard,"  Ward said. "I'm not trying to make a prediction, but maybe we get the No. 1 overall seed and get home-field advantage … Some unlucky stuff … happened to us."

Yes, the 49ers were unlucky with their quarterback situation against the Eagles. Despite that, though, it can be argued that the Eagles would have been in control of the game regardless. And if the 31-7 beatdown wasn't enough proof of that, Philadelphia hung with the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl until the very end. 

These two teams face off this season in Week 13 for what will be must-watch television - and a game Ward can't wait for.

"Yeah, I'm excited," Ward said. "It's going to be lit because it's at their place. [There's] kind of been a lot of back and forth in between. …

"But may the best man win. … It's going to be fun. … We’re going to see who the better team is that day."

---

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here