Eagles vs. 49ers: Coach Kyle Shanahan Happy to Face Philly Late in Season

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's happy to avoid the Philadelphia Eagles early on so his team is healthy when they meet later

With the schedule for the 2023 NFL season now official, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers will meet in an NFC Championship Game rematch on Dec. 3. While months away, this game in Philadelphia will be the culmination of months of offseason trash-talk, mostly from the 49ers' side.

The latest to join the fray was none other than San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan. After the date of the rematch became official, Shanahan said he was happy the game was late in the season so the 49ers can be fully healthy this time around.

“I am glad we’re not playing Philly Week 1,” Shanahan told the Mercury News. “I want to play them at a better time. I want to make sure our whole team is right there.

“..: We felt we didn’t get to do it last time, and I’m ready to go back again.”

Of course, the 49ers fell to the Eagles 31-7 in January after starting quarterback Brock Purdy left the game with an elbow injury in the first quarter. He then came back into the game, despite barely being able to throw, because backup Josh Johnson also suffered an injury. San Francisco's offense couldn't do much without a healthy quarterback, finishing with just 164 total yards and 11 first downs.

Purdy is still recovering from offseason surgery to repair the injury he suffered during the game. It's unclear when he'll be able to return, but he now has plenty of time to get ready for the rematch in December.

Shanahan's comments are the latest in a long list of them the 49ers have made about the Eagles this offseason. Many others have complained about the teams' injury luck, or lack thereof, during the game. Most recently, 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel said "we lost because we played with 10 people."

The tension between these two teams will be palpable when they finally meet again, especially on the visiting sideline.

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