49ers Upset Defending Champions – But Lose Star George Kittle In Process

The San Francisco 49ers upset the Eagles to advance to the divisional round, but lost their star tight end, George Kittle, in the process.

The 49ers and Eagles both entered the season with lots of expectations. They are the last two teams to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The 49ers dealt with injuries all season, which led them to fall to the No. 6 seed. Meanwhile, the Eagles dealt with chemistry issues that cost them otherwise winnable games, but still won the weak NFC East to get the no. 3 seed.

The 49ers got scoring started with a two-yard touchdown from Demarcus Robinson. The Eagles responded with a Dallas Goedert one-yard touchdown. However, Jake Elliott missed the extra point, leaving the 49ers still ahead.

Goedert had another touchdown in the second quarter to give the Eagles the lead. The 49ers responded with an Eddy Pineiro 36-yard field goal, but this drive is where Kittle got hurt. It was a non-contact injury, and he was immediately carted off the field. It was announced shortly after that Kittle tore his Achilles tendon, ending his season and likely his next season as well. 

The Eagles went into halftime with a three-point lead. Elliott hit a field goal to extend this lead to six heading into the fourth quarter.

In the first play of the fourth quarter, Christian McCaffrey caught a pass from Juwan Jennings to give the 49ers a lead. Elliott hit another field goal to give the Eagles the lead back. McCaffrey caught another touchdown, this time from his quarterback, Brock Purdy, to give the 49ers the lead back. Although Pineiro missed his extra point, the 49ers still held their four-point lead. Their defense got the necessary stops, and the 49ers won 23-19.

The 49ers will take on the No. 1-seeded Seahawks in the divisional round.