Debate: Which team is best in NFC, the Eagles or 49ers?

Plus, San Francisco led the NFL with 20 interceptions and a plus-13 turnover differential last season and it had the second-most turnovers forced (30). With Steve Wilks taking over where former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans left off, it’s hard to see the 49ers not ranking at the top of every major defensive category.

Ewing: Razor thin, you say? Philadelphia’s defense only gave up 0.9 more yards per game last year. Granted, the Eagles gave up 3.9 more points per game, but they didn’t have the luxury of facing Arizona twice last season. 

I’d never tell you that the Niners don’t have an outstanding defensive line. They do.  Philadelphia’s line is just better. Last year, the Eagles became just the fourth team in NFL history to record 70 sacks in a season. Hargrave had 11 of them, but even if you took his sacks out of last year’s total, the Eagles would’ve still had 15 more sacks than the 49ers.

Unlike San Francisco, Philadelphia has spent the past two years adding young talent to its defense, namely former Georgia stars Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Kelee Ringo. The Eagles defense could be even better than it was in 2022. 

BEST SPECIAL TEAMS 

Gallagher: Judging special teams units as a whole is tough because kicking, punting, returning and coaching all have to be taken into account.

Rookie third-round pick Jake Moody will presumably take over as the 49ers starting kicker. And while the 59-yarder he made in the College Football Playoff semifinal against TCU was the second longest in the NCAA last season, he only made 82.9 percent of his 35 field-goal attempts in 2022 and his career field-goal percentage is just 82.1. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott’s career percentage isn’t much better at 84.7, but he’s made 87 percent or more of his field goals the past two seasons and he has six seasons of NFL experience.

But that’s where Philly’s special teams advantage ends. While the Eagles averaged 0.6 yards per punt more last season, the 49ers placed 15 more punts inside the 20, surrendered fewer punt return yardage (153 to 201) and had the second-fewest punts returned (17 of 61) in the NFL. San Francisco averaged nearly a yard more per kickoff return (23 to 22.1) and nearly two more yards per punt return (10.8 to 9.2).

The Eagles may hold the edge in field goals, but the 49ers are the better team when it comes to punting and returning. And as we know, sometimes games between evenly matched teams come down to who can win the field-position battle.

 Ewing: I’ll give San Francisco the advantage at punter. Arryn Siposs was terrible last year, no more so than in Super Bowl LVII when his fourth-quarter shank led to a 65-yard return by the Chiefs' Kadarius Toney. Eagles fans are hoping that UDFA Ty Zentner wins the job in training camp, which tells you all you need to know about the position.

Punting and field-position numbers can be tricky with a team like Philadelphia. The Eagles had 32 fourth-down attempts last year, the fourth-highest number in the league. That didn’t leave many chances for Siposs to put one in the coffin corner.

You’re right to give the nod to Elliott. He’s no Adam Vinatieri, but unlike Moody, he already has a roster spot. Kickers can be frustrating, but they affect the game more than punters and returners. For this reason, I give the Eagles a slight advantage on special teams.

BEST HEAD COACH

Gallagher: Again, this one is really close, but I’m going to go with Kyle Shanahan over Nick Sirianni. While there’s no denying the work Sirianni put in taking the Eagles from a 9-8 team in 2021 to a 14-3 Super Bowl contender last year, Shanahan simply has more skins on the wall.

He led the 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2019 and coached in another as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016. San Francisco has played in back-to-back NFC Championship Games the past two seasons under Shanahan, and the team could make it three straight this year with arguably the best roster he’s had in his seven seasons as 49ers head coach.

Ewing: Let’s take a closer look at that 9-8 Eagles season. In 2021, Sirianni inherited a last-place team that went 4-11-1 the year before. He had an unproven QB in Hurts. In two years as Eagles head coach, Sirianni’s regular-season record is 23-11. 

Shanahan also inherited a last-place team in 2017, but it took him three years just to have a winning season. In his first two years as Niners head coach, Shanahan went 10-22. 

Over the past two years, both coaches have 23-11 records. The two are 1-1 against each other, with Sirianni’s Eagles outscoring the Niners, 42-24. This may sound like recency bias, but things change fast in the NFL. Experience matters, but at the moment, Sirianni has the upper hand.

VERDICT

Gallagher: Although it’s tough to go against the reigning NFC champion Eagles, my vote is for the 49ers. Had Brock Purdy not been injured in January’s NFC Championship Game, who knows how things would have played out? (Check out that play below.) The good news is this question might answer itself in Week 13 on Dec. 3, when these teams face off in a rematch of the conference title game, hopefully with close to fully healthy rosters. The game is again in Philly, by the way.

While who’s at QB for San Francisco this season is still very much in question, Lance is reportedly the healthiest he’s been since the 49ers drafted him, and he fixed a lingering finger issue that affected how he gripped the ball. Purdy was 8-0 in games he started and played the entirety of last season. He showed exceptional command of the offense. It’s hard to see San Francisco going wrong with either QB.

Ewing: I have a pretty good idea how NFC Championship Game would have played out for Purdy. Not good. The better quarterback usually prevails in the playoffs. Cinderella stories are nice and Purdy is an excellent game manager, but Hurts is a game-changer.

Lance and Purdy aren’t in Hurts’ league — at least not yet — and until they are, Philadelphia gets the nod on offense. The last time we saw the Niners defense it was giving up 31 points to the Eagles. The addition of Hargrave will help the Niners, but replacing experienced cornerbacks like Emmanuel Moseley and Jimmie Ward won’t be easy for San Francisco.

I’m calling it even for the teams on defense but giving Philadelphia the slight edge on offense, special teams and head coaching. Sorry, San Francisco, but according to my math, the Eagles remain the top team in the NFC by a small margin.