Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a San Francisco 49ers helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eagles' Reaction To Wild Card Clash With 49ers

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 12:08 PM ET

If the Philadelphia Eagles want to make a deep playoff run, they're going to have to take down the San Francisco 49ers first.

With the 49ers losing against the Seattle Seahawks this week along with the Los Angeles Rams beating the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco got the No. 6 seed in the NFC. With the Eagles losing against the Washington Commanders, they earned the No. 3 seed and now the two powerhouses are set up for a Wild Card Round matchup next week.

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Some have questioned the team's decision to rest starters in the finale and have spoken about the path back to the Super Bowl. While this is the case, Brandon Graham made it clears the Eagles are ready for anyone.

The Eagles will face San Francisco

"Oh, that's who we have? Oh, okay. You know what, that's cool," Graham said. "You know what I'm saying. We know that we were going to have to see everybody. Whoever we see, it's all about what we do and I'm thankful that we get to go against a good opponent. If we want it, it don't come easy. We've got to go take it. Like I said, we've got to stay together. We already knew the possibilities of whoever it was. Packers, it could've been the Rams, could've been them. Either way, if we want to win it all, we've got to see those people."

Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who reached 1,000 receiving yards on the season on Sunday, had a similar sentiment.

"It doesn’t matter who we play,” Smith said. “We don’t care what the path is. Let’s just go out there and play our brand of football. ... It’s another game, but it’s the playoffs, and you do not want to go home, so everybody’s going to have a little more oomph to it.”

The idea of path and other things of that nature are likely topics discussed more outside of the building rather than in it. You can't control how all of the games are going to shake out in the playoffs, but the Eagles gave themselves a shot at being healthier in the first round of the playoffs. No matchup would be easy and now the Eagles can prepare for San Francisco.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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