Grayson’s Grades: Eagles lose to 49ers in Wild Card Playoffs

PHILADELPHIA - For the first time under Nick Sirianni the Philadelphia Eagles lost a home playoff game. They blew a fourth quarter lead and fell to the San Francisco 49'ers 23-19.

The Eagles fell behind when the 49'ers scored a touchdown on the opening drive. The Eagles answered on their opening possession but Jake Elliott missed an extra point. That came back to haunt them because on their final drive instead of needing a field goal to tie, they needed a touchdown and got close to the red zone but could not find the end zone.

The Eagles failed to get much pressure on Brock Purdy. Meanwhile, the offense failed to get much momentum in the second half. The Eagles forced two turnovers but only managed three points off those turnovers.

Clearly there are some changes that need to be made in the offseason and I think Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo will be the first one to be targeted by the front office.

For the final time this 2025 season, here are Grayson's Grades:

A

Saquon Barkley - Barkley provided some solid runs where he moved the pile forward and helped the Eagles move the sticks. He looked energized and fresh and provided a spark. Barkley's longest rush went for 29 yards. He carried the ball 26 times for 106 yards. Barkley also caught three passes for 25 yards.

Dallas Goedert - Goedert had a great game. He took advantage of his opportunities and scored a pair of touchdowns. Goedert became the first NFL Tight End to score a rushing touchdown. He also added a receiving touchdown later in the first half. Goedert finished the game with four receptions for 33 yards and two total touchdowns.

Quinyon Mitchell - Mitchell played a great game. He single-handedly forced a pair of turnovers by picking off two Brock Purdy passes. Unfortunately the offense managed to turn those two turnovers into just three points. Mitchell followed up a great rookie season with a solid second year. He finished the game with three tackles, three passes successfully defended and two interceptions.

Cooper DeJean - DeJean did a decent job in coverage. He broke up a couple of big passes. He had a solid season and followed up his good rookie campaign with a great sophomore season in the NFL. DeJean finished with a pair of tackles and two passes broken up.

B

Jalen Hurts - Hurts was a victim of some dropped passes in this game. However, I don't think he looked to use his legs enough. When he did, good things happened. He had one big run that was called back on a holding penalty. He also ran once that got a 15-yard personal foul penalty tacked on at the end after a late hit. Hurts nearly led the team to a big drive late, but fell short with a questionable decision for the fourth down target. Hurts completed 20 of 35 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown.

Offensive Line -The Offensive Line did a pretty good job in this game. I thought they gave Jalen Hurts a decent pocket and also blocked well in the running game. It is a shame that Lane Johnson was not healthy enough to play. The Offensive Line once again had some key penalties called against it that negated some positive plays.

C

AJ Brown - Was this Brown's final game as an Eagle? I seriously think it might have been. As a team captain, I was shocked when he refused to speak to the media after the game. He has tried that in the past and it did not work well for him. I'm surprised he went to that well again. Add to that the fact that he had a visible argument with his Head Coach during the game and it was a bad look for Brown in what could have been his final game as an Eagle. He dropped a couple of passes in key moments. Ultimately he has amazing talent. I personally hope the Eagles keep him; however, I would not be surprised to hear if Howie Roseman makes some calls to see what he could get for him.

Reed Blankenship - Blankenship was called for a big defensive holding penalty that gave the 49'ers a fresh set of downs. He was also the safety who blew the coverage on Christian McCaffrey on a trick play that resulted in a big touchdown for the 49'ers. Outside of that he was around the ball. Blankenship finished tied for the team lead with six tackles.

D

Jake Elliott - Elliott missed an extra point in the first quarter and that missed kick haunted this team throughout the game. Had they had that point the Eagles would have only needed a field goal on that final drive to tie the game. Instead they needed a touchdown and were stopped just outside the red zone. Elliott did make a pair of field goals. But it was not enough.

Defensive Line - I was surprised that this Defensive Line did not get more pressure on Brock Purdy. I definitely expected more sacks and was surprised that they only managed two quarterback hits. Jalen Carter had a limited impact. Jaelan Phillips did not even manage to record a tackle let alone a sack. They gave Brock Purdy time to find receivers, even after he lost one of his top targets in George Kittle.

F

Kevin Patullo - Patullo showed some creativity in the first half with the Eagles offense. I liked some of the schemes he showed. However, as has been the case throughout the season, they failed to do it for four quarters. They couldn't even do it for three quarters. In my opinion, the offense failed to do enough to win this game. It was there for the taking. Simply put, look at the names on this roster and ask yourself if they played up to their potential as a unit. I think the answer is absolutely no. Given that, the man who called the plays needs to go and a new person needs to be given the keys to the car. The Eagles were 5 of 16 on third down. They also went 3 for 5 on fourth down. The offensive penalties killed them as well. All in all, I never felt like this offense found an identity.

Nick Sirianni - I gave Sirianni the benefit of the doubt to rest his starters last week and begin a playoff run as the three seed. They could have played, and beat the Commanders to earn the two seed and instead met the Packers in the first round. Sirianni made a calculated decision and it backfired so he has to carry the weight of that decision too. I was also a little surprised the Eagles never tried to chase that missed extra point with a two point conversion attempt. On top of that, it was a bad look to see Sirianni running down the sideline to yell at AJ Brown. This team failed to be disciplined and penalties once again killed them. They had seven penalties for 48 yards compared to the 49ers, who were flagged just once for 15 yards.