The San Francisco 49ers continued their unlikely march towards another Super Bowl appearance by taking down the reigning champions in Philadelphia, but again had to defy the odds to secure victory.

Having blown the chance to secure the #1 seed and a much-needed week off to get healthy by losing to Seattle in Week 18, the 49ers then had to cross the country to face an enigmatic Eagles team that many felt were due to break out of their late-season malaise. While Jalen Hurts and Co looked more in tune early on, San Francisco went toe-to-toe with them on offense — and got unexpected help from a defensive unit that had been so beaten up and depleted over the course of the season.

“I’m proud of the guys, how hard they battled,” head coach Kyle Shanahan commented. “I was just of saying in [the locker room], having two linebackers who weren’t on our team a month ago and those guys playing that whole game and playing at a high level was so impressive. [Giving up] two turnovers and then having none and being able to still find a way to win that, I thought was huge. Losing [TE George] Kittle early in the game [was] obviously a depressing play for everybody, [but] guys stepped it up and still made plays and competed to find a way to win that game.

“We thought it would be a grimy game [and] it was. Our defense allowed it to be that way, [but] then, that last drive, some of the plays ‘Juice’ made I thought were so big. Brock [Purdy] had a couple of mistakes, obviously with his two picks and stuff, but to come back on that last drive, get us in the red zone and get to the third guy in his progression on the touchdown. Real proud of the guys.”

Shanahan’s reflections brought echoes of the 49ers entire campaign, with another absurd rash of injuries not only depriving the team of starters, but also requiring them to rely on replacements, many of whom were still on the street as the regular season wound down. Kittle’s injury, a torn Achilles that will prevent any further participation in the season, is not only a blow for one of the most whole-hearted players in the entire NFL, but could have derailed his team-mates at the biggest moment. Instead, as Shanahan revealed, it only served to motivate them more.

“It’s football, guys understand that, so you don’t have to address it,” the head coach confirmed. “Guys know right away. I felt horrible for George but, at half-time, we all came in and this is the exact way we wanted this game to be. We couldn’t have hoped that the first half went any other way and thought we’d have the grit to finish it, and our guys did. Jake [Tonges] and Luke [Farrell] had stepped it up for us all year, so I think guys had a lot of confidence in those guys that they could still do it, but I think, obviously, everyone’s just hurting for Kittle.”

Quarterback Purdy, returning to the scene of the 2022 playoff game that saw him sidelined with ruptured elbow ligaments early on, could have read Kittle’s exit as another bad omen, especially with two interceptions under his belt, but said that he never felt the game was getting away from the Niners.

“I mean, the game’s still there to go take, so, I was just being real with myself,” he explained. “That’s every drive, [and] the same thing happened at the end of the game. We needed to go do it, so I just keep my mind fresh and go play one play at a time. Every play is a life of its own and still has that attack mentality in every single play.

“There’s been times in my career where it’s like, ‘Man, you got to go win it here’ and, in that moment, you can start thinking to yourself all the worst possible scenarios. It’s just learning from those kinds of things so, when there’s a moment like this, it’s like, ‘No, there’s a moment right there for you to go take’. It’s about being aggressive but being smart and playing one play at a time — and obviously just believing in yourself.”

Despite having dealt with an unpredictable wind throughout the game, Purdy admitted to feeling some pressure with the game on the line in the 49ers final drive, but said that he knew he could rely on his team-mates to pull through.

“They knew the play at that time, but it’s getting guys in the right spot,” he described. “Then, obviously, seeing the clock, making sure we get the snap off and then going through your read. That’s part of it, man — that’s something that you do in the NFL every single game. As a quarterback, you have to make sure all that’s good but, at the same time, we all hold each other accountable to make sure we’re doing our jobs right.”

The man in the right position at the right time was, perhaps predictably, running back Christian McCaffrey, Purdy’s third read on the deciding play but the ideal recipient of a pass with the game on the line.

“It was designed but, obviously, he’s my last guy in the progression,” the quarterback said. “If we had a certain look where he was one-on-one, if he ended the play, then it was going to be there if I got to him. I just checked out the front side of the play and didn’t feel anything, stepped up and knew Christian should be right where he was — and he was. It was a perfectly drawn up play and executed greatly by Christian.”

Shanahan was clearly impressed with how his quarterback had responded to what could have been morale-crushing errors, and by how cool he had been on the final drive.

“There were two mistakes he’d love to take back, but to play like he did on the last drive, especially after two throws like that, he was unbelievable,” the head coach noted. “I mean, he kept letting it rip. The guy was not scared to fail at all, which you can’t be to make some of those plays. And they weren’t easy plays either. It wasn’t like it was always to number one or anything like that. He was going through some progressions with a really good pass rush, and I thought the touchdown to [49ers RB] Christian [McCaffrey] at the end was probably the most impressive.”

Although the NFL has already revealed that Shanahan will not get his wish to play the Divisional round game on Sunday, the HC believes that the resolve shown by the 49ers throughout the season will serve them well in what will be a third game with Seattle. Although they won at Lumen Field on the opening weekend of the season, San Francisco lost to their rivals on home turf in Week 18, handing the top seed, bye week and home advantage to the Seahawks as they face off for the second time in a fortnight.

“I think [victory in Philadelphia] shows how they’ve been all year,” Shanahan insisted. “They’ve been resilient all year, we’ve overcome a lot. They believe in each other a ton. We knew we couldn’t come in here and just win by certain guys making plays. We knew we had to come here and win as a complete team, and I really believe we played as a complete team today and that’s why we got it done.”