This weekend, the San Francisco 49ers will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship. The 49ers vs Eagles playoff history is brief, but it may be growing based on how these two teams are playing. The Eagles ended their regular season, 14-3 with the number one seed in the NFC. The San Francisco 49ers ended their season 13-4 with the second seed in the NFC. The Eagles have the home-field advantage in what looks to be a tough matchup for both teams. Here is a look back at the 49ers vs Eagles playoff history.
49ers vs Eagles Playoff History
These two teams have actually only faced each other one time in the playoffs. This game goes back to December 29th, 1996 in the Wild Card round. San Francisco had the home-field advantage, as the game was held in Candlestick Park. Here is a look back at this game in the 49ers vs Eagles playoff history.
49ers
The team was still coached by George Seifert at this time, and Steve Young was still the quarterback. In the game, Steve Young completed 14 passes out of 21 attempts for 161 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. Young also passed for one touchdown and was only sacked one time. With the advantage of Young being a dual-threat quarterback, he rushed the ball 11 times for 65 yards and one touchdown.
Star wide receiver, Jerry Rice, was also a large part of this game. Rice had just four receptions in this competition, but for 50 yards and one touchdown. The leading rusher in this matchup was Terry Kirby, who rushed the ball 16 times for 43 yards and had two receptions for 24 yards.
The 49ers were only able to score two touchdowns in this game. Young’s rushing touchdown came in the second quarter, and Rice’s reception was in the third quarter. Also to be noted, this was the final season with head coach George Seifert.
Eagles
In 1996, the Philadelphia Eagles were coached by Ray Rhodes. The Eagles lost seven games that season but were still able to find themselves in the wild-card round of playoffs. There were also quarterbacks who led this team during the game.
Quarterback Ty Detmer got the start. While in the game, Detmer completed just 14 passes out of 21 attempts for 148 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. Detmer did not throw for any touchdowns, but threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Following Detmer’s second sack, made by 49ers’ defensive lineman, Bryant Young, quarterback Mark Rypien entered the game.
Rypien came in during the final five minutes of the third quarter. In his short time playing, hoping to come back from a 14-0 deficit, Rypien had just five receptions out of 12 attempts for 77 yards. Rypien also was sacked once and did not pass for any touchdowns.
In this 49ers vs Eagles playoff history matchup, the leading rusher for Philly was Ricky Watters. Watters rushed the ball 20 times for 57 yards. He also had five receptions for 45 yards. The player with the most receiving yards was Irving Fryar. Fryar had just five receptions, but for 62 yards.
49ers vs Eagles Playoff History: Results
The 49ers won the game 14-0 to move on to the Greenbay Packers in the Divisional Round. San Francisco ended up losing the game 35-14. Looking back at the 49ers vs Eagles playoff history may not be as fun as other matchup histories, but these two teams have made playoffs two years in a row, and are both hungry for a win.
The NFC Championship will be this Sunday at 3:00 Eastern on FOX. San Francisco is 1-0 in the 49ers vs Eagles Playoff History and will want to stay undefeated against Philly in the playoffs. The winner of this game will move on to Super Bowl LVII.
For More NFL Content:
Check out my most recent article on the top 49ers players in their win over the Dallas Cowboys. Be sure to look back on the history of the 49ers vs Cowboys in the playoffs here, ahead of their divisional game this weekend. Also, check out this article on where defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will coach in the 2023 season.