49ers-Eagles: Everything you need to know as San Francisco looks for upset win
The NFL playoffs get underway this weekend, and after missing them last season, the San Francisco 49ers are back in the mix.
The betting markets are suggesting the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles have gained momentum to beat the No. 6 seed 49ers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
The point spread, which opened at Eagles minus-3 when the game was determined last Sunday, has ballooned to Eagles minus-6 as of Friday afternoon, according to Draft Kings. No point spread for Wild Card weekend has moved as much as San Francisco at Philadelphia.
The indication: the wagering public is putting its money on the Eagles.
The 49ers (12-5) have a better record (11-6), but are dealing with another wave of injuries to their already-banged up defense. They will likely start two linebackers that were added in recent weeks in light of the injuries to Fred Warner, Dee Winters and Tatum Bethune, the team’s top three at the position when the season began.
That leaves veteran Eric Kendricks, who was signed off the street days before Christmas, and Garret Wallow as the team’s projected starting linebackers to go against Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and Co.
Here’s are some other things to know ahead of the game.
Brady’s on the broadcast
One of the richest people at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday will be the guy giving analysis on Fox’s broadcast. Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl wining quarterback, will be calling the game as the key member of FOX’s top broadcasting crew. Brady is in the second season of his massive 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX.
Brady over his 23 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots and Buccaneers made $332 million in salary, according to Spotrac. He’ll call the game alongside play-by-play voice Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.
TV broadcast
Time: 1:30 p.m. Pacific
Station: Fox
Radio broadcast
Guy Haberman will be on the local call in place of legendary broadcaster Greg Papa, who didn’t travel to Philadelphia while he continues to recover from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Papa made his return to call last week’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks after missing the first 16 games while undergoing treatment. 49ers color analyst Tim Ryan will call the game on the radio side with Haberman.
The local broadcast will be on KNBR 680 AM and The Bone 107.7 FM. Ian Eagle and Ross Tucker will call the game on the nationally on the Westwood One Sports radio network.
Who’s in and who’s out?
The 49ers didn’t provide many answers when they released their final injury report of the week on Friday. All seven players who enter the weekend listed are officially “questionable.”
That list includes vital names such as tackle Trent Williams (hamstring), receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle), linebacker Dee Winters (ankle), pass rusher Keion White (groin, hamstring), cornerback Renard Green (ankle), special teams Pro Bowler Luke Gifford (quadriceps) and receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring) who returned to practice this week for the first time since getting injured on the first day of training camp back in July.
Philadelphia, who rested their starters in the regular season finale last week against Washington, only has three players on the injury report leading into the game. Naturally, all three are listed as questionable: offensive tackle Lane Johnson (foot), linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) and guard Brett Toth (concussion) will likely be game-time decisions.
Analysts make predictions
ESPN’s NFL Experts leaned toward an Eagles win on Sunday, with six choosing Philadelphia and three going with San Francisco.
CBS Sports picked the Eagles with the points, noting they should have enough firepower against the 49ers’ banged-up defense.
USA Today’s six experts split their betting picks 3-3 based on a 4.5-point spread.
All five of NFL.com’s analysts predicted an Eagles victory.
Looking ahead: If 49ers win, who’s next?
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination, win-or-go home affair. Wild Card weekend is the first round, followed by the Divisional round next weekend.
The matchups are based on dynamic seeding in each of the two conferences — meaning the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Seattle Seahawks, will host the lowest remaining seed and the second-highest remaining seed will play the second-lowest remaining seed in the Divisional round.
That means that with a Wild Card win, the 49ers would travel next week either to Seattle to play the Seahawks (if the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers lose on Saturday night) or the winner of Saturday afternoon’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers (if the Packers defeat the No. 2 seed Chicago Bears).
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 5:00 AM.