49ers mailbag: Should San Francisco fear the Eagles — and can a playoff run happen?
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Matt Barrows
Among this week's questions: Why are the 49ers practicing so late, and why so many Jauan Jennings targets have resulted in interceptions?
Which is the one team the San Francisco 49ers want to avoid in January? How many return-from-IR designations do they have left? How is the team trying to recharge after consecutive short weeks of preparation? Should fans have saved a bottle of champagne last night for February?
The postseason is very much on everyone’s mind as we turn the calendar to 2026, and playoff-type questions dominate the first mailbag of the new year. Thanks for all the great queries, which have been edited and shortened for clarity. Happy New Year!
Which is the one team the 49ers should avoid in the playoffs? — Danny T.
To me, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles. I know their offense hasn’t exactly been a work of art since midseason. But they’ve got a strong offensive line, a talented tailback and a mobile quarterback, all of which spell trouble for the 49ers’ defense. They also have a really good defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio.
The 2025 Eagles remind me of a line from “Succession” in which black-hearted antagonist Logan Roy explains what life is really like to his son/enemy, Kendall.
“Life’s not knights on horseback,” he says. “It’s a number on a piece of paper. It’s a fight for a knife in the mud.”
The Eagles want to drag their opponent off their horse and into the mud. And then scramble for the knife. I’m not sure the 49ers can win that sort of scrum.
Can the Niners actually pull off a Super Bowl-winning run with this bend-but-don’t-break defense? Or are we kidding ourselves all the way to heartbreak again? Asking for a friend. — Shawn B.
The win over the Chicago Bears both suggested they can and underscored how precarious and difficult it would be. I think the 49ers should hope for a Los Angeles Rams-Eagles first-round matchup. It would be better for them if Fangio/Saquon Barkley or Matthew Stafford/Jared Verse are gone after Round 1.
With a chance to lock up the 1 seed and the current state of their defense, do you think the 49ers have any regrets about not being more aggressive in trading for a pass rusher? — Joe P.
If they don’t, they should. For example, Jaelan Phillips has two sacks, seven quarterback hits and 41 quarterback pressures since the Eagles acquired him before Week 10. Over the same span, Bryce Huff, Sam Okuayinonu, Clelin Ferrell, Robert Beal Jr. and Yetur Gross-Matos have 43 quarterback pressures combined. Combined. COM. BIIIINED!
Maybe adding an accomplished edge rusher like Phillips wouldn’t have had quite the same impact it’s had in Philadelphia, given the 49ers’ overall dearth of D-line talent. But it certainly would have elevated that talent somewhat, allowed Huff to take fewer snaps and kept Phillips — a potential playoff opponent — off the Eagles’ roster.
If the 49ers had made a push for Phillips or some other edge rusher in November, they might have lost a third-round pick in April. Meh. That seems like a tiny price to have a modicum of an edge pass rush in a postseason in which any team can realistically win the Super Bowl.
If, before the season started, someone gave you a list of all of the injuries the Niners would suffer, what record would you have predicted? — Jeremy F.
I would have said, “Oof, that sounds like 2020 when they went 6-10.” So I would have predicted 6-11.
Happy New Year, Matt! How many designations to return from IR do the Niners have left? — Dave B.
They have three remaining for the regular season and two more when the playoffs begin. So they’ll have five total.
George Kittle seems like he might be ready. If so, do you see some pass plays where he and Jake Tonges are on the field at the same time? — Rich N.
They like to put in all three tight ends near the goal line, which makes the defense choose between a heavy personnel group and a lighter one. (That’s what the 49ers did on Tonges’ wide-open touchdown Sunday). But they probably won’t use that package much beyond that.
Do you expect the team to be more aggressive in free agency this year compared to last year, or do you expect a similar strategy? — Forge W.
I expect something similar. However, it feels like the 49ers have to add at least one solid veteran at receiver (should they not re-sign Jauan Jennings) and defensive end (as a hedge against Nick Bosa’s and Mykel Williams’ knee injuries).
Of the rookies who’ve stepped into major roles because of injuries, who have the Niners penciled in as starters in 2026 and beyond? — Jah B.
Defensive tackle Alfred Collins is certainly penciled in as a future starter, while position mate CJ West has been surging lately and will undoubtedly have a bigger role, though perhaps not a starting role, next season.
On the offensive line, Connor Colby will likely have a chance to compete for the starting left guard spot should Spencer Burford and Ben Bartch depart via free agency.
None of the following players has made a big mark this season, but I’d expect linebacker Nick Martin (at strongside linebacker), running back Jordan James, receiver Jordan Watkins and safety Marques Sigle to have bigger roles than they did this year. With Jason Pinnock heading for free agency, perhaps Sigle steps into the big nickel role next year?
Who has been your favorite new 49er to cover this season? — Adam W.
Skyy Moore and Mac Jones. Moore is friendly, always available and was ultra positive from the moment he arrived via trade. You can see why coach Kyle Shanahan is eager to re-sign him this offseason. He’s a good culture fit for the 49ers.
Jones is just very loose and funny. Most NFL quarterbacks take on a CEO’s persona — it’s always business, they don’t stray from the company line, they’re a bit starchy and boring. Jones is a different cat. He’s more self-effacing, he dances with the wideouts at practice, he wears funky suits — and ankle-less socks! — to games. It’s clear his teammates like him and his style. He has “starter” and “leader” written all over him, which is why he should get another shot at that role in another NFL city.
How do you find out what time practice, news events, etc., are scheduled? Seems like you guys are on call. — Michael C.
Mondays can be interesting. The 49ers will send out a notice that Shanahan will be available at 3:30 p.m. Then there will be a text that says it’s been bumped up to 2 p.m. Then a second text that it’s now at 3 p.m. But it’s fine — we know the drill by now. (Do not go to Trader Joe’s between noon and 3:30 p.m. on Mondays.)
Did the 49ers practice later than normal this week to get used to playing at 5 p.m.? — Sam K.
That might be a benefit, but that’s not the main reason the team held its Tuesday practice at 5:05 p.m. and its Wednesday practice at 5:15 p.m.
The bigger factor was sleep and recovery, which have become much more important to NFL teams over the last decade or so. When I first started covering the 49ers in 2003, players used to race to be the first player in the parking lot. Getting into the building well before sunup showed dedication, desire, tenacity. Grabbing the first space in the lot was a signal that a player was outworking everyone else.
These days, coaches encourage players to get as much rest as possible. Even a nobody-outworks-me guy like Fred Warner will strive to get 9 ½ hours of shuteye per night. On a short week like this one — and one that follows a short week of preparation — that’s even more essential. So Shanahan allowed his players to sleep late on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday’s practice schedule is more normal.
Isn’t it a bad sign for a defensive coordinator if, on the most important snap of the game, two not really accomplished players decide a call is bad and do their own thing? — Fabian V.
Shanahan on Tuesday clarified that Tatum Bethune and Dee Winters weren’t freelancing on the final snap, which is what Bethune’s post-game comment made it sound like. Shanahan said the defensive call hinges on the opposition’s center and how the protection lines up.
“I don’t know exactly how Tatum worded it, but that changes based (on) what protections they do,” Shanahan said.
It’s interesting that there have been seven interceptions this season when targeting Jauan Jennings. Why do you think the ratio is that high? — Aaron C.
It’s because Jennings, who’s a good but not elite separator, gets a lot of targets and a lot of contested targets. Last year, for example, 32 of his 111 targets were contested. This year, 31 of 82 targets have had a defensive player hovering, hanging or otherwise in very close proximity.
What is it that makes Luke Gifford such a special teams ace but such a coverage liability? Obviously, having the right mindset for special teams helps, but does he lack some quality, like essential quickness in coverage, or slower scrimmage-play recognition, that hurts him in defensive snaps? — Jason T.
It’s not that he’s slow of foot. He ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash before the 2019 draft, which isn’t ideal but is adequate for an NFL linebacker. Warner, for example, ran a 4.64, and Bethune’s time was 4.77.
Still, Gifford has always been better going straight ahead than changing directions and in coverage. Here’s what Dane Brugler wrote about him before his draft (Gifford went undrafted):
“He competes with the aggressive nature required to set a hard edge and do battle in the trenches. He plays mentally alert, but his anticipation lacks development, which also shows in coverage. Overall, Gifford doesn’t have an extensive resume due to injuries, but he is a high IQ athlete with the play personality desired for the NFL.”
Gifford is smart, was a team captain at Nebraska, and he and Siran Neal are the de facto captains on the 49ers’ coverage units. I think that goes a long way toward explaining why he’s excelled in that area over his career.
Against the Bears, it seemed the Niners had many more self-induced errors (penalties, wasting timeouts due to clock or personnel issues). Do you think that was due to the quality of the opponent, the short week or just one of those games? — Ralph K.
I think it had a lot to do with the officiating crew. Alex Moore’s group leads the league — by a wide margin — in flags thrown this season. Niners fans should be rooting for games with Brad Allen, Land Clark or Alan Eck.
Referee crews with the most penalties in #NFL 2025 (As of week 17)
Alex Moore: 258 penalties/2034 yards/311 flags
Carl Cheffers: 224/1705/264
Bill Vinovich: 222/1843/267
Shawn Hochuli: 219/1851/269
Brad Rogers: 203/1577/236