Gritty 49ers overcome George Kittle's Achilles tear, beat Eagles

PHILADELPHIA -- With tight end George Kittle riding to the locker room on a cart after tearing his right Achilles, the San Francisco 49ers' season hung in the balance.

Already without two of their best players in defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, it would have been understandable if Kittle's devastating injury was too much to overcome.

But the 49ers proved again during this injury-marred season that they're not defeated by adversity but buoyed by it.

It's part of why they were able to gather themselves after Kittle's injury and pull off a 23-19 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. With the win, the Niners advanced to the NFC divisional round for a rematch against the NFC West rival Seahawksin Seattle on Saturday.

"This team has carried the character of George Kittle throughout the entire year," 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. "He's the heart and soul of this team. That's a tough loss. When he's not playing, it means a lot. ... When you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him because his presence is still in this locker room. His energy is still here."

Even as Kittle was riding to the locker room after his injury, he was clapping and encouraging his teammates to continue battling the Eagles. After recent seasons, the 49ers know what is needed to overcome significant injuries, even to team captains Kittle, Bosa and Warner.

With a little more than six minutes left in the second quarter, Kittle made a 6-yard catch in the right flat. As he attempted to turn upfield, his right leg gave way as Eagles linebacker Zack Baun tackled him. Kittle stayed down as the Niners' medical staff rushed to check on him.

Kittle was diagnosed with a torn Achilles that will keep him out for the rest of the playoffs and likely a large chunk, if not all, of next season.

Despite missing Kittle, the Niners entered halftime down just 13-10.

"You don't have to address that," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Guys know right away. ... We were happy with how it was going in the first half and thought we'd have the grit to finish it."

As the Niners showed many times during their 12-5 regular season, they weren't going home despite the adversity. Whether it was dialing up a trick play or leaning on a pair of linebackers who have been with the team a combined 77 days, the Niners got contributions up and down the depth chart to overcome a minus-2 turnover differential and escape with a win.

With 14:52 to go and the Niners trailing 16-10, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak suggested to Shanahan that he call "Skyy Bang, reverse pass." The play has quarterback Brock Purdyflipping the ball to receiver Jauan Jennings,who circles behind Purdy with the hope that McCaffrey can freely leak out down the right sideline.

McCaffrey came open quickly as Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter closed in on Jennings. Carter leveled Jennings as he threw the pass, and the ball hung in the air for what McCaffrey said felt like 15 seconds. McCaffrey hauled it in over his shoulder for a 29-yard touchdown to stake San Francisco to a 17-16 lead.

It was the second playoff touchdown pass for Jennings, who threw a 21-yarder to McCaffrey in Super Bowl LVIII. Officials called Carter for roughing the passer, leaving Jennings to celebrate what he likened to an and-1 in basketball.

"I was scared for a little bit, but after I heard the screams, I'm just like, 'Yeah, CMC had to have made a great catch,'" Jennings said. "Because coming off my hand, I definitely thought I threw it too far."

Even after Jennings' touchdown pass, the Niners required more heroics from unlikely sources. After the defense got another stop, Purdy threw his second interception of the game to cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, allowing the Eagles to reclaim the lead on another field goal.

Purdy and Co. rebounded with a 66-yard touchdown drive, capped by Purdy's 4-yard scoring strike to McCaffrey to regain the lead.

Still, the 49ers' defense, led by linebackers Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow, needed one more stop to seal the win. After Philadelphia drove to the Niners' 21, Kendricks broke up Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' last-ditch pass.

Kendricks and Wallow, who joined the Niners on Nov. 29 and Dec. 8, respectively, combined for 21 tackles, 2 for loss, and 2 pass breakups while filling in for injured linebackers Warner, Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford and Dee Winters.

"From the outside looking in, [our playoff run] may look super unlikely," Kendricks said. "But being in the building for the last month and some change now, it's not a question why we're in the situation we're in. ... I believe in this team."

It's San Francisco's first victory when finishing minus-2 or worse in turnover margin since Shanahan took over in 2017. The only other time it happened was in Week 3 of 2019 against Pittsburgh. The Niners are 2-35 in those situations.

Purdy finished 18-of-31 for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while McCaffrey added 114 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns. McCaffrey has 100-plus scrimmage yards in five straight postseason games, the longest streak by any player since Brian Westbrook had six in games from 2004 to 2008. McCaffrey has also scored a touchdown in all eight of his postseason games, the longest streak to begin a career in playoff history.

The 49ers will turn their attention to Seattle, which defeated them 13-3 on Jan. 3 to claim the NFC West crown.

"I'm glad we get another shot," Shanahan said. "They played us really well. [They] definitely beat us, but I know we can play better."br/]