49ers must conquer Eagles and their fans in difficult title game road assignment
49ers last won an NFC title game on the road following 2012 season in Atlanta.
SANTA CLARA — To get his team in the mood going forward for a challenging road assignment, coach Kyle Shanahan turned back the clock Friday to a game that did not even include the 49ers.
The date was Jan. 19, 2003, and the place was Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. On that day, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers closed down the stadium with a 27-10 win over the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and advanced to the Super Bowl.
Tampa went in with the reputation of being a warm weather team and had taken it on the chin in Philadelphia in their three previous games, failing to even score an offensive touchdown. Instead, the Bucs’ defense dominated in 26 degree weather. The offense did just enough and Ronde Barber’s 92-yard pick six sealed things in the fourth quarter.
“You just like to show people the atmosphere,” Shanahan said. “I know it was the last game at the Vet, you can pick a game at almost any time and see parallels in everything. I love showing it to make people aware of the moment they’re in now. Sometimes people don’t realize that until they’re a little bit older.”
In previous weeks, Shanahan educated his team on the 49ers-Cowboys history as well as their rivalry with the Seahawks preceding the wild card game.
The Vet is long gone, replaced by the much nicer and more modern Lincoln Financial Field. The weather is expected to be about as good as it gets in late January — a 50 degree day.
But the challenge against the top-seeded Eagles (15-3) is a substantial one. The winner advances to Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
The Eagles have lost twice at home, once against Washington in a game in which they committed four turnovers, and again on Jan. 1 with quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined with a sore right shoulder.
The 49ers (15-4) will be faced with one of the NFL’s most challenging venues in terms of crowd noise and intensity. According to Fox29 in Philadelphia, police announced they would reinstitute the practice of greasing light poles and fixtures in the city to deter celebratory fans from climbing them in the aftermath of victory.
The 49ers, meanwhile, simply turned up the volume on the music during practice Friday.
Left tackle Trent Williams played in Philadelphia every year he played in Washington and considers the atmosphere unique.
“When you walk in there you know that you’re not welcome,” Williams said. “We enjoy the home field advantage when we got it here. But that’s the name of the game, you go there and you’ve got to deal with it. That’s why you play the game.”
The 49ers are 2-5 in road conference title games, with the last win coming 28-24 in Atlanta following the 2012 season.
The closest thing the 49ers have seen in terms of crowd noise came in a 21-13 win on Dec. 15 in Seattle to wrap up the NFC West. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, playing with a rib injury, acquitted himself well and guided the offense successfully using a silent snap count when necessary.
“We needed that in case we ended up in the NFC championship at Philly and we got that and we’re very fortunate that we did,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I feel we’re good to go. He knows what to expect, he knows how to do it and I don’t feel it will be an issue.”
Going into the Seattle game, Shanahan told Purdy the experience would be good preparation for a road playoff game.
“Everything in these games is all about communication,” Purdy said. “How can you operate smoothly, get in and out of the huddle, get the play off the right way, make sure you’re on the same page? That’s a big emphasis — the details of communicating.”
Williams believes Seattle was a legitimate dress rehearsal in terms of decibel level.
“I think if you can operate in Seattle’s noise, you can pretty much operate anywhere,” Williams said. “Philly is just one of those places where those fans make a difference. They get under your ski, they yell at you, they don’t stop. That’ll be an added factor to it, but I think he operated good in the noise.”
Purdy was 2 years old when the Bucs beat the Eagles and closed down the Vet, but said he took Shanahan’s history lesson to heart.
“I think that’s one of the best things coach does is go back and look at games and moments in time where something was on the line and you can learn from it,” Purdy said. “You can learn from history because history tends to repeat itself, whether it’s sports or life in general. It’s cool to go back and feel where the teams were, what the environment was and learn from the good and bad of everything.”
While there has been talk of the NFL considering moving conference championship games to neutral sites, Shanahan hopes it never happens. He believes the bye and home field advantage are valuable rewards, and also enjoys the concept of winning in a hostile environment.
“It’s always nice to go on the road with your crew, rally together and go into a place where no one wants you there except your team,” Shanahan said. “That can be really fun and inspiring.”
49ERS ON THE ROAD IN NFC TITLE GAMES
How the 49ers have fared in NFC Championship games played on the road:
L.A. Rams 20, 49ers 17 at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2022
The 49ers led 17-7 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to George Kittle in the third quarter but the Rams countered with Matthew Stafford’s 11-yard scoring pass to Cooper Kupp and a pair of Matt Gay field goals. A dropped interception by Jaquiski Tartt with the 49ers leading 17-14 with 9:47 left was crucial in the outcome. The Rams beat Cincinnati 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI.
Seattle 23, 49ers 17 at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Jan. 19, 2014
On first-and-10 with 30 seconds remaining, Richard Sherman batted a Colin Kaepernick pass intended for Michael Crabtree into the air with Malcolm Smith making the game-saving interception. Kaepernick had 153 yards passing and 130 yards rushing with two interceptions. Seattle beat Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.
49ers 28, Atlanta 24 at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Jan. 20, 2013
Trailing 24-14 at halftime, the 49ers scored twice in the second half on 5- and 9-yard touchdown runs from Frank Gore to beat the top-seeded Falcons. Atlanta gained 477 yards in all but didn’t score in the second half. The 49ers under Jim Harbaugh lost to Baltimore and coach John Harbaugh 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
Dallas 38, 49ers 21 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Jan 23, 1994
The Cowboys made good on coach Jimmy Johnson’s Thursday night boast on a radio show that “We’re going to win the ballgame. You can put it in three-inch headlines.” Dallas led 28-7 at halftime and coasted to the win after Bernie Kosar replaced quarterback Troy Aikman, who had a concussion. Dallas beat Buffalo 30-13 in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
49ers 28, Chicago 3 at Soldier Field, Chicago, Jan. 8, 1989
The 49ers’ signature road playoff win in franchise history came when Joe Montana threw touchdown passes of 61 and 27 yards to Jerry Rice despite a minus-26 chill factor. Montana added a third TD pass to John Frank. The 49ers then beat Cincinnati 20-16 in Super Bowl XXXIII in Bill Walsh’s final game as head coach.
Washington 24, 49ers 21 at RFK Stadium, Washington D.C., Jan. 8, 1984
The 49ers trailed 21-0 before Joe Montana threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes – two to Mike Wilson and one to Freddie Solomon – to tie the score. Washington won on a 25-yard field goal by Moseley following some debatable flags against the 49ers secondary. Washington lost Super Bowl VIII 38-9 to the Raiders.
Dallas 14, 49ers 3 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Jan. 2, 1972
The 49ers’ defense held the Cowboys to just 244 yards but John Brodie threw three interceptions and San Francisco managed only a 28-yard field goal by Bruce Gossett in the third quarter. Dallas went to to beat Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI.