The San Francisco 49ers have had one game circled on their calendar all year.
That is a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
San Francisco felt they did not get a fair shot to show what they could do last year because they lost both of their quarterbacks to injury.
They played the entire second half of that NFC title game without a quarterback who could throw.
Now these teams get set for Sunday’s game in what has significant playoff-seeding implications.
Former 49ers head coach and now NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci said the Niners need to win this game.
According to John Clark, Mariucci said, “The Niners need it more. It’s more of a home-field advantage for the Eagles to have the number one seed.”
“The Niners need it more. It’s more of a home field advantage for the Eagles to have the number one seed. Because old man winter shows up and that can be an advantage for the Eagles (in the playoffs)”
Podcast with Steve Mariucci on Eagles 49ers Sundayhttps://t.co/LwaSIhaw2s pic.twitter.com/4sPyuN9L4d
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 1, 2023
The winner of this game may very well end up with the top seed in the conference.
Having home-field advantage in the playoffs is significant.
Every team plays better at home in front of their fans, and home-field advantage comes with a first-round bye.
After a long regular season, the more rest you can get over your opponents is massive.
Surprisingly enough, the 49ers are road favorites for Sunday’s game.
It is not often a 10-1 team is an underdog at home but that tells you how the public feels about these two teams.
San Francisco is coming into this game healthy and with momentum.
There is no better time for them to establish themselves as the team to beat in the NFC.
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