Gritty 49ers overcome George Kittle's injury to beat Eagles - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA -- With tight end George Kittle riding to the locker room on a cart, his right Achilles torn, 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 the one that was finally too much for the Niners to overcome.

But that's not who these 49ers have been this year. The identity they've forged in this injury-marred season is of a team that isn't defeated by adversity but buoyed by it.

It's part of why they were able to gather themselves after Kittle's injury and fight their way to a 23-19 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. With the win, the Niners advance to next weekend's NFC Divisional Round for a rubber match against the NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks.

"This team has carried the character of George Kittle throughout the entire year," 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 seen clapping and encouraging his teammates to continue battling the Eagles. The cold reality of this season and others of recent years is that the 49ers know what is needed to overcome significant injuries, even ones to team captains such as 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 up field, his right leg gave way as Eagles linebacker Zack Baun tackled him. Kittle stayed down as Niners medical staff rushed to check on him.

Before Kittle left the field, the diagnosis was clear: a torn Achilles that will keep him out the rest of this year and is likely to keep him out for 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," 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."

Indeed, as the Niners have many times throughout a season in which they went 12-5 in the regular season, no amount of adversity was enough to send them home for the winter. 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 negative-two 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 dial up a play called "Skyy Bang, reverse pass." The play design asks quarterback Brock Purdy to flip the ball to receiver Jauan Jennings circling behind him 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 let the pass fly 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 Jennings' second playoff touchdown pass, joining the 21-yarder he threw to McCaffrey in Super Bowl LVIII. Officials penalized 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 to get the job done. After the defense got another stop, Purdy threw his second interception of the day to cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, which allowed the Eagles to reclaim the lead on another field goal.

It was the Niners' second turnover on a day when they got no takeaways, leaving them minus-2 in turnover differential. Purdy and Co. rebounded with a 66-yard touchdown drive capped by Purdy's 4-yard scoring strike to McCaffrey to get the lead back.

Still, the 49ers defense, led by linebackers Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow, needed one more stop to seal the win. They got it after Philadelphia drove to the Niners' 21 and, fittingly, it was Kendricks who 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, two for loss, and two 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."

For San Francisco, it's the 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 with the Niners now 2-35 in those situations.

Purdy finished 18-of-31 for 262 yards with two scores and two interceptions while McCaffrey added 114 yards from scrimmage and two 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 2004-2008. He's also scored a touchdown in all eight postseason games he's played, the longest streak to begin a career in playoff history.

Now, the 49ers will turn their attention back to Seattle, the team that defeated them 13-3 on Jan. 3 to claim the NFC West crown and who the Niners beat in the season opener.

"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."