The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers haven’t let last season’s postseason disappointment become a hangover in 2023.
Both teams head into Sunday’s rematch of last season’s NFC title game (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App) with a chance to turn those recent failures into success.
Philadelphia, coming off a Super Bowl loss last season to Kansas City, is the fourth Super Bowl runner-up to start the following season 10-1 or better, joining the 1991 Bills, the 1975 Vikings and the undefeated Dolphins in 1972.
The goal for Philadelphia (10-1) is to match those 1972 Dolphins, one of three teams to win the Super Bowl the year after losing the title game. Dallas did it the previous season with a win over Miami, and the Patriots did it in 2018, after losing to the Eagles the year before.
The Eagles are the fourth team in NFL history to win at least 10 of their first 11 games in back-to-back seasons. They joined the Colts (2005-06), Dolphins (1972-73) and Bears (1941-42).
The Niners have two years of playoff close calls hanging over them, having lost the NFC Championship Game in 2021 to the Rams and last season to the Eagles.
San Francisco has won three straight games to improve to 8-3 and will try to become the fourth team to follow two straight conference title game losses with a Super Bowl crown. The Patriots did it in 2014, the Niners in 1995 and the Raiders in 1976.
The Eagles and 49ers are currently the top two seeds in the NFC, setting the stage for a rare possible NFC title game rematch. The Niners were involved the only other times it happened, playing Dallas three straight years from 1992-94 and in back-to-back seasons in 1971-72.
It has happened five times in the AFC, including last season when the Chiefs hosted the Bengals for a second straight season.
Eagles or 49ers: Who’s the better bet to win the NFC?
Playoff Push
For the sixth consecutive season, a team will go from a losing record after 11 games to the playoffs.
With all four teams…
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Publish date : 2023-11-29 14:43:51
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