Shanahan details challenge 49ers face vs. Hurts, Eagles' offense
Shanahan details challenge 49ers face vs. Hurts, Eagles' offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming note: Watch Greg Papa's full interview with Kyle Shanahan on "49ers Game Plan," airing at 9:30 p.m. PT Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Philadelphia Eagles have won more games than any team in the NFL since the start of the 2022 season, presenting the 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan with a daunting task this weekend.
While sitting down with Greg Papa for NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan," Shanahan explained why Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a difficult opponent to prepare for.
"He also runs running back plays where there is no option, so he's got it all, and he's an extremely good thrower," Shanahan said to Papa. "Just the poise he has, too, seems nothing really rattles him; [he] keeps them in every game and always has a way to close it out at the end. He's a borderline MVP player two years in a row. Last year, and obviously, how this year going. He's a stud. He makes it work for them."
Hurts has thrown for 18 touchdowns this season while tying 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey for the second-most rushing touchdowns (11) in the league.
Shanahan also detailed how Philadelphia's success in short-yardage situations presents an extremely tough challenge for the 49ers this weekend while offering praise for the Eagles' wide receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
"It's always an issue when you get into third-and-4, fourth-and-1; everyone knows how pretty much automatic they are on that," Shanahan said. "But when you have a quarterback that's a threat in all those areas, you can't go to sleep on, who also can make the very consistent throws to open guys, and those open guys are receivers that are as good as anyone in this league. It's a challenge, and that's why they've been so hard to beat over these two years. That's why it's going to be a challenge on Sunday."
The 49ers coach then went in depth to describe why Brown and Smith are so difficult to stop despite their vastly different physical profiles.
"They're wired so differently, but both of them, there's not one thing they can't do,"Shanahan told Papa. "Both guys can run by you. Both can go for jump balls. You think of A.J. [Brown] and how big he is, and he can big-body you. DeVonta [Smith] is one of the best jump ball, back shoulder, just the coordination he has to get under a ball and high-point it and stuff, he's as good as anyone. They both run slants, both are good after the catch, so you got two true number one receivers."
Philadelphia's electric wideout duo has been exceptional this season, with Brown and Smith each recording over 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns with six games left on their schedule to add to their already impressive totals.
San Francisco's defense did an excellent job of slowing down Brown and Smith in last season's NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles, holding the pair to just 64 combined receiving yards on 11 total targets between the two.
If the 49ers are going to pull out a victory on the road, it likely starts with finding an effective way to corral the Eagles' explosive offense.
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