PHILADELPHIA – Haason Reddick was a one-man wrecking crew against the San Francisco 49ers in last year’s NFC Championship Game, won by the Philadelphia Eagles 31-7.
Nobody on the 49ers is talking about that, and how their head coach, Kyle Shanahan, tried to block him with a backup tight end and how the inability to make that block led to quarterback Brock Purdy’s elbow injury that knocked him from the game and onto a surgeon’s table in the offseason.
Or the fact, that they couldn’t block Reddick a few plays later and allowed Reddick to storm in and crunch backup Josh Johnson, knocking him from the game with a concussion.
If Shanahan is smart, and the consensus around the league seems to be that he is, he and his staff will need to pay attention to Reddick a lot more this time around when the Eagles (10-1) host the Niners (8-3) on Sunday (4:25 p.m./FOX) in a big game that could determine the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The 49ers haven’t gotten over last year’s loss, judging by their comments all offseason long.
“You get to come back in the Linc,” said Reddick. “Everything that they felt last year they get a chance to come in here and prove it.
“They talk about us and the Super Bowl with KC. S—t, we played KC this year and we were able to get our dub. The 49ers have a chance now after how they felt after the championship game last year and they get to line up and try to come in here and get a W.”
Reddick leads the team in sacks again this season with 8.5 and is on the brink of his fourth straight season with double digits. He had 16.5 in the regular season last year then added three more in the postseason, two of which came against San Francisco.
Reddick’s matchup against right tackle Colton McKivitz, a former fifth-round pick in 2020 from West Virginia University, could go a long way in determining the outcome of this game. The entire 49ers offensive line against the Eagles’ defensive front could be one of the keys to whichever team wins.
“They’re a great offense, but I also feel in our hearts when we’re clicking together we’re a great defense,” said Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who played 62 snaps, the most of his career in the team’s 37-34 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills.
“We have to make sure we play that way, come out strong, finish strong, and let the scoreboard dictate what happens.”
Reddick didn’t seem to be in a very credit-giving mood on Thursday when asked about 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey or Purdy.
McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing with 939 yards and is second in yards from scrimmage with 1,328. He also has 11 rushing touchdowns.
“I play D-line, I don’t really talk about that,” said Reddick. “He runs the ball and our job is to be in the gaps and tackle. Everything else he does is more so on the back end. Know that he’s a good runner and good with the ball in his hands, but that’s about as much as I can tell you.”
On Pudy, Reddick seemed to indicate that he was more of a system quarterback, though the QB has completed at least 70 percent of his passes in five straight games. He has 19 touchdown passes and six picks this season but has been sacked 21 times.
“I don’t know, is he better (than last year)?” said Reddick. “Actually, I think he’s doing the same things he was last year. It’s about people capitalizing on the opportunity.
“He does throw balls to people, but for some reason, a lot of DBs drop the balls, whenever it hits their hands, they drop them. But he looks like the same guy from last year, just playing well within the system. They move him around so that way he can see outside of the pocket and make plays.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but San Francisco hasn’t shown the Eagles much respect after getting whacked by them last year, so Reddick could be delivering some disrespect back.
Whatever it is, he said there is no extra motivation to beat them this year after some of the comments they have made.
“There shouldn’t be extra motivation,” he said. “Why should it? It’s another football game, another opportunity, another chance to go out there and do what you do.
“I think it comes down to just having pride, being ready to go, knowing the things that they said, knowing the way that they felt, just making sure you’re ready to go from the first whistle to the last.”
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