49ers-Eagles playoff game: Shanahan talks injuries and a hire that’s eluded him
The San Francisco 49ers are headed back to Philadelphia for another playoff game against the Eagles.
Sunday’s Wild Card game will be the first time Kyle Shanahan’s team has traveled to Lincoln Financial Field since thumping the Eagles 42-19 in December 2023, getting payback for the previous NFC title game in which Brock Purdy famously hurt his elbow in the first quarter en route to a heartbreaking and lopsided 49ers loss.
The two teams have combined to represent the NFC in five of the last eight Super Bowls. But the Eagles have the leg up by winning last season’s championship, while the 49ers are still looking for their elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy, which they haven’t won since 1995.
Shanahan spoke to the media Wednesday before his team’s first practice and offered updates on key injured players and his thoughts on going against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whom Shanahan tried to hire multiple times since 2017.
Williams and Pearsall remain uncertain
All-Pro tackle Trent Williams continues to deal with a hamstring injury suffered Week 17 against Chicago and remains uncertain to play Sunday. Williams didn’t practice Wednesday, though that’s not out of the norm. The 37-year-old typically gets Wednesday’s off as a veteran’s courtesy.
“No, he’s still hurt. I doubt he would — hopefully he’ll be better and get some in (Thursday),” Shanahan said. “But I’m not sure where we’ll be at tomorrow yet.”
Williams wasn’t in the 49ers’ locker room during Wednesday’s media availability, nor was he on the side field doing rehab work during the portion of practice open to reporters.
Pearsall, meanwhile, was running on the side field well below full speed. He was listed as a limited participant in all three practices leading into last week’s game against the Seahawks but was made inactive 90 minutes before the game. He aggravated knee and ankle issues against the Bears.
“He’s in the same boat as Trent,” Shanahan said.
Pearsall’s availability could be significant. He had 11 catches for 181 yards in his previous two games and is San Francisco’s best threat to stretch opposing defenses.
The 49ers had their worst offensive performance of the season last week vs. Seattle’s first-ranked defense with Williams and Pearsall sidelined.
The ‘best’ coordinator Shanahan couldn’t hire
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio worked for the 49ers under Jim Harbaugh from 2011 to 2014, and has remained one of the most respected minds in the league. Shanahan said he’s tried to hire him multiple times, including when he first arrived in San Francisco in 2017.
“Vic, schematically, has always been the best to me. He’s as good as anyone there is,” Shanahan said. “He has a very sound scheme that he doesn’t need to change up very much. It just naturally changes with how he does his coverages, how he does his fronts. The personnel groupings he does. He’s very good at getting a beat what you’re trying to do and making you adjust.”
Fangio was the Denver Broncos head coach from 2019 to 2021 where he went 19-30. After getting fired, he spent time during the 2022 offseason visiting the 49ers during the spring program.
The 49ers wound up losing defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to become the head coach of the Houston Texans and Shanahan wanted to hire Fangio to replace him, but Fangio was hired by Miami the same day the 49ers’ season ended in Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game.
“You’d have to ask him. I’ve tried all the times that (there’s been) opportunity,” Shanahan said. “Just he’s always been with someone else when that happened. I tried real hard in 2017 when we first came here, and I tried like two other times on separate occasions. Vic’s always been a guy I’ve respected. Gone against a number of times before he became a head coach, that’s why I’ve respected him so much. And through the process I’ve been able to become friends with him.”
On going against quarterback with a big time arm
Jalen Hurts, last year’s Super Bowl MVP, has been the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback for five years. He’s known as being a dual threat and lethal on the infamous “tush push” quarterback sneak plays. Hurts has 63 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2020, the most among quarterbacks.
Shanahan was asked about the problems Hurts poses.
“One, he’s got a big-time arm. So with those wideouts (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith) he has, he’s capable of making any throw, whether on time or whether extremely late, because usually when a quarterback’s late you can’t throw it that far and catch up with those guys, but he can,” Shanahan said.
“So you gotta honor the entire field with him. And any time you got a quarterback who’s capable of doing that, who also is a threat every single play with his legs, it’s an issue. Whether he uses it or not. When someone is a threat like that, you have to adjust certain things that you don’t have to worry about versus other people. Whether they do it or not, you know you have to honor it. That slows down your whole defense as a whole.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 2:46 PM with the headline "49ers-Eagles playoff game: Shanahan talks injuries and a hire that’s eluded him."
