I asked for fight, and the 2025 San Francisco 49ers delivered. In what may have been the greatest playoff win in the franchise’s history, this wonderful, perplexing team upset the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles 23-19, despite a roster that seems to permanently resemble the third week of preseason. It was an emotional win for me and so many others, I’m so incredibly proud of this team, so let’s get right to the devil in the details.

My Hottest Take: You (and I) should never doubt this coaching staff again

My job here at Sidelinr Sports, and elsewhere, is to provide opinions and analysis. Sometimes that means I run afoul of the more "kumbaya" sections of my team’s fanbase, and sometimes it means I’ll get outright yelled at. I certainly have been in the last few weeks for my critical comments on this team’s defense, and its coordinator, Robert Saleh, while I’ve also been yelled at from the other side of the coin by those who think John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan get too much of an easy ride.

Here’s a newsflash: I’m wrong, and you’re wrong too. Both of us should probably agree to stop doubting this staff again. I’ll never shy away from critiquing what needs it, but lets face it: this team had no right to beat the Eagles. With no playmakers with the ability to separate of any real value (especially once George Kittle went out with the torn Achilles), a preseason linebacker squad, a depleted safety corps and every other injury you’ve heard about this year, it should’ve been goodnight and good luck, and I should be writing about how this team did us proud this season, and what we need to do in the offseason to take the next steps.

That hasn’t happened, though, and it’s primarily because of pillars that have existed with the team for almost a decade. Kyle Shanahan, as he has most if not all of the season, coached his ass off, finding explosive plays early, even via the unexpected hands of DeMarcus Robinson, and even finding a way to manufacture offense through trick plays, thrusting Jauan Jennings into the limelight again by calling up a ‘bang reverse’ touchdown pass for him to Christian McCaffrey.

Mentioning coaching, however, I also have to tip my cap to Robert Saleh. I’m often critical of him, but in all honesty, aside from a couple of sketchy early calls, he called an almost perfect game. He finally seemed to embrace the idea of dying on our sword rather than bleeding out slowly, with a noticeably more aggressive gameplan, daring both the Eagles to run and Jalen Hurts to take shots downfield. They did neither effectively (Jennings ending up with a longer pass in the game than Hurts), and that helped the 49ers stay in the game long enough to find the final punch and get the win. He was helped along by some unsung heroes, perhaps most notably the veteran of veterans, linebacker Eric Kendricks, who has written himself into 49ers folkloreforeverin what was only his fourth game with the active roster.

What You Need to Know: A thawed-out rookie was an unexpected (to everyone but me) star

The other big beneficiary from the epic playoff victory turned out to be a player that some 49ers fans had probably forgotten. Rookie safety Marques Sigle has had a peculiar year, oscillating from being a preseason star and Week 1 starter to being a player seemingly in the doghouse–placed in the deep freezer and his name rarely heard, almost as if he was in witness protection.

That finally changed for him on Sunday, as a hamstring injury to Ji’Ayir Brown opened the door for him to take his most snaps since Week 7, logging 40 in total.

He made the most of those 40 snaps, too; he was a sure presence in coverage (in fact, almost getting his hands on a game-sealing interception), but also delivered eight thumping and sure run stops, including one particularly big shot on Saquon Barkley that killed the flow of a dangerous Eagles drive.

I’ve been a pretty big proponent of Sigle’s all season, for a variety of reasons. First, he’s clearly got the most potential of the safety group, particularly when said safety group includes Ji’Ayir Brown and Jason Pinnock, the very definition of mediocrity–but mostly because he’s an all-round safety. Niners fans have drooled over the likes of Malik Mustapha and Talanoa Hufanga in years past, but in truth, big hits and occasional flashes of play coupled with blunders in coverage, as both of those players were and are capable of, don’t hugely impress me.

What does is a solid player who can both play the run and pass with intelligence, perhaps more like Jimmie Ward, and Sigle is one of those guys. Let’s hope he sees more field time going into this week, and increasingly so next season, along with fellow defensive back talent Upton Stout.

Before You Go: Can the ride continue?

Up next, it’s–again–the Seahawks, in Seattle, in the Divisional round. In truth, part way through the Eagles game, possibly in bargaining mode, I joked that I "wouldn’t even send the plane to Seattle," especially given the injury to George Kittle. I’ve mellowed on that view a little bit, but if we’re being honest, the mountains get higher and harder to climb with each week. Our 13-3 laid egg in Week 18 looms large, although it is worth pointing out the team were deeply in the game until the final throes.

So, time for me to stop hedging: can we do it? If we can, honestly, it’ll be the most remarkable result of them all this season. I can’t imagine it, but equally, I can’t imagine counting this team out. If Ricky Pearsall can return, and the defense can play with the same intensity, desire and nothing-to-lose attitude ... why not us?