It is not going to be an easy task for the San Francisco 49ers to upset the Philadelphia Eagles when they square off on Sunday in the Wild Card round.
However, the Niners have gone on the road and upset a team in the playoffs before.
The 2025 season has been different than other playoff runs under head coach Kyle Shanahan, but probably the most similar one was in 2021, just given the amount of injuries San Francisco faced.
That iteration of the 49ers was forced to go on the road as well, sneaking into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed much like they did in 2025, although this year's Niners at least knew they would be in the playoffs before the final week of the season.
San Francisco was able to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round, although many expected the 49ers to have the upper hand in that matchup.
However, in the divisional round, the Niners had to go and face the Green Bay Packers, well-rested after earning a bye week for being the No. 1 seed in the NFC and looking determined to return quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Super Bowl.
The Niners were on the road in a snowy, icy, frigid game at Lambeau Field. Offense was scarce in the game and the 49ers actually scored no touchdowns, offensively, their lone touchdown coming courtesy of a blocked punt in the fourth quarter.
Never forget Talanoa Hufanga’s epic blocked punt against The GB Packers in the 2022 NFC Divisional playoff game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pN1TIF1LGJ
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) March 10, 2025
The Niners ended up winning 13-10 on a last-second field goal by Robbie Gould. It was a major upset and gave fans hope that maybe this team had enough magic to win the Super Bowl.
Of course, San Francisco ended up losing the NFC Championship game in typical heartbreaking fashion to the Los Angeles Rams the following week, but at least the Niners now have a template to draw on for how to win a tough playoff game on the road.
One obvious difference is that that 2021 squad had a solid defense led by linebacker Fred Warner and edge rusher Nick Bosa, who are both currently injured. They were able to limit that Packers offense basically all game long, and it is very questionable whether San Francisco's current defensive unit can do the same to Philadelphia.
It is not a perfect analogy, but if the Niners can hang tough and keep it a game going into the fourth quarter and can just get one big takeaway or a big special teams play, then maybe they can upset the Eagles.