The San Francisco 49ers are once again making a push for a Super Bowl despite an injured roster that has lost names like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and George Kittle over the course of the 2025 season.
Despite that, veteran role players like Eric Kendricks keep shining.
Kendricks, who signed with the team's practice squad in November, played a key role in securing a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, swatting down Jalen Hurts' fourth-down pass on what would have been a game-winning drive to push San Francisco to the next round.
Kendricks said that he was waiting for the "right opportunity" to come along before choosing to continue his career in San Francisco. He puts that appeal down to the culture this team has established under head coach Kyle Shanahan and executive John Lynch.
"It just made the most sense," Kendricks said. "And I feel like I fit in with the guys right away. I was willing to take a role that I had never taken before, playing a different position I never played before, playing special teams. It was easy because everyone on this team is so unselfish.”
Eric Kendricks shouts out 49ers culture after playoff win
Kendricks may be a far cry from his days as a Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings, but he has shown he can be a serviceable fill-in linebacker for a team that was in desperate need of someone with his degree of veteran moxie and leadership inside.
Not only is defensive coordinator Robert Saleh a master of whipping up tremendous defenses despite the coverage limitations, but he is a former linebackers coach. He deserves a ton of credit for identifying Kendricks as a player who could help this team, and his scouting eye has been rewarded.
The 49ers will face a much different beast in their next playoff game, however. The Seattle Seahawks are regarded as one of the favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy this season, and they are entering this matchup with a ton of extra momentum that a fractured Eagles team simply did not have at their sails.
Trying to go on the road and beat a juggernaut like Seattle is going to be quite difficult, but if cogs in the machine like Kendricks continue to play above themselves, it should surprise no one if Shanahan ends up grinding out yet another victory against a favored opponent.