There are plenty of reasons why San Francisco 49ers fans can feel pessimistic about Wild Card weekend's road showdown against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The Niners ran into a stone wall in Week 18 against a stout Seattle Seahawks defense, scoring a mere three points in the process, and Philly's defense under coordinator Vic Fangio is almost in the same category.
Additionally, Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni opted to rest the bulk of his starters in Week 18, whereas San Francisco had to play its own in an attempt to secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs from the Hawks, which ultimately failed.
Oh, and it's a road game for the 49ers, too. Hostile environment.
However, as much as head coach Kyle Shanahan and the Niners have to not like this matchup, there's one glaring wild card up Shanahan's sleeve that might prove to be the true difference maker on Sunday.
Shanahan is the vastly superior offensive play caller.
Kyle Shanahan can coach laps around Eagles' Kevin Patullo
In Niner Noise's conversations with various Philadelphia outlets, including FanSided's own Inside the Iggles site, it sure seems as if Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has earned no fans in the greater Philadelphia area.
From Inside the Iggles:
"Something numbers won't show is that Patullo has been the unit's biggest problem. The play calling has been utterly confusing as he has struggled to get into a rhythm with what play works best in a situation. He will call anything from his surrender RB draws on third and long to running 15-20 hitch routes a game.
The lack of creativity in Patullo's play-calling makes it impossible for this offense to succeed at the Super Bowl level expected by the Eagles' fan base, which has been the expectation all year long."
Speaking of numbers, Philly ranked 24th in average yards per game, and his side of the ball has taken a massive nosedive from the production it enjoyed a year ago en route to a Super Bowl crown.
Even quarterback Jalen Hurts seems to be taking subtle shots at Patullo's efforts.
Hurts isn't the only one calling out Patullo either.
Former Niners cornerback and current Amazon Prime gameday analyst, Richard Sherman (h/t Coach Yac on X), had some choice words on his podcast about Philadelphia's offensive coordinator
"[The Eagles] are one of, if not the most talented team in the NFL," Sherman said. "Have you seen people drive Ferraris that ain’t never drove Ferraris before? Sometimes this offense looks like a Ferrari shell with a Corolla engine. The Corolla engine is the guy calling the plays, Kevin Patullo. I’m sorry, I don’t want to do this, but the tape is the tape."
Here is where Shanahan has a distinct advantage.
With the Eagles averaging just over 22 points per game, Patullo's offense and head-scratching play calls afford the Niners defense a chance not to be overwhelmed by Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley.
From an offensive standpoint, Shanahan can coach circles around Patullo, and what happened in Week 18 should be seen as more of an anomaly than what's to be expected.
In the end, the game might come down to which offensive decision winds up being the best (or worst) in a crucial situation.
Shanahan has the edge there, clearly.