Saturday, January 10

5:00 AM: He is made for big games and has been playing in them his entire career. DeVonta Smith has won a National Championship, has won a Super Bowl, and he just goes out there and plays football.

Every game is prime time for him and the way he prepares, so the fact that the postseason begins on Sunday for Smith and the Eagles against the 49ers in NFC Wild Card Weekend is, well, just another game.

Kind of. Sort of.

"The playoffs are fun, man, fun," he said. "It's kind of the thrill that you get knowing that it's win or go home. I like the thrill of it and I like what's at stake. The games are a little different – the weather is changing a little bit, it's a lot colder and I would say people are more amped up a little bit, maybe.

"You don't try to make it more than what it is. You don't try to get overhyped. It's the reason why you play this game."

Smith said the 49ers are strong in coverage because "they do a good job of communicating. They do that well and the way that they operate and go to certain looks and things like that, we have to stay on top of our game and our route adjustments and things like that."

In nine playoff games for the Eagles, Smith has 43 receptions for 595 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the four games that included the win in Super Bowl LIX last season, Smith caught 16 passes for 190 yards and the big touchdown in the Super Bowl win – the dagger, as it was immediately known – so he isn't going to be shy about the center-stage lights of late Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. — Dave Spadaro

Friday, January 9

3:12 PM: Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in postseason receptions last season (17) and the offense enjoyed every bit of that production. This playoff season? It remains to be seen, of course, but Goedert is a huge option and has been all season – one of the best of his eight seasons in Philadelphia.

Goedert caught a career-high 60 passes for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns, a single-season franchise record for tight ends. He played in 15 games and 80 percent of the team's offensive snaps, and he is healthy and excited to get it going on Sunday against San Francisco.

"These are the games," he said, "that you dream about when you're a little kid. I feel really good and it's a lot of fun. Being in the playoffs, playing in games that mean a little more. I'm excited that we get to do it again. The stakes are a little bit higher, we know that, but you have to do what you've done all season and detail your work and playing your best football."

San Francisco has some injury concerns at linebacker, which could present some favorable matchups for Goedert in the passing game.

"You never know how the gameplan is going to go. Even with other linebackers, they've still got a decent group out there," Goedert said. "You have to take it play by play and win your one on ones (matchups), and if the ball comes your way, you've got to make the play. They're a physical group, they fly around and they give great effort and that's the sign of a good defense. We have to play our brand of football." — Dave Spadaro

9:35 AM: When Jalen Hurts takes the field on Sunday against the 49ers, it will be his 10th postseason start for the Eagles, the second most in franchise history only trailing Donovan McNabb.

The playoffs are nothing new to Hurts, and he and the rest of the team are leaning on that wealth of experience in the Wild Card Round.

"You just take it a day at a time, truly," Hurts said this week. "Take it a day at a time. I mean, obviously, it's 0-0. It's a new season. You got everything you want in front of you, but you got to take it a day at a time.

"I think experience is the biggest teacher. So, a lot of moments you can lean on experience in itself. So, I think just being able to reflect on not always someone else's opinions but your own experiences, that's valuable."

Hurts has a reputation of playing his best football in the biggest moments. Two of the best games of his career came in both Super Bowl appearances, and he has continuously shown the stage is never too big.

When asked why Hurts thinks he elevates his performance in high-stakes moments, he said, "some things are in you."

The Eagles will face a strong 49ers team on Sunday that is led by its offense. The San Francisco defense is banged up and lost multiple starting linebackers and edge rushers. Still, it's a team that demands respect.

"They're a really good team," Hurts said. "They have really good coaching. They play very hard, fly to the ball, very physical. You see a theme in the style of defense that they've played throughout the years, and that's why they're always up there playing for championships."

Thursday, January 8

5:17 PM: Saquon Barkley is a student of the game and an expert when it comes to running backs. So when he says that Christian McCaffrey is one of the greatest of all time, he's not just talking out of the side of his mouth.

Barkley and McCaffrey will go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. It's a marque matchup between some of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL, two players who have multiple seasons with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

"I think Christian is a great back," Barkley said on Thursday. "The reason why I laugh, we were just having a conversation about him not too long ago. I'm a fan of the position. I study all of them. I give my hats off to him. He's one of the best to ever do it, to be completely honest. It's definitely going to be a challenge for our defense. The defense is definitely up for the task.

"As a fan of the game, you're definitely going to be watching and see what he's doing. There's nothing he can't do. He can run the ball. He can catch the ball. Literally, he's an all-purpose back. Probably one of the best all-purpose backs to ever do it. I don't know if he's better than Marshall yet. He's getting there. I'm a big fan of him. We're good friends. We have a little competitive side. We go against each other. Hopefully, that comes out this week."

While McCaffrey will face one of the NFL's toughest defense, Barkley is going against a banged up 49ers front. San Francisco lost three linebackers to serious injuries and is thin along the defensive line. Still, Barkley knows this isn't a unit to take lightly.

"They might be beat up, but they're still a great team over there," he said. "You don't get to the playoffs by accident. They had an opportunity to beat No. 1 seed. You don't get to that by accident. ... They're banged up, but at the end of the day, we got to focus on the little things. Make sure that we're all on the same page. Usually when we do that, we're hard to stop, but that's the most important thing. You can't really get caught up in what's going on over there. You got to be focused on what we have and what's our play and detail it out." — Matt Ryan

9:55 AM: How is center Cam Jurgens feeling? That seems to be the first question you would ask the Eagles' Pro Bowl center, and it is one that Jurgens answered many times over on Wednesday after the team's first practice at the NovaCare Complex in preparation for Sunday's Wild Card Playoff game against San Francisco.

"I feel good. I feel great," he said. "I'm ready to go. I'm excited. I feel like it's a new season. Everyone is 0-0 and it's time to go."

Jurgens, along with most of the offensive line, rested in the regular season finale against Washington and the time off, he said, is a benefit.

"You don't feel the wear and tear after a game that can last for a few days, so when you don't play, you're a few days already ahead in your recovery," Jurgens said. "The rest was great. I think that helps everybody."

It also helps that right tackle Lane Johnson was on the practice field on Wednesday in a limited role after missing the last month-plus with a foot injury.

Jurgens said that if the offensive line were a band, as a reporter suggested, Johnson would be the lead guitarist, the guy everyone comes to see.

"If we did call it a band," Jurgens said, "Lane would be the guitarist in the back, shirt off, eight pack showing, ripped up. That's Lane. Excited to have our guy back."

The 49ers present challenges in lot of ways, Jurgens said, particularly with the way they attack the line of scrimmage.

"You need to be on the same page, have great communication, because they run a lot of games and try to confuse you," Jurgens said. "They've had some injuries at linebacker, so we are trying to figure out what we're going to get, personnel-wise, and what packages they can bring in base personnel or sub-personnel packages, but that's part of the process that we learn this week.

"The games, the way they scheme it up, that's how they've had a lot of success so we have to be ready for everything." — Dave Spadaro

Wednesday, January 7

7:42 PM: Jaelan Phillips had quite the stretch this season. The outside linebacker was traded to the Eagles after their Bye Week and left the Dolphins before theirs, meaning he played 17 straight weeks.

So, it's safe to say resting last week was well-earned for Phillips.

"I feel great. I think that having that little break was definitely good to regenerate a little bit, but I was definitely itching to get on the field, so I'm excited to be back. … Ultimately I think that there was a bye week for a reason, so it was nice to be able to get some rest."

This week, he'll return to the field for his second playoff game of his career. It's also the first time he will play at home, and he has heard a lot about Lincoln Financial Field in the postseason.

"I think it's going to be electric, as it has been every time I've played in the Linc," he said. "They've just said that playoff atmosphere is different, so I'm excited to see what it's like."

Phillips made a major impact since arriving in Philadelphia, registering 28 tackles, four for a loss, two sacks, and four passes defended in eight games. He has helped take the Eagles defensive line to another level.

Phillips said this week being the playoffs hasn't changed how the team gets ready, but there's a different energy knowing the season hangs in the balance.

"There's a different sense of urgency, I would say, but the preparation's the same," Phillips said. "It's just like preparing for a team just like you would in a regular season. You don't take anybody lightly, and you prepare for every game as if it is a situation like this, but obviously when it is a win or go home, it's definitely a different level." — Matt Ryan

5:06 PM: It has been a full calendar year since linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a knee injury that ended his 2024 postseason — in the win over Green Bay in last year's playoffs — something that he is very aware of as the Eagles prepare for Sunday's NFC Wild Card Playoff Game against San Francisco.

"Every time I go out there I appreciate it and I'm intense about it, playing the game that I love," Dean said on Wednesday in the Eagles' locker room at the NovaCare Complex. "But, yeah, this is special. This means something to me. It's the playoffs and that is something we expect around here. We have one purpose with this team."

Dean, limited in practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the win at Washington, said he will be on the field against the 49ers. "No doubt about it, I'm playing," he said.

He is rested, ready and pumped for action.

"It's NFL playoff football. Time to turn it up a notch. Everything kind of like cranks up – the speed gets a little bit faster, the players are locked in and teams don't beat themselves in the playoffs," he said. "We have to beat them. That's what we're looking at."

Dean said the 49ers have a "good, explosive offense," and that the way they use fullback Kyle Juszczyk is part of what makes the offense unique and special. Running back Christian McCaffery is the featured player and every player on the field will be aware of No. 23.

"We have 14 teams playing in the NFL and a lot of teams want to do what we're doing," he said. "Nobody takes it for granted. I'm elated. I'm excited. The 49ers, they do what they do and they're tough. They give you a lot to think about and, of course, McCaffery is one of the best players in the NFL.

"We will be ready. The playoffs are the time to shine, the time to play your best football. That's the goal we have – to play our best football starting on Sunday and keep keeping better." — Dave Spadaro

Tuesday, January 6

3:12 PM: The Eagles could get a huge boost to their defense in the Wild Card Round.

Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said he expects linebacker Nakobe Dean to play on Sunday against the 49ers. Dean left the Week 16 Commanders game early with a hamstring injury and has been out since.

Dean started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and missed the first five games. He returned as one of the best linebackers in the NFL, finishing the season with 30 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.

He brings a dynamic element to Philadelphia's defense as a blitzer and run defender next to Zack Baun, and Fangio expects to have him out there against one of the NFL's best offenses. — Matt Ryan