NFL 2023 regular seasonDates: 7 September 2023 – 7 January 2024BBC
coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website every Sunday, with San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday (from 21:00 GMT)
It’s a heavyweight match-up that has been mentioned in the same breath as Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed.
Over the last two seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers have not only been two of the NFL’s best teams, they have become the league’s newest rivals.
It began with last season’s NFC Championship game, when the Eagles beat the 49ers before losing a Super Bowl classic to the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco felt hard done by, and there has been plenty of trash talk since, but they have the chance to set the record straight when they visit Philly this Sunday, in week 13 of the regular season.
The “exciting” 49ers and “unstoppable” Eagles are currently the top two seeds in the NFC Conference so could meet again in January for a spot in Super Bowl 58.
And given both have the potential to become NFL dynasties, their rivalry could soon match that of Philadelphia’s favourite fictional fighting son and his famous foe.
From decimated to a dynasty?
San Francisco seem destined to win another championship after rebuilding a roster that former 49ers player Joe Staley says was “pretty much decimated” in 2017, when John Lynch was appointed general manager and Kyle Shanahan head coach.
Via shrewd draft picks and free agent signings, they have turned the five-time Super Bowl winners back into genuine contenders, reaching three of the last four NFC Championship games and losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.
And in their quest to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay for the first time since 1995, the 49ers took their roster to another level with mid-season trades for free-scoring running back Christian McCaffrey last year then defensive end Chase Young last month.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work in the front office and on the coaching staff,” Staley told BBC Sport. “They built it the right way, and myself, a lot of former players and fans take a lot of pride in that.
“This has been a vision of having sustained success for the franchise, not just a one or two-year window, so it’s really exciting that it’s not only going to be this season but for years to come.
“The way the roster’s been built, especially at key positions, this team has so much talent – offensively and defensively. The opposition has to play their absolute best to even have a chance.”
NFL 2023 regular seasonDates: 7 September 2023 – 7 January 2024BBC coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website every Sunday, with San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday (from 21:00 GMT)
It’s a heavyweight match-up that has been mentioned in the same breath as Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed.
Over the last two seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers have not only been two of the NFL’s best teams, they have become the league’s newest rivals.
It began with last season’s NFC Championship game, when the Eagles beat the 49ers before losing a Super Bowl classic to the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco felt hard done by, and there has been plenty of trash talk since, but they have the chance to set the record straight when they visit Philly this Sunday, in week 13 of the regular season.
The “exciting” 49ers and “unstoppable” Eagles are currently the top two seeds in the NFC Conference so could meet again in January for a spot in Super Bowl 58.
And given both have the potential to become NFL dynasties, their rivalry could soon match that of Philadelphia’s favourite fictional fighting son and his famous foe.
From decimated to a dynasty?
San Francisco seem destined to win another championship after rebuilding a roster that former 49ers player Joe Staley says was “pretty much decimated” in 2017, when John Lynch was appointed general manager and Kyle Shanahan head coach.
Via shrewd draft picks and free agent signings, they have turned the five-time Super Bowl winners back into genuine contenders, reaching three of the last four NFC Championship games and losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.
And in their quest to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay for the first time since 1995, the 49ers took their roster to another level with mid-season trades for free-scoring running back Christian McCaffrey last year then defensive end Chase Young last month.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work in the front office and on the coaching staff,” Staley told BBC Sport. “They built it the right way, and myself, a lot of former players and fans take a lot of pride in that.
“This has been a vision of having sustained success for the franchise, not just a one or two-year window, so it’s really exciting that it’s not only going to be this season but for years to come.
“The way the roster’s been built, especially at key positions, this team has so much talent – offensively and defensively. The opposition has to play their absolute best to even have a chance.”
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