Jan 29, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) battles with Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) during the second quarter in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
The Philadelphia Eagles are days away from hosting the San Francisco 49ers for a playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.
You might recall the last time this scenario played out. It wasn't long ago.
Almost three years ago, the Eagles hosted the 49ers for the 2022 NFC Championship Game. The Birds punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVII. The already-injured Niners limped back to the airplane after sustaining even more injuries.
An elbow injury sidelined 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy during the Niners' first drive of the game. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson replaced Purdy until he too left the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Purdy was forced to re-enter the game, but his elbow prevented him from attempting even mid-range passes.
The final score of 31-7 didn't even truly convey how lopsided the contest became; excluding the end of the first half, the 49ers' nine possessions yielded one touchdown, four punts, three fumbles and one turnover on downs.
San Francisco's postgame vitriol directed at Philadelphia – from both Niners players themselves and Niners fans – was intense. Players pointed fingers and made excuses. It fueled a short-term Eagles-49ers rivalry that burned bright, and although it cooled off within two years' time, it brought us all-time moments like 2023's storied Dre Greenlaw vs. Big Dom fight:
Dre Greenlaw messed with Big Dom and got ejected pic.twitter.com/HEV3xqYEbU
Now the two teams will play postseason football once more... but are they even the same teams anymore? How many players still remember the bitter matchup? Let's review the starters from that game, compared to the Eagles' current depth chart heading into Sunday's Wild Card contest.
Eagles offense
2022 NFC Championship Game starters:
2025 Wild Card depth chart:
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has done an excellent job of keeping the Birds' young offensive core together, as evidenced by the 2025 Eagles returning seven out of 11 starters from the 2022 NFC Championship Game.
Quarterback was a given. Jalen Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles two months after Super Bowl LVII. Saquon Barkley is a massive upgrade at running back over Miles Sanders. Technically Quez Watkins was WR3 in 2022, but since the Eagles began the game with Jack Stoll as the second tight end, Watkins wasn't listed as a starter. (Fun fact: Watkins is still with the Eagles, although he's currently on the practice squad.)
Three of the five O-linemen are still in the trenches for the Eagles, along with Jason Kelce's hand-picked successor in Cam Jurgens. Lane Johnson returned to practice Wednesday, which is a great sign for his game-time availability. The Eagles desperately need him.
49ers offense
2022 NFC Championship Game starters:
2025 Wild Card depth chart:
The 49ers have also returned seven of their starters from the 2022 NFCCG. The most notable downgrade is easily their wide receiver position. Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2025, and in one of the most puzzling NFL situations in recent memory, no one on the 49ers has seen star WR Brandon Aiyuk in months.
Aiyuk hasn't played a snap since tearing his ACL in Week 7 of the 2024 season, and he was placed on the Reserve/Left Squad list on Dec. 14. His absence leaves a hole in the depth chart that Ricky Pearsall, who's recovering from a recent PCL injury of his own, may not be able to fill.
Eagles defense
2022 NFC Championship Game starters:
2025 Wild Card depth chart:
In a stunning turn of events, the Eagles' only defensive starter that has carried over is Marcus Epps.
And he didn't even stay on the Eagles the whole time! Epps played for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2023 to 2024 and had a brief offseason stint with the New England Patriots in 2025 before returning to Philly.
Howie Roseman has certainly worked his magic with this group. The 2022 defense was great, yes, but their age worked against them in a big way. Now the Eagles boast the NFL's youngest defense, spearheaded by defensive guru Vic Fangio. Guys like Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship were role players on that 2022 team and have blossomed into starters since.
Quick note - Brandon Graham played twice as many snaps in the 2022 NFCCG as Linval Joseph did. Joseph just happened to play the first snap, so he was listed as the starter.
49ers defense
2022 NFC Championship Game starters:
2025 Wild Card depth chart:
The 49ers also only returned one defensive starter from 2022: Deommodore Lenoir. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. 2022 starters Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are sitting on IR, along with a huge chunk of the Niners' other defensive talent. The 49ers currently have eight defenders on injured reserve. On Tuesday, they actually signed 2022 Eagles starting linebacker Kyzir White to bolster their crumbling linebacker room. Tatum Bethune was lost for the season in Week 18, and Luke Gifford and Dee Winters also suffered injuries.
Looking back at that 2022 Niners defense, though, it's shocking the Eagles beat them so soundly. That's a list of dawgs right there. Kinlaw, Armstead, Bosa, Al-Shaair, Greenlaw, Ward, Hufanga... what a well-constructed defense.
53-man overview
2022 Eagles still on 2025's roster: Jalen Hurts, Jake Elliott, A.J. Brown, Nakobe Dean, Britain Covey, Marcus Epps, Reed Blankenship, Cam Jurgens, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Grant Calcaterra, Dallas Goedert, Jordan Davis, Quez Watkins (practice squad), Patrick Johnson (practice squad)
2022 49ers still on 2025's roster: Brock Purdy, Jauan Jennings, Christian McCaffrey, Deommodore Lenoir, Kyle Juszczyk, Jake Brendel, Colton McKivitz, Trent Williams, Spencer Burford, George Kittle, Kevin Givens, Fred Warner (IR), Nick Bosa (IR), Nick Zakelj (practice squad), Brandon Aiyuk (reserve/left squad)
In total, the Eagles have 16 returners on their active roster and two on their practice squad. The 49ers have 12 returners on their active roster, two on injured reserve, one on their practice squad, and Brandon Aiyuk.
Most returners are key players for their teams, though. Even if most 2022-fueled vitriol has died down, maybe muscle memory will make them play just a little bit harder on Sunday.
