For the most part of the past ten years, the Philadelphia Eagles have been among the NFC’s top teams. However, Deebo Samuel, a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, views them as just another opponent.
During his Monday media availability, Samuel—who is now in Las Vegas getting ready for Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs—was questioned concerning the Eagles. After the two teams faced each other in the NFC Championship Game last year, many fans predicted intense upcoming games between Philadelphia and San Francisco. However, Samuel feels that the rivalry has not developed.
Why? Because of what happened back in December.
According to EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Samuel stated, “I consider rivalries to be close games.” “We’re not going to discuss that any longer. That is now resolved.
In Week 13, the 49ers outplayed the Eagles 42-19 at Lincoln Financial Field. After starting the game with a 10-1 record, Philadelphia lost six of their next seven games, including to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.
Before that Week 13 match, Samuel and his colleagues were thinking about getting even. After Brock Purdy had an elbow injury in last year’s NFC Championship Game, the Eagles defeated the Niners 31-7. Samuel gained notoriety when he said that if Purdy hadn’t gotten injured, the playoff game would have been equally lopsided in the opposite direction.
The 49ers and Eagles have a history of animosity, and Samuel is presumably attempting to stoke the fires by downplaying it. During their regular-season match, the two sides engaged into a brawl that included a well-known Philadelphia staff member. The next time that San Francisco and Philadelphia meet, there ought to be a ton more fireworks.
