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The San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for yet another NFC Championship game after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 last Sunday. After what was a bruising and physical encounter, attention turns to Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.
While not likely to be going full speed at practice this week, head coach Kyle Shanahan would want all of his star players to at least be participating. However, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, three big stars were absent from practice on Wednesday.
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Given how the 49ers' offense is set up, the three players who sat out will leave 49ers fans a little nervous.
Running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, along with receiver Deebo Samuel, did not take part in practice.
Now, before San Francisco 49ers fans go into meltdown, it is not uncommon for players to miss practice at this time of the season, due to little bumps and bruises.
Add to that, it is only Wednesday and having a day off before the biggest game of the season isn't the worst idea. 49ers fans will just be hoping it is a rest day for the trio more than anything.
This is simply because if Brock Purdy doesn't have those three players on offense, the Niners' chances of slaying Hurts and the Eagles will dramatically decrease.
49ers aiming to return to the NFC Championship game with Brock Purdy
The game against the Eagles will be the second consecutive season that San Francisco will appear in the NFC Championship contest. Last year, they fell to the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford 20-17. They will be hoping for a better result this time.
With rookie Brock Purdy doing incredible things at the quarterback position and Shanahan putting him in good schemes within the offense, San Francisco has been a juggernaut.
However, they now face another juggernaut in the Eagles. Can Purdy roll into Lincoln Financial Field and slay the Eagles on their own turf? He certainly has the offensive weapons to do so, even if three of them missed practice.
Defense is where the game will likely be decided. Stopping the running attack of the Eagles is the main job and the secondary will need to curtail the various weapons at Hurts' disposal.
Getting past the Eagles would be a serious achievement for Purdy and we wouldn't put it past him to do just that.
