The 2023 NFL season schedule release is set to take place officially at 8 PM EST (5 PM PST) on Thursday night, but there are quite a few games that have been made public to fans already. One such game is the 2023 NFC Championship rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, which will take place in Week 13 of the season. And if you ask Kyle Shanahan, that's just what he wants.
The Niners postseason matchup with the Eagles was derailed by an elbow injury Brock Purdy suffered early in the game, which initially sidelined him for much of the first-half, before he was forced to replace his backup, Josh Johnson, who suffered a concussion in the third quarter. Purdy is still recovering from the injury he suffered in this game, which is part of the reason why Shanahan sounds happy San Fran won't bump into Philly until later in the season.
Via David Lombardi:
“Kyle Shanahan last night on 49ers' Week 13 game at PHI: ‘I am glad we’re not playing Philly Week 1. I want to play them at a better time. I want to make sure our whole team is right there. … We feel like we didn’t get to do it last time, and I’m ready to go back again.'”
Purdy isn't the only player injured for San Fran right now, and he hasn't even truly won the starting quarterback job over Trey Lance yet. But having time to get adapted to the season and find a groove is precisely what the Niners will be looking to do, and they will certainly have a much better shot of beating the Eagles in Week 13 than they do in Week 1. So, on a closer look, this isn't a very surprising take from Shanahan, although it will likely catch Philadelphia's attention, which may not necessarily be a good thing.
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