Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: 49ers WR Demarcus Robinson 🏆
This series is the only one this season between the Astros and the Giants. Houston will return home after this series to face the Detroit Tigers three times, then head back out to play three road games versus the Chicago White Sox.
Houston and San Francisco have played each other 737 times in the regular season, with the Astros winning 48 percent of the time (353-382). It’s Houston’s middlest record against an NL West opponent. They’re worse against the Los Angeles Dodgers (329-396) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (67-79) and better against the San Diego Padres (318-291) and the Colorado Rockies (104-85).
The last time these two teams played each other was from May 1 to May 3 last season, with the Astros winning the opener before dropping the final two games of the set. In Houston’s lone win of the series, on May 1, the Astros relied on a five-run seventh-inning outburst for an eventual 7-3 triumph. Mauricio Dubón led the offense with two singles and a double, while Jeremy Peña was the only other Astro with multiple hits. The game was also notable in that it was Luis Garcia’s final MLB appearance to date. Ryne Stanek (2-1, 3.60) earned the win in relief, with a perfect seventh inning.
Hopefully he’ll be back relatively soon. We don’t know when. We just have to call upon whoever’s the best available. — Dusty Baker
History would soon tell us that he was not back “relatively soon,” and JP France was the “best available.”
Houston is coming off a three-game series win over the Los Angeles Angels, winning twice before dropping the finale on Sunday. In Houston’s final win, on Saturday, Hunter Brown (2-5, 5.58) earned the win with six shutout innings of two-hit ball. He walked four and struck out seven. Every Houston player in the lineup collected at least one hit — aside from Jose Abréu. Yordan Alvarez collected three extra base hits to lead the way, including his 13th jack of the season. Jose Altuve also got two hits in the game.
I think to this point, we have a lot of guys that have experience in the playoffs, that have been through these moments. We played some good baseball and I think there’s going to be a spot where we are going to all click and when all is said and done, we’re going to be the ones to have the last laugh. — Alvarez
In the meantime, the Giants fell one win short of the sweep against the Texas Rangers, winning twice before losing 3-1 in yesterday’s finale. In their last win, also a 3-1 ballgame, Heliot Ramos was the only San Francisco player to finish with more than one hit, collecting all three of the Giants’ RBI. Erik Miller (1-2, 3.60) got the win with a scoreless inning of work, striking out two. Camilo Doval earned his 11th save of the year.
I’m just trusting my plan. The confidence happens whenever you make things happen. I’m just trying to trust it every day and trust that the plan that I’m taking to the plate is going to work. — Ramos
Standings
Houston Astros: 30-36, .455, 6.5 games back and in third place in the AL West. 12th in the American League, and 24th in MLB. On pace for 74-88. Fangraphs projects 83-79, and a 40.9 percent chance at reaching the postseason. Last 10: WLWLWWLWWL.
San Francisco Giants: 32-34, .485, 9.0 games back and in third place in the NL West. tied for sixth in the National League and 15th in MLB with the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds. On pace for 79-83. Fangraphs projects 81-81 and a 33.6 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. Last 10: LLLLLLWWWL.
Gametimes and Starting Pitchers
Monday, 8:45 PM CT: Spencer Arrighetti (3-5, 5.79) vs. Kyle Harrison (4-3, 4.18)
Tuesday, 8:45 PM CT: Ronel Blanco (5-2, 2.78) vs. Jordan Hicks (4-2, 2.82)
Wednesday, 2:45 PM CT: Framber Valdez (5-3, 3.53) vs. Logan Webb (5-5, 2.92)
Heroes and Zeroes (five highest and lowest WPA versus the Angels)
Yordan Alvarez 49.5
Jose Altuve 40.8
Hunter Brown 30.1
Framber Valdez 29.0
Chas McCormick 17.5
Yainer Diaz -11.5
Justin Verlander -22.9
Jeremy Peña -24.6
Josh Hader -27.7
Ryan Pressly -39.5
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle finished a bottle of top-shelf tequila after tearing his Achilles in the 49ers’ eventual 23-19 wild-card victory in Philadelphia Sunday night, according to The Athletic.
Kittle, who popped his Achilles in the second quarter, requested it after the injury, and a San Francisco employee was seen delivering a bottle of Patron to the 49ers’ locker room.
The bottle reportedly was sent from the owners’ suite at Lincoln Financial Field.
49ers owner Jed York personally visited Kittle in the locker room and asked if he could get him anything — and that’s when the bottle of tequila was delivered a few minutes later, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Kittle was pushed out of bounds on a 6-yard reception and immediately grabbed his leg.
The All-Pro tight end was carted off the field and hobbled on one leg into the locker room, as seen in videos online.
He was ruled out for the rest of the game.
York and Kittle’s wife, Claire Kittle, both appeared visibly somber as they entered the locker room, according to The Athletic.
The Niners were the underdogs heading into the wild-card clash with the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.
San Francisco was already down two key players in defensive end Nick Bosa (knee) and linebacker Fred Warner (ankle).
The Eagles’ offense was a mess.
They committed four drops on third down, the most in a playoff game since 2006, per ESPN stats.
The 49ers visit the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in an NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday.
The San Francisco 49ers suffered another devastating injury on Sunday. But, thanks to a strong supporting cast, they found a way to prevail once again.
San Francisco pulled off the biggest playoff upset so far in what’s been a wild wild-card round, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-19, on the road. Unheralded wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was a major reason behind Sunday’s upset as he hauled in six receptions for a game-high 111 yards and a touchdown en route to winning Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.
When Robinson spoke with Brady after the game, it didn’t take long for him to find the one word to describe the 49ers.
“If it was one word, I’d say resiliency. Resilient,” Robinson said of his team. “These guys play with resiliency. We’ve got a lot of injuries throughout the year. Even tonight, like you said, losing Kittle, guys stepped up and knew they had to make plays. That’s what we were able to do today, go out and make plays.”
Sunday’s victory also came in comeback fashion for the Niners, who rallied from a 16-10 fourth-quarter deficit despite losing tight end George Kittle in the first half to a torn Achilles.
Robinson’s resiliency was on full display on the 49ers’ opening possession. He turned an intermediate pass from Brock Purdy over the middle into a 61-yard gain, zigzagging through the Eagles’ secondary on his way to Philly’s 16-yard line. He then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to end the drive.
There was possibly no greater sign of the team’s resiliency, however, than the play that gave them a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. After their offense seemed stuck in the mud for most of the game, the 49ers found the end zone when wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey on a trick play.
Robinson was just one of a few supporting characters who contributed to the 49ers’ win. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had a season-high four receptions for 49 yards, making a pair of big grabs that helped set up touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Defensively, linebacker Garret Wallow had a game-high 11 total tackles after recording just nine total tackles in the regular season.
The 49ers’ top player in McCaffrey also showed his resilience in the win. McCaffrey turned 21 touches into 114 yards and two touchdowns, with the second TD coming via a 4-yard grab with 2:54 remaining to give the 49ers a decisive 23-19 lead.
“I think the guys are just playing with resiliency, man,” Robinson said of his team. “Everybody knew what we had at stake. Everybody came out there and did their part. So, that helped us get the dub.”
The injury to Kittle was his second serious injury of the season after he missed time earlier in the year due to a hamstring tear. San Francisco has also seen some of its other stars get sidelined for the majority of the year, such as edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner.
Warner could potentially return later in the postseason, but another key piece in wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who missed Sunday’s game, remains in limbo as he battles a knee injury. Of course, Purdy missed time this year due to shoulder and toe injuries that cost him eight games.
Despite all of that, the 49ers will now move on to play for a spot in the NFC Championship Game when they take on the Seahawks in Seattle next weekend. They nearly hosted the divisional round game, but lost to the Seahawks at home, 13-3, in the regular-season finale to give Seattle the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Robinson is optimistic, however, that there will be a different result this time around.
“Hopefully, we get the dub, obviously,” Robinson said. “We’ve just got to lock in, man. We’ve got to lock in and put more points on the board than we did last week at home. Just put more points on the board. The defense played lights out tonight. Hopefully, we keep playing that same way, man, and it leads to more dubs.”
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The San Francisco 49ers (12-5) visit the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for a Wild Card round showdown as the NFL playoffs get underway. USA TODAY’s panel of NFL experts have locked in their picks and predictions for the action. Here’s everything you need to know before kickoff on Sunday, January 11, including live updated odds and injury report news.
Name
Week 18
2025 Season
Blake Schuster
11-5
141-111-7
Jon Hoefling
11-5
137-128-7
Tyler Dragon
6-10
128-137-7
Chris Bumbaca
7-9
115-121-6
Lorenzo Reyes
8-8
119-131-6
Jordan Mendoza
8-8
113-123-6
Richard Morin
N/A
47-34-3
Opening Lines
Get the edge with our exclusive NFL betting picks
The Eagles feel like a lesser version of the Seattle Seahawks, and SF had several opportunities to win against Seattle in Week 18.
San Francisco has too many injuries. The 49ers will compete, but the Eagles are the best team in the tournament.
This season, it was San Francisco’s defense that let it down. The lack of a pass rush and lack of turnovers kept games closer. The thing is, Philadelphia’s offense was also underwhelming, which was surprising given the talent on the roster. I think this is a case where the Niner offense carries the day, though injuries on defense are a concern. Either way, this line feels too big.
This is a “go with the best unit on the field” play. The one I’m talking about? The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Kyle Shanahan vs. Vic Fangio should be a treat though.
The defending champions have been up-and-down this season, and that gives San Francisco to catch the Eagles off guard. Brock Purdy finds his form to deliver a stunner.
All San Francisco had to do was beat Seattle in Week 18 and it wouldn’t have had to leave home once during the postseason. Now the Niners have to go to Philly and face an Eagles team that’s probably furious after their season finale letdown. The Bay is about to experience some intense whiplash.
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